Local | On Target Professional Website Design

Google Local is now Google Places

Apr 282010

The name change comes with some great new features. The one that interests me particularly is Business Photos. Google will send a photographer to take pictures of the interior of your business for your Google Places listing – for free!

If you have a restaurant, hotel, retail shop or storefront business,apply today for a Google photo shoot. Feel free to apply if you have a different kind of business, but don’t expect a quick response. It’s certain to be a popular program (the photographers are trained to work well in cramped and poorly lit areas and have fisheye and panoramic lenses). Besides the advantages to your listing, isn’t it just great to get something free?

Photo shoots are currently available only in certain cities in the US, Japan and Australia, including:

Atlanta, GA
Boston, MA
Chicago, IL
Denver, CO
Detroit, MI
Houston, TX
Indianapolis, IN
Jersey City, NJ – Hoboken, NJ
Kansas City, KS
Las Vegas, NV
Los Angeles, CA
Miami, FL
Minneapolis, MN
Nashville, TN
New York, NY
Philadelphia, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
Portland, OR
San Antonio, TX
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
San Jose, CA
Seattle, WA
St. Louis, MO
Washington D.C.

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Free Marketing Secrets – Yahoo! Local

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Dec 292009

A free Yahoo local listing displays your address, phone number and website. You can put your business in up to 5 categories and list products, services, brands you carry and more.

To see where results appear, search for ‘roofing new braunfels tx’ on Yahoo! The top listings are from Yahoo! Local, and we all want to be listed at the top!

To Add Your Site:

Go to the Yahoo! Local Listings page and click on “Sign up”
Sign in with your Yahoo! ID, or register for a new account.
Enter as much information as possible.
Choose appropriate and specific categories for your listing.
Click on “Continue”, review your listing and submit.

In 3-5 days your listing should appear. Return to your Local listings account at any time to see the status of your listings. Encourage customers to leave reviews on your listing.

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Free Marketing Secrets - Bing Local

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Dec 192009

NOTE: As of December 19, 2009, there is a backlog of listings. I requested inclusion for two sites on December 20th and have yet to receive my verification PIN for either. Hopefully they’ll catch up soon.

The Bing business listings come from publicly available local telephone listings. To see how this works, go to www.Bing.com and search for – house painting new braunfels, texas. The very first set of listings will be “Listings for house painting near New Braunfels, Texas”. If your business is not listed – and surely you want it to be, click on their “Local Listing Center” link at the bottom of the page. Then, click on the link to “Add new listing”.

Enter your business information. If your business listing appears, click on the “Change your business listing” link in the right-had column and follow the instructions so you can add more information. If your business is not found, follow the instructions to add your business information. In either case, you will need to have a Windows Live ID to proceed. You can create one at this time.

Make sure you add as much information as possible. Use the “supplemental websites” area to add extra links to your listing. For example, a roofing contractor can add additional links to their contact form, customer comments, BBB listing or even reviews on sites like Google local.

When visitors see your listing, they’re already interested in what you have to offer. Make it easy for them to choose you by making it easy to contact you and obvious why you are the best choice! This is definitely worth your time. Of course, if you choose a custom website from On Target, your Bing listing is included!

Bing requires verification for listing additions and changes. You should receive a verification PIN in the mail. Return to your Local Business Listing Center and follow the instructions, logging in with your Windows Live ID.

Encourage your customers to write a review. Make it easy by sending a link right to your business listing.

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Free Marketing Secret - Google Local

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Dec 172009

It’s true. There are numerous free marketing opportunities that you’re not using to your advantage! Here is the first in a series of three.

Google Maps / Google Local

For example, Google the term – facials canyon lake texas. The top results are Local business results for facials near Canyon Lake, TX. If you click on that link, you get about 4 pages of listings. If you wanted your business to be displayed here, you would go to the bottom of the page and click the Information for Business Owners link.

Once you have signed in, click on the “Add a new business” button and enter your information. Make sure to follow through with all all verification procedures.

Suggestions on creating a great listing:

Basic Information
To help readers make their choice, make sure you include as much information as possible. Always enter the official business name and mailing address. Be sure to include your area code with your phone number. Make sure to list your office business website. In the description field, tell readers what makes you stand out from the competition. If your business does not appear on the map in the correct location, click on the “Fix incorrect marker location” link and follow the instructions.

Categories
Choose accurate, descriptive categories. Feel free to create your own category if you don’t see one that fits. Be as specific as you can.

Photos/Videos
If possible, include a photo or video to help your listing stand out.

Additional details
Include anything else you’d like readers to know. For example, list the brands you carry, services you offer, or added perks (like free parking). Your ranking, in part, depends on its relevance compared to the key words entered. So, make sure you list as much information as possible.

When you’re done, encourage your customers to write a review on your listing. This can help improve your ranking. Log in to your Google Local Business Center Dashboard from time to time to see how often your site is appearing in the listings, how often people click on your listing and the top search queries that lead visitors to your listing. You can also add a coupon for free!

Don’t have a website? Need a few changes or a complete overhaul?

When you choose a custom website from On Target, listing creation for Google Local is included. In a brief phone call I’ll show you exactly how easy it can be to get started. Call 830.822.6589 today!

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