I’ve been dying to get to this since last night when I saw the Google blog announcement fly through my feed.
Google Places is having a makeover. Its new improved dashboard is rolling out now in the US and will eventually go international. We’re told to sit tight.
What’s new in Google Places for Business?
Other than the swish new at-a-glance dashboard, Google Places will seamlessly integrate with Google Plus business pages (the social pages) using the option in the Places dashboard. This alone will stop some confusion.
Perhaps most exciting for me is that service area businesses are supported – that is brilliant news!
You’ll also be notified of edit status, it shows as pending rather than you sitting there waiting for weeks wondering what’s happening with no updates.
On the downside, the speculated change to categories has been implemented. There are no more custom categories.
More Information
Both Linda Buquet and Mike Blumenthal have test accounts and go into the changes in far more detail with screenshots. There’s also some FAQ over on the Google and Your Business forum.
I’ll be updating my free guide for my mailing list over the next day or so. My lovely business coach, Sharon has agreed to be a guinea pig. As soon as the new Places dashboard rolls out over here I’ll set up her listing and video it to add to the free guide.
If you want the updated guide and the video when they’re available you need to be on the list. Simply pop your name and email in the box below.
Over to you…
I can hardly contain my excitement that Google Places is finally heading in the right direction – do you share my feelings, or are you rolling your eyes at yet another change online?
Google Places Gets A Long Awaited Make-Over (Hurrah!) by Jan Kearney
Grab your guide to local search and learn:
- What elements are important on your website
- How to set up your Google My Business Local Page
- How Google Plus can help you zoom past your competitors
- Two things you should not neglect if you want to rank in the local search pack
- How to power past your competitors and dominate your area
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I love what Google is doing. There’s so much talk about Google Reader being retired but businesses should focus on developments like these.
I’m still sulking about Google Reader, Toni lol This change to Places has been a long time coming!
Does this mean my service business (based solely on the Internet) will finally have a reason to call Google Places my home?
Please say yes. LOL
I’d love to say yes, Bonnie. It’s a no though. Internet only businesses don’t qualify for a local listing. 🙁
I LOVE LOVE Pixabay… that’s where I get most of my images, but I’ve started to use MorgueFile.com as well.
Thanks for the resources! I’ll be sure to check them out as well. Can’t have too many resources ya know! 🙂
Lol Bonnie – I think this comment belongs on the next post. Yes, I love Pixabay too. Every Stock Photo searches MorgueFile as well as several other sites.
Oh my, egg on my face so soon? LMAO
Well, that will teach me to have 2 windows opened on the same blog! Trying to burn the candles at both ends and I ended up burning the objective! 🙂
Then SLOW DOWN! You are allowed a break sometimes, Bonnie 🙂
Hi Jan, great post! What do you mean by ‘service area businesses are supported’?
Hi Debra, right now service businesses that visit clients at their location cannot have a merged social G+ Page -That’s Places and Google plus local business page merged for the full social experience. We were told to delete our merged pages as they were not supported as G+ social pages do not support hidden addresses, a requirement of the guidelines for service businesses.
The new Google Places dashboard (G+ Local) now means service area businesses can merge the Places and the Google Plus business page for a full social business Page because they do hidden addresses (i.e the rules) are now catered for.
Probably confused you more with that answer – but it’s enough to know they’ve fixed what has been broken and causing no end of issues for many many months. Now just waiting for it to roll out!