Google+ Local: The New & Improved Google Places

If you’re not already on Google+, here’s a new reason to jump on the bandwagon. Last Wednesday, May 30, Google announced Google+ Local, a simpler, fully integrated version of Google Places.

We Trust Our Family & Friends
Our friends and family have always helped us find places to go. Whether it’s where to find the best fish tacos, prettiest cupcakes, most extensive local music collection, most reliable movers or competent house painter, we listen to our friends.

We trust our family and friends to help us find those great places. Think about your own decision making process. if you’re looking for a personal injury attorney, chances are you’ll ask around to your most trusted circle before choosing one.

Google+ Local makes it easier than ever to find places because it integrates into Search, Maps & Mobile. It’s another step forward by Google to create one seamless user experience across all of the Google products.

Where Can you Find It?
If you have a Google+ account, click on the “more” link on the left navigation. From that view, you’ll see a link to the “Local” tab. On the Local page, you can read recommendations & reviews, search or submit your own reviews.

Similar to Google Places pages, when you click on a profile review, you will see useful information like the businesses’ address, hours, photos and reviews.

Zagat 30-Point Rating System
One difference with the new pages is the ratings system. In the old Google Places format, ratings were based on a one to five star system. Google+ Local uses the 30-point Zagat system. This system offers more in-depth review information. For example, your favorite Chinese restaurant has amazing Mu Shu Pork, but the lighting and ambiance are not so good. Its old score may have been four stars. Using the new Zagat method, the scores will be broken up to give you more insight. The new score will be something like 26 for food and only 6 for décor. Based on the review scores, you may decide that this is the perfect place for take-out and not date night!

Over the past couple of years, we’ve noticed social media influencing Search. This update gives even more power and influence to what our friends think. For example, if we do a Search for “Minneapolis Movers” and a friend has written a review about a mover they’ve just used, we will see that review in our Search results.

Widen Your Circle for More Visibility!
This is tremendously powerful because it means the wider our social circle, the more influence we have. If you haven’t created a Google+ account for your business, now is the time. If you need help taking the plunge, let us know and we’ll help create a strategy and implement a plan.

If you have a Google+ & Places business page, you can continue to manage your Places profile from the same dashboard. Once updates are rolled out, we will let you know. If you are curious about the upcoming changes, here’s a sneak peak of a business page - https://plus.google.com/112072673743650889057/posts.