Sams Teach Yourself Google Places in 10 Minutes

by Bud Smith

Overview

Sams Teach Yourself Google Places in 10 Minutes

 

Sams Teach Yourself Google Places in 10 Minutes gives you straightforward, practical answers when you need fast results. By working through its 10-minute lessons, you’ll learn how to claim your free Google Places business page, improve it with everything from video to coupons, and attract more new customers, starting today!

 

Tips point out shortcuts and solutions

Cautions help you avoid common pitfalls

Notes provide additional information

 

10 minutes is all you need to learn how to…

• Claim your free Google Places online business directory page
• Publish your basic business information in just minutes
• Help visitors experience your business with video, photos, and more
• Keep your page up-to-date, painlessly
• Add detailed directions to your location with Google Maps
• Generate discount coupons that attract traffic
• Encourage rave reviews on Google Places and Yelp–and respond effectively to online criticism
• Easily create powerful in-store cell phone advertising with QR codes
• Improve your Google Search rankings
• Manage online impressions and get detailed feedback through the Dashboard
• Build a low-cost Adwords campaign that integrates with Google Places

 

Register your book at informit.com/register for convenient access to updates and corrections as they become available.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780132678599
Publisher:	Pearson Education
Publication date:	10/27/2010
Series:	Sams Teach Yourself -- Minutes
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	5 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Bud Smith has written more than a dozen books about computer hardware and software, with more than a million copies sold. Bud’s recent books include two from Sams: Sams Teach Yourself Tumblr in 10 Minutes and Sams Teach Yourself iPad in 10 Minutes. His other books include extensive coverage of Google, most recently including How to Do Everything Nexus One, Google Business Solutions All-In-One For Dummies, and Google Voice For Dummies.

 

Bud started out as a technical writer and journalist, and then moved into marketing and product management for technology companies. He worked at Apple Computer as a Senior Product Manager; at Google competitor AltaVista as a Group Product Manager; and at GPS navigation company Navman as a Global Product Manager. Bud holds a BA in Information Systems Management from the University of San Francisco and an MSc in Information Systems from the London School of Economics. He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, participating in environmental causes when he’s not working on one of his many technology-related projects.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

1 Introducing Google Places 7

Why Google Places? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Looking at a Google Places Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Google Places, You, and the Competition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

2 Editing Your Google Places Pages 23

Where Is Google Places?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Getting to Google Places Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Google Search and Google Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Google Maps Search and Google Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Editing Your Google Places Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

3 Using Google Places 41

Taking the Customer’s Point of View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

The Role of the Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Using Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Getting Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Seeing Service Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

4 Signing Up for a Google Account 51

How to Get a Google Account for Your Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Choosing Your Gmail Login Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

Signing Up for Your Gmail Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Using Google Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

5 Claiming Your Google Places Page 61

Finding (or Not Finding) Your Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61

Deciding What to Add First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

Bringing Up Your Business Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

Adding or Editing Basic Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Adding In-Depth Information to Your Listing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Verifying Your Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78

6 Improving Your Google Places Page 79

Adding New Features to Your Listing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79

Google Places Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89

7 Adding Photos 91

Adding Photos to Your Places Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91

Taking Good Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93

Following the Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96

Adding a Picture from Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97

Adding a Picture from Picasa Web Albums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99

Removing a Photo from Your Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101

8 Adding Videos 103

Adding Videos to Your Places Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103

Making Good Video Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106

Video-Hosting Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108

Following the Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

Adding a Video from YouTube. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

Removing a Video from Your Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115

9 Adding Coupons 117

Building Your Business with Coupons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117

Getting Clicks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

Creating a Coupon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122

Checking Coupon Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129

10 Posting Real-Time Updates 131

Using Real-Time Updates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131

Posting and Deleting Real-Time Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139

Entering and Shortening URLs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142

Using Real-Time Updates with Twitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145

11 Advertising with Tags and AdWords 147

The Value of Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147

Using Different Types of Tags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150

Signing Up for Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152

Using AdWords to Increase Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157

12 Using the Dashboard 159

Tracking Your Google Places Dashboard Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159

Using Your Dashboard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162

Tracking Your Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168

13 Using QR Codes and Getting Better Reviews 169

Understanding QR Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169

Using QR Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171

Making Reviews Work for You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173

Leaving Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176

Responding to Reviews on Your Places Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179

14 Improving Search Engine Results 181

Becoming a Google Favorite Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181

Understanding Search Engine Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183

Improving Search Engine Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185

Creating a Basic Website with a Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189

Appendix A Places Categories 191