Internet Marketing and eCommerce Expert – Nigel Burke's Blog

Mt Everest is getting mixed reviews on Google Places at the moment. People are complaining about the lack of service, facilities and staff. Others enjoyed the views and will be back again next year with the family.

Great day out if you are properly prepared.‎‎ I’ve read many poor reviews of this venue from people who seem to be surprised at the lack of facilities. All I can say is that if you are unprepared then you can expect to be disappointed. There are no food outlets at the summit and those along the route take advantage of their near monopoly by charging tourists exorbitant prices, so it’s worth remembering to pack a few sandwiches and a flask of coffee before setting out. It can get quite chilly in winter which makes warm drinks preferable to cold ones. Remember also to bring a sweater in case the weather worsens and maybe a waterproof jacket in the event that it rains. The weather can change quickly, so it’s worth packing an umbrella even if the morning is bright and sunny. This is not a beach and some walking can be expected, making the correct choice of footwear essential. A good pair of walking sandals will be adequate under most circumstances although to be on the safer side boat shoes or similar might be wiser. One …‎

What is Google Places?
Local business listings is very important in Google. If you do a local search which includes a place, town, city or local service, Google will display the local business box. That’s how important Google thinks local search results are.

What determines your Google Places Rank?
Everyone is wondering what the ranking factors for local search engine optimisation. Do you stuff your Google Places page with as many keywords as possible or what?

Here are the top 10 factors that determine your Google Places ranking – From Least important to most important -

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!