If you are looking for easy and fundamental things that you can do to get more business for your local small business, then understanding and fully using Google Places (formerly Google Local Business Center) is an important piece of that puzzle. A huge percentage of small businesses do not have good photos uploaded to Google Places, do not have any customer reviews, and are generally missing out on one of the easiest ways to attract customers. In this day and age, not having a decent Google Places listing is the equivalent not being in the phone book.

Google has now consolidated their Local Business Center with Maps. Google Places ties in with Google Maps search results, and also shows up in regular Google search results. This means that your business gets huge, locally-targeted exposure from having a profile. Many small businesses that I consult with are getting 30-50% of their inbound customer inquiries and walk-ins from the Internet already. Therefore, by improving the quality of your online presence, you will increase the percentage of customers that call you or visit your location versus your competitors.

When you set up or improve your existing Places listing, you are able to update and verify your current contact and basic information such as hours of operation, and you can also add photos, videos, coupons, product offerings, and more. Imagine how your local business would stand out compared to your competitors if you had a nice 30-second welcome video that was accessible right through Google search results. Your prospects would feel like they already knew you and would be much more likely to look to your small business rather than the competitor down the street.

You can also communicate with your customers through Places, use advanced features like mobile coupons, and for only $25 per month you can add tags to your listing to make your business stand out in certain geographic areas. You can request a free photo shoot of the interior of your business, to supplement your uploaded photos. Google Places is also compatible with mobile QR codes that allow customers to interact with your business using this more and more widespread technology.

Google says they want to make this new platform your megaphone for your business, and if you only give them in the information they request, you will be well on your way to besting your competition with this tool. Google Places has even set up a function to allow business owners to make real-time updates to their listings so you can announce sales, special offers, news, etc.

From a marketing standpoint, Google Places is one of the easiest and fastest things you can implement to increase visibility and in-bound traffic to your location or to your business website. It just makes all the sense in the world to take advantage of this free service created and managed by Google, so you can leverage their platform and their expertise in local search results to the benefit of your prospect list, your customer base, and your profits.

Author Bio: There are many ways to find new customers and make more money on the Internet, but nothing makes sense unless you are implementing the critical, fundamental strategies that are available to you right now. Discover how to harness the power of the Internet – Go here: http://CriticalInternetSecrets.com

Category: Business
Keywords: small business,small business marketing,local business center,google places,google maps,mobile