It’s nothing new that Google is aggressively going after the long tail that is local business advertising. In pursuit of the corner store’s ad budget, the search engine giant has just released new tools under the banner of its ”Local Business Center” (which is being rebranded as Google Places).
Here’s the new features it’s adding (with commentary from SAI):
- Service area: If you travel to serve customers, you can now list the areas you cover.
- New advertising feature called “Tags.” It costs $25 a month for a business to tag themselves. They get little yellow stickies that highlight their business on Google Maps with tags.
- Free photos of your business. Google will travel to your business, take nice interior photos and upload them to your page.
- Customized QR codes.These aren’t really popular here yet, but Google is trying to change that. QR codes are those things that look like TV static, but are barcodes. If you take a picture of a business’s QR code with certain smartphones, you get a ton of information on the business. Google suggests putting the QR code on flyers and business cards for users.
- More favorite places.Google is mailing out a fresh batch of Favorite Places decals, which you may have seen in the windows of certain businesses. Similar to Yelp stickers, or even City Guide stickers if you’ve seen those.
In giving businesses a robust destination, or Place, to send web visitors who click on Google search ads, the company is, in essence, strengthening its core selling proposition by enhancing the local business online ecosystem. The Company is offering a greater range of turn-key tools for local businesses to use to refine their online identities. This faux altruistic act is being done so that local businesses will be motivated to promote their enhanced profiles via Google search advertising.
It’s in a similar vein to comestic companies that give women free makeovers. The goal is for women to be so happy with their makeovers that they purchase all of the necessary makeup to maintain their fresh, new visages. People selling a residence beautify it so that they end up promoting the best representation of the product.
Google Places is designed to elevate local businesses beyond basic or non-existent web presences. The outgrowth of this is that Google controls the means through which a business owner can best leverage his company’s enhanced online profile.
Google is hoping to reap what it sows, for a mighty profit.
