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They are going to be found today on Google Places pages even if they don't have a web site. Nor does it mean that web sites are a mistake. But the world has changed. A new force has come on to the scene, even if it is not widely recognized yet. Henceforward, those who take appropriate action online will start seeing significant advantages in attracting new customers.
No busiiness can survive in the long run without an active program to attract as many new customers as possible.
A good web site can tell many stories to those who read it. The primary purpose of a web site though for most business was to get seen by new custoemrs. From now on, in most cases that function will be dominated by Google Places Page search results.
What was once done by Yellow Pages will now be done by a Google Places search.
When people want to find a solution to a need, they tend to go to the easiest resource they have. In the past, you would use the Yellow Pages to find a Plumber or other specialist.
For years the number of people using the Yellow Pages has been in steep decline and now almost everyone turns to their computer to find resources they need. This is true of all age groups, but is even more predominant in the younger generations where the Yellow Pages are seldom used at all.
There is a lot of money in this online traffic. That's why Google has made such a strong effort to capture the dominant role as the new "Yellow Pages."
Google wants to replace the Yellow Pages recognizing that businesses are willing to pay high advertising fees to get active prospects. People who are searching for a supplier are doing it because they have a need and thus they are much easier to convert into customers and cash. Online searchers have the same cachet. They are targeted to the niche they are searching in and are often likely buyers if they find what they are looking for.
Today, Google is offering this as a free service. This won't last. For the time being, it's one of the best freebies out there.
Google is trying to sell Tags which help highlight the listing. Kind of like getting your old listing bolded in the Yellow Pages. But its not necessary to do this yet in most markets. While these tags generate revenue for Google, its clear that they do not affect rankings and that Googles dominant goal remains to get as many people to complete their listings as fully as possible so they will be of maximum value to searchers.
To that end, they reward businesses who take the time to fully complete their listings with preferential listing on the so called Google 7 pack or map.
Getting a top ranking means money to a business. While not everyone searching will necessarily click on the top ranking, history shows us that more people click the top ranked result than any other.
Today, for many businesses in many communities across the world the word is just beginning to get out. In many niche, in many cities it is still incredibly easy to get a top listing on the Google Places search results.
And yet while we see more and more businesses taking the time to claim their page, most are not bothering to fill them out properly which is a big mistake. They need to understand that they need to not only completely fill in their listing, but also show up on Googles competitors. In addition, in the long run to maintain a high rank online the Google Places Search they will need to secure reviews from satisfied customers.
The world of marketing is changing dramatically in terms of the technology used by the prospective customers. The business persons needs have not. A local business need to be where the customers are, or where the customers are looking.
