What Local

Businesses Should

Know about the

New Google Plus Local

Introduction

It is now common knowledge that a Google Places listing is tantamount

to the successful development of a strong web presence. What you

may not know is that Google recently completely changed the face of

Google Places. As a matter of fact, it is no longer Google Places. It is

now Google Plus Local – a drastic overhaul of the previous Google

Places platform. While it is only natural for businesses to stress over

sudden changes that force a very swift response (and an even faster

learning curve), the good news is that Google Plus Local has the power

to completely revolutionize the way you are used to interacting with

customers via Google Places. You might be surprised to find that the

more you learn about Google Plus Local, the more excited you are to

use it, and this is your perfect starting point for learning more. Here is a

guide to what local businesses should know about the new Google Plus

Local:

Social Networking.

Google Plus Local is a major upgrade from the previous yellow-pages

concept of Google Places. In order to claim your Google Plus Local

page, you must first create a Google Plus account. This means you are

automatically linked in to the entire Google Plus social network – a vast

community of businesses, customers, and potential customers that you

can interact with in a variety of ways, from posts to private messages.

The new review format

One of the primary focuses of Google Plus Local is customer reviews;

however, Google Plus Local reviews are more advanced than what you

might be used to. Fortunately for you, they also come with some great

advantages. Customers who leave reviews on your page must be logged

in to their Google Plus accounts; this means there are no more anonymous

reviews, which in turn means you are less likely to receive malicious or

spam reviews. You can also communicate with reviewers directly.

User ratings.

Additionally, reviewers will have the opportunity to rate your business

more thoroughly and accurately, using the new Zagat scale (as

opposed to the previous 5-star scale). The Zagat scale asks that

customers rate your business from 0 to 3, in a number of categories

related to your business, in order to calculate an overall rating of 0 to

30. This system is much more telling for potential customers, and

much more revealing for businesses looking to improve.

What happens to your Google

Places listing?

Google makes the process of switching over to Google Plus fast and

simple, by allowing you to transfer your Google Places listing

information over to your Google Plus Local account.

Take advantage of everything Google Plus has to offer your business by enlisting the help of competent

professionals like us, SPANCEPT.

We can be reached via

email: consult@spancept.com

Or

visit us at: www.spancept.com.