Tag Archives: google places update

As we all know, Google Places is constantly changing and updating. Over the past week, there has been plenty of buzz about the new makeover Google Places has undergone. After our Local Splash provisioning team has researched the new face of Google Places, here is an outline of the changes we’ve found.

The New Search Engine Results Pages:

• The red Google pins are now grey. If you hover your mouse over the grey pins turn red.
• The map is vertically larger and more pins are displayed.
• When you click on the red arrow a new panel to the right is displayed with more information. This information includes Place Page photos with more details and the business’s home page.

Great Marketing Opportunities

When a user already knows the name of the business they’re looking for, the results page looks like this:

• All of the important business information is above the fold on your page – this is prime marketing real estate.
• The Places Page and website are both displayed; if you click the right arrow it will go between both.
• Citations (listings and directories) are shown.

The new look of Google Places is great because it displays information without needing to actually click on the business’s Places Page. This is extremely beneficial for small businesses that may not have much of a marketing budget or online presence because Google Places is completely free. Claiming your Google Places listing allows you to establish your business online with little investment. Be sure to completely fill out your Google Places page information with plenty of details about your business (including photos, videos, etc.) to maximize your Google Places page’s value and boost your rankings.

Google Places received a recent facelift that left it with a few noteworthy changes. Although there are no changes in ranking factors, the detail citations are no longer shown and the review results have changed. Here is an overview of the important changes to Google Places.

1. The “Write a review” button is now found in two places. It is also larger and red.

2. Any Google user can now upload a photo to the business listing.

3. Detail references and attributes are not displayed or linked to. However, since rankings appear to be holding steady, the details are most likely still working behind the scenes. It is our speculation that the loss of the detail attributes is only temporary.

4. The reviews found on the listing are only those left by Google users as opposed to ones pulled from Yelp, Citysearch and other review sites Google used to show in results.
The changes to Google Places does not appear to be currently affecting rankings. However, Local Splash will continue to monitor this and report any further findings. For more information, read Google’s statement on the changes to Google Places on this Google Blog.

Screenshot of the changes made to Google Places