If you’re a business with a physical location and are serious about online marketing, you will have claimed your listing on Google Places and optimised it as best you can. (If you haven’t, quick get yourself there right now, before your competitor claims it for you!) Now that Google Places listings are becoming more and more competitive, you might want to look at ways to stand out from the crowd. Well, you’re in luck. There are a couple of paid options for doing that – one that’s available right now, and another that’s on the way!
Heard Of Tags?
Tags are an option that Google is offering right now to everyone with a Google Places listing. The way it works is nice and simple. You pay a $25 flat fee per month, no bidding, no keyword fuss, your ‘tag’ is always ON.
You can enhance your listing with a number of tag options. It can be as simple as highlighting photos or videos, bringing attention to the coupons in your Google Places listing, or something more specific such as showing your restaurant’s menu. How do you choose what to use as your tag? Basically use whatever you think is going to garner the most attention and get people clicking through to your site, or calling you on the phone!
Of course Google has in-built data on how your tag is performing so you can test out what works and what doesn’t. And you can update your tag at anytime!
Introducing Google Boost
This week Google announced another offering to enhance Google Places listings. Not yet available widely (in fact so far only available in a few U.S. cities), the new program is called Google Boost.
Similar to the Tags program, Boost offers businesses a simple way to enhance their Google Places listing without the need for bidding or keyword research. You simply set up your ad in the Google Places dashboard, set your monthly budget and off you go!
The BIG difference is that Boost ads will show up along with the Adwords ads in the ‘Sponsored’ section! Nice going! As seen in the example below, if you’re an Asian restaurant owner in San Francisco who has signed up for Boost, your ad may show up when someone does a related search, indicating a cuisine and location that matches yours.
The ad will include a link to your Google Places listing to easily find your location, and if you are using Tags as well, it will show your Tag in the ad as well.
Unfortunately neither programs are yet available in Australia, but we’re hoping that both Tags and Boost will be rolled out here soon!