Google Places Step-By-Step Setup

This is a series of videos that walks through the setup of a business in Google Places(tm). While much of this setup process is intuitive, there are a few things that must be done a certain way to maximize the results from Google Places.

Contents of Video #1

• Introduction and discussion of who should use Google Places, URL to get started
• Logging in if you already have a Google account, or creating one if you don’t
• Country and phone number – and importance of consistency
• Other company and contact information – again, consistency is very important
• Importance of description

Contents of Video #2

• Category – mandatory to choose one of Google’s categories before adding your own
• Service area discussion – do people come to your location or do you travel to them?
• Importance of not declaring too large of a service area

Content of Video #3

• Hours of operation, payment options
• Discussion of photos and videos – get at least one photo uploaded even if you have to take it with your camera phone
• Google may still be offering to come out and photograph your business when you read this, if so, take advantage of it
• Didn’t mention it in video, but Animoto.com is an easy way to create a video for your business
• Additional details section – entering more info about your business. Take advantage of this area to show number of years in business, BBB rating, etc.

Contents of Video #4

• Validation of your listing – phone or SMS if you are lucky, but probably via letter
• Taking around 10-12 calendar days now, a little quicker than it used to be
• Offers – create a simple coupon
• Importance of reviews

Google Places is a Trademark of Google, Inc.