Google Places FAQs

Q. What is Google Places?

A. Go to www.google.com and type “skip hire in Newcastle”  The “keyword or phrase” is “skip hire” and the location is “Newcastle”. Google knows all the locations and when a search is performed, which has a location, it displays The Google Places Display Window”. It has been primarily designed to cater for local businesses who service a particular area, and it works with Google Maps, so that your business is depicted on a map of the local area with a red lollipop icon.

Q. I can’t see the Google Places panel, when I do a search in Google, why not?

A. Firstly, the Google search results are not always 100% consistent. In other words, different results are returned based on a great many factors, some of which include, the browser you are using, the different features you have switched on and off in different browsers, and if you are logged in to Google or not. Google themselves, slightly change the way in which they deliver results, every single day…….so consistency is not necessarily to be taken for granted.

Q. What is a “keyword” ?

A. A keyword is a word or a phrase that is typed into the Google search box, in order to receive a set of results. For example, “hairdresser” or “computer repairs,” they are “keywords” or “search terms”.

Q. What is the difference between a normal search in Google and a “Local” search?

A. Using the example above “computer repairs”, is a normal search and “computer repairs Nantwich” is a “Local” search. The “Nantwich” part of the local search is what Google call a “Geo Locator” or a place name, and it is this which triggers a Google Places display “pack”. Often called a “7 Pack” or a “5 Pack”, depending on the competing Google Places listings for that particular search.

Q. Why doesn’t my Google Places listing show up?

A. The normal Google process is, to “scrape” business listings and details from what they regard as “authority” sites, like yellowpages.co.uk and others. This gives Google what it calls a “place holder” listing, which displays some basic information about a great number of businesses. However, Google calls this “unverified”, which means it does not contain trustworthy information. This listing must then be “claimed” by the authorised owner of the business, and the owner needs to verify ownership by having a postcard sent to the “advertised” business address. In the envelope is a PIN code which needs to be associated with the unclaimed listing to change it’s status to “claimed”. Once this process has been completed, the listing then “competes” with other listings for that particular keyword search, and the criteria for that ranking is based on a hugely complicated mathematical algorithm, which is said to be constantly “tweaked”, on a daily basis.

Q. Why doesn’t my Google Places listing still not show up, even after I’ve claimed it?

A. Once it’s claimed, it then needs to be optimised, what this means is that it competes with every other business who has claimed a listing and is competing with your listing on the “keywords” that you need to add to your listing.Optimisation, is a process which takes a certain amount of time, because Google has all manner of methods, to ensure a listing is not being unduly optimised. The aim is to always present a “natural” looking optimisation profile to Google. It simply doesn’t pay to try to outwit Google, they have incredible resources and the cleverest “geeks” on the planet, and we always work hard to know what their rules are, and to stay within them. Having a listing “de-listed” for flouting any of Google’s complicated rules is a costly reminder, that is simply not worth the risk!

Q. What do you actually do, to optimise my Google Places listing?

A. Firstly, we undertake “keyword research”. This means we need to match the keywords in your listing with those that are being searched by people looking for your product or service. This is actually a very important process that always helps businesses to achieve clarity in terms of their product or service. It is also an excellent learning process for most businesses, because it forces you to try to “get in the head of your prospects or customers”, and can reveal some fascinating facts about how people perceive your business its products and services. For example a health and lifestyle business that was very successful in the U.K. but couldn’t get a sale in the U.S.A. discovered that it’s American prospects had totally different names for many of the ailments and illnesses, for which it was marketing a cure………We then need to create 10 images, 5 videos, write ad copy about the business, add keywords and tags to categories and then we need to get some reviews about your business and post them onto the authority sites that Google recognises. All of this “content” must then be regularly “refreshed”, because if it isn’t your Google Places ranking will degrade and your competitors will take your listing away from you, with the costly loss of business that will entail.

These are all excellent reasons, why you should claim your Google places listing right away…today!

Because if you don’t, your competitors surely will….And besides… we’ll do it for you, so you don’t need to do a thing, and it’s completely free.

So why would we do this for you?

Because it’s in our interest, for you to see the excellent value in Google places for yourself and you really need to claim your business listing anyway! There have been a number of fraudulent claims….so make sure your business name is secured!

No credit cards, no strings attached…… just a free listing.

Click this link to claim your FREE Google Places Listing: http://purple-places.co.uk/google-places-seo/claim-your-free-google-places-listing