Businesses Should Know About These New Local Features from Google

Facebook made some of the biggest news of the week with the anouncements from its developer conference, as far as online business goes, but Google had some significant news about local search that may have taken a backseat, but should not be ignored.

The Google Local Business Center is now called Google Places, as the company aims to rebrand the product around the Place Pages it introduced last fall. Place Pages are the pages for business listings that are found in Google local searches. They contain relevant information about a business from various places on the web, such as reviews and images, as well as other info the business puts up after claiming their listing.

Is Google's rebranded local business center a step in the right direction? Tell us what you think.

Google Places, the company says, is "just the beginning of what’s to come from our efforts to make Google more local."

New features that come along with the name change include:

1. Service areas - Businesses who travel can show the geographic areas that they cover. Those without a storefront can make their address private.

2. Advertising with Tags - For 25 bucks a month, businesses (in certain cities) can use Tags to highlight their listings on Google.com and Google Maps. These are yellow markers that let you promote important aspects of your business. They can be used for thins like coupons, photos, and other select features. They don’t affect the rank of search results, but they give customers more information and may prove beneficial. You can expect Google to increase the number of cities where this option is available.

3. Business photo shoots - Businesses (again, in certain cities) can request a free photo shoot from Google to have the interior of their business photographed and added to their Place Page. We've seen Google do this in the past. Now we know what they're doing (learn more here). You can upload your own photos as well.

For More Read....

http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2010/04/20/google-local-business-center-now-google-places

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How to Redesign Your Web Site

Tips for Redesigning Your Web site

Web site redesigning can be as simple or as difficult as you make it. Here, we look at some methods to ease the redesigning process.

Pick A Reputable Web site Design Company

In order to get the best results, choose a reputable, well thought of company. This is important, not just from a design aspect, but to ensure that they can meet your needs. They should be concerned with what you're looking for, rather than how they feel. This is crtical to your success.

Develop a Good Style

One of most important considerations is the overall appearance of your Web site. Regardless of what you choose to do, an overall style is very important. It can determine several different things, such as the font(s) you decide to use and the graphics to include.

Think About Content

Content is key. Make sure that the information is legitimate, believable, easy to read and understand.

Make It Keyword Rich

Good SEO is also important, not only in design, but execution. Make sure you research your keywords.

Compare Web Sites in Search Engines

As previously mentioned, good SEO is important. If you don't know what keywords to use, make use of keyword search tools like Wordtracker. Once you have those keywords, compare them with Web sites that contain keywords that place well using natural search.

Keep Your Site Current

Keep your content current. To do so, one strategy is to check out the content on other Web sites. This will help keep you on track. Of great importance is checking out the trends, to see if anything new has been developed.

Easy to Navigate

Make sure your site is easy to navigate. Nothing is more frustrating than navigating a site where it's easy to get lost. This will negatively impact your profitability since potential customers are unlikely to stick around if it's too difficult to find what they want. Simple and direct navigation is key.

Make Sure It's Eye-Catching

One of the most important things that any Web site needs to do is grab attention. If yours doesn't, a site redesign may be in order. Carefully consider your message, then work on finding/creating a layout which matches that, yet is appealing to the viewer.

Develop Credibility

There are several ways to develop credibility. One method is to give as much information about your business as possible. Another option is to consider adding a discussion forum where all of your customers can recommend your services and share the experiences which they have had with your services.

Source:

http://www.webreference.com/authoring/newsite/

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