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.