Free Marketing: 101 Low and No-Cost Ways to Grow Your Business, Online and Off

CHAPTER 18

FILL UP GOOGLE PLACES TO GET FOUND

We've established that Google does not like to be manipulated in their search results. Don't try to fool the system because nothing is stopping Google from removing you entirely from their directory if they detect that you are breaking even seemingly small rules unintentionally.

With that warning in mind there are several obvious steps that you can take to increase your exposure on Google Places. Mostly it involves filling up your profile with quality content and information, having multiple customers leave testimonials on common review sites, and perhaps most importantly, having an indexed website associated with your Google Places listing.

Let's examine those three concepts in order:

First, Fill Up All Possible Fields with Good Content

This is self-explanatory, but follow the directions and be thorough. It's just like the science fair when you were a kid. It's not the guy with the best experiment who won every year. Instead, it was the kid with the most thorough report with all the blanks filled in.

Testimonials

While you should never manipulate Google's system by attempting to generate false testimonials, you can certainly encourage your top customers to leave you feedback and reviews on the sites associated with your industry. The more positive reviews you have from various customers, the higher you will see yourself ranked in Google Places.

Have an Indexed Website

Having an indexed website with a high PageRank score associated ...