Filipe C Santos

Google Place Pages

Posted by Filipe Santos on 3 October 2009 | 0 Comments

Tags: Google, Place pages, maps, websites, website, brochures, online, marketing, smbs, small business

The official Google Blog now states that every PLACE in the world now has its own webpage. The format of these pages will resemble: http://maps.google.com/places/us/city/street/ZIP/-business-name, which in many cases may include very simple info, but places reasoning to engage with Google to claim the listing(s) and potentially turn into an AdWords client.

• Currently there are 21 million small or medium sized local businesses spending on average, $4k per year on yellow pages advertising and other local advertising (~$25B annually)
• 75% of Internet users have used the internet in the past three months to look up a place on a map or to get driving directions

Worded a bit differently or concisely,
1. Lot's of money's being spent locally, by local business to get customers in their doors and buying a service or product
2. Users/Customers are increasingly their consumption of use of the internet and consulting with maps (from search engines and other sites) online to find their way around and to locate businesses to patronize

With time, those local business owners will also begin to direct some of that $4k per year to the providers of internet and mobile map services...

Google maps, now  with the availability of the Place Pages makes it easier for users to find important information about businesses or places in a single, simple webpage without having to interrupt the search experience and prevents folks from getting side tracked on a mini expedition to determine whether or not a place is worth the visit. These place pages also include an entire page of rich details, like photos, videos, a Street View preview, nearby transit, reviews and related websites. According to Mike Sterling, Google is running a separate algorithm that ranks content providers like review sites within these pages, making it far more relevant for SEO's to also begin learnign how to best optimize these pages for clients through traditional natural search tactics and also with social marketing concepts.

While a benefit for users of Google Maps, you can’t help but notice that this will be a very compelling tool to help Google in its efforts to sell in to local brick and mortar businesses which may not have lacked a meaningful website or online presence prior. This also Puts Google Place Pages on the map with Yelp and Yodle to name a few. This also ensures that brick and mortar stores/locales are pulled online one way or another - which is a Win-Win scenario for both.