Recently, Google introduced Place Search; this is a modified local search result which organises information around places.

Google has gathered search results within particular locations to make it easier for a searcher to make comparisons and have informed decision on where to go.

Product Manager, Jackie Bavaro has this to say: "We are easily hooking up websites in their millions to over fifty million real-world locations using Place Search. We are able to automatically know when websites are referring to physical places as well as cluster links, even if there is no address provided or if they use different names".

Google said that among the notable things about the technique they employ in local search is that, it is easier to get a detailed view of each place. The new layout provides users with a good number of more relevant links on just one result page – the links are usually 30 or more. So, rather than carrying 8 searches or more to locate the site you are looking for, a single search is enough to get the sites. "We found out that on the average, about two seconds is saved when searching for local information because of Place Search implementation".

The Significance

More than anytime, it has become critical for any business to apply Local Search, SEO strategy as well as Online Review, in order to achieve significant exposure in Google result pages for searches related to a location.

Place Search is an evidence of the ongoing commitment by Google to make sure that relevant results are made available when local search queries are initiated. According to Jon Schepke (interactive marketing agency expert), Google’s local and organic search merger reflects a major change in the manner the top search engine displays info in search terms or phrases that initiate localized results". In the days to come, a lot of businesses that depend on organic traffic for generating their revenue will be affected by the changes. Sadly, those who are not ready could face unpleasant awakening when they discover that their listings have changed in search results without any prior notice.

Therefore, it is recommended that businesses track their search rankings closely in order to embark on the optimization of their Google Places page profile. They should also make sure that the presence of their businesses in other second and third-tier search engines as well as directories is optimum.

What a Company Should Do to Optimize a Google Places Listing

• Ensure that relevant Places categories are included.

• Let there be a good mix of both short tail and long tail keywords; however, make sure that you do not duplicate keywords.

• Come up with very creative and highly informative descriptions for your business; make sure that the keywords used in the descriptions are highly related to your business.

• The videos and photos you use should be brand-approved.

• Ensure that you do not miss any important or relevant field – fields such as payment methods, service areas and your business hours of operation should all be included.

• In order to keep information relevant and ever fresh, Google Places Posts is a valuable tool at your disposal.

• Ensure that you encourage customer reviews online.