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April 20th, 2010, Google announced that the local business center is becoming Google Places. Google states that this will allow users to find more informative places where to go. The new Google Places will include non-merchant places such as museums, schools and even parks.
The debate about including a phone number in search ad copy has been going on for years. The Nos argue that inserting a phone number takes important space away from your marketing message, and that if people call without clicking, it will lower your quality score, thereby driving up cost. The Yesses often focus on the fact that if a searcher calls without clicking, you don’t pay for that click. They also note that few advertisers include a phone number in their ads, so doing so can help your ad stand out.
Having solid Google Maps Rankings is increasingly important as the placement of 7 or 10 results from Google Maps has become the mainstay for local search engines searches. Just 6 months ago, Google Maps placements were still not consistent for local search results but obviously times have changed and your need to be placed within the top results has become critical for any business.
According to a new study, nearly two thirds of searchers expect search engine results pages to list businesses within 15 miles of their home or work. That expectation is up from 52% in 2007. More importantly for your business, 83% of local search users contacted businesses offline (46% call, and 37% visit).
