Internet Marketing and eCommerce Expert – Nigel Burke's Blog

Google Place Listings is the results box when you even a search query that may be location specific.

There is no hard rule for when the business listings will be displayed but it usually appears when a keyword is about a location or the type of keyword would be loacation specific.

If you entered pizza into Google, it would then show the business listings. The same would happen for accomomdation, hotel or motel.

These listings can be a very powerful tool that you can use to list your business above everyone else. Managed right and you will be up the top. Do the wrong thing, and you will be removed very quickly – within hours!

Here is an example of Google Places for Wollongong Restaurants

Here are the 7 mistakes that will get you removed -

1. Adding keywords to your business title.
Adding a description or keywords to your business title may get you listed at the top for a short time but you will be dumped.

2. Adding categories with locations.
When you edit your categories, think about the services or products that you provide. By adding locations as well will not help your listing.

3. Using a non-physical address – ie. PO Box.
Google likes businesses where customers can walk in and visit the business. You cannot walk into a PO Box and look around. Having a physical address adds trust to your business and Google sees this as a good thing.

4. Using a call tracking phone number.
You need to use a real phone number without tracking. A tracking number can be a unique number so you know where your leads are coming from. I am not sure why Google penalises business for this because I do not see it as a bad thing. Business owners need to research where they are getting customers from.

5. Adding fake reviews.
It’s tempting to register fake accounts and add positive, keyword stuffed reviews but do not do it. Your competitors will see this and report it to Google. Google also looks at the number of reviews, when they were added, other reviews done by this user and how old the account is. If Google thinks something suss is going on, it will dump you.

6. Hiding your physical address.
Google explains that by hiding your physical address, that it won’t affect your listing. My testing indicates that it does affect the listing and the business listings have dropped. By showing the physical address again, the rankings improved within hours.

7. Duplicate information in your description.
Write a quality description about your business. This means unique content with real information in it.

8. Claim your business listing.
It amazes me how many business listings are still not claimed. Make sure your business listing is claimed and optimised so you get the full benefit of Google Places.

Wrap Up
Google Places can be a powerful tool that can get you a lot of extra quality traffic with a little effort.

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