What is Google Places?
Google Places is a local directory listing service offered for free by Google. If your business is local (which all therapists are) then Google will assign you a Google Places account whether you want one or not. If you do not claim it or do anything to it then it is likely to just have your business name and address on it and a pointer showing where your business is on a map and little else. Most businesses are in this situation and it is a tragic waste of one of the most effective marketing methods available. My job will will be to work with you to fill your Google Places page with interesting, relevant information and optimise your page off site so you appear number one in the Places rankings.
Google Places has become so much more important over the last few months as Google has changed the way it displays search results. What happens now is that the Google Places results usually appear before any other listing, even Google AdWords have started to appear below them.
The change is a result of Google attempting to give clients what they need and provide the best search results possible. When a potential client searches for something with a location in the search keyword it makes sense that the closest local services to that client are displayed first. If you live in Birmingham and you want a therapist then you are highly likely to choose one close to you, the listings for London will become irrelevant. To help that client out then, Google will display the local results first from Google Places, then list other well optimised sites for that keyword.
How is my Google Places ranking decided?
There are numerous factors that decide where your Google Places listing appears on Google. These include how many citiations you have on your Google Places account and around the web, how close you are to the city centre, how well you have optimised your Google Places account, whether you have relevant photos and videos and many many more factors.
If it’s all about Google Places, doesn’t that make link building a waste of time?
Some people erroneously believe that all they need to do these days is to list themselves on Google Places and they will beat all of the link builders without Google Places pages in the rankings. There’s a couple of major flaws to this thinking.
Firstly, if you do not invest in link building and a good website then it is unlikely that your business will even make it into the Google Places listings.
Secondly, I encourage all my clients to think holistically about their marketing. Doing all of one thing and nothing of another just does not make sense any more. Your aim should be to be everywhere. Having a great Places listing will augment your website which will boost your Facebook page which will have a knock on for other social media etc etc.
How can I find out where I am on Google Places now?
Easy, just click on this link and it will take you to my page that will give you a Free Google Places ranking report that will include you and all of your local competition.
What does Soul Healer Websites Google Places service include?
The first job will be to make sure that your Google Places page is claimed and correctly listed with Google. The next stage is to optimise your Google Places page on page and off page so Google will see it and rate it as important. There are various ways of doing this and I’m not going to go into details here. If you are interested in taking my Google Places service please get in contact either by using my contact form or phoning me on 07966 390857.
