Move Over Facebook and Twitter, Google’s New Google+ Local

Enhances Opportunities for Business-Customer

Engagement

Google has made the long-awaited move to replace Google Places with

a more evolved offering. This comes in the form of Google+ Local, making available all the

information that was before with Google Places, only now there is

greater functionality in the feature.

Users can get to the information through several different entry

points. This move looks to be a big one for Google, Google+, and the

local directory part of Google’s offerings as the review process of establishments has been changed

as well converging with Zagat to get reviews and ratings.

Above all else, though, as Google is the dominant search engine and

thus dominant place for local searching, this development will

have a large impact on local search going forward.

Preliminarily, it looks like the integration of Places with + was a

smart move given the end result in the quality of content and the value

provided to users in the multi-faceted and redesigned feature.

Taking a closer look, the New Google Local can be accessed

through a standard Google search, Google+, Google Maps, and

through Mobile apps that have the functionality as well.

This allows multiple ways for the user to get the information based on the way they search for local

information, if they are doing it on their desk or laptop, a mobile

device, and whether or not they are signed up for Google+.

The standard Google and Google Maps searches will yield results that do look different than the

previous, older searches. Results will display listings in a sleeker look with the Zagat ratings integrated as

well.

This is how many people will experience the new Local feature, namely all those not currently on

Google+.

This is important for mobile searching as many search for local

information on their mobile devices, particularly their

smartphones.

Local Via Mobile

The new Local feature will be quickly available in the Google

Maps for Mobile and in the Google+ app for Android-run

smartphones.

For iPhone users, Google has reportedly sent in updates for the Google Map app for their iOS, but even when accepted, it probably won’t be available for too long

given Apple’s expected rollout of their own Map functionality.

So, iPhone users will get the Local experience using the Places

(probably soon to be renamed) and Google+ apps, all according to

coverage from Search Engine Land. This way, the resulting presence

from the local search engine optimization that companies engage in can be seen on the

smartphone as well.

The Google+ access point is represented in the Google+ Local icon on the left side of the page

when signed into Google+.

Accessing Local through Google +, Where the Interaction Is

Searches for businesses related to a specific keyword and location result on the left side of the Google+ SERP

with a Google Maps image of the region with all the pins dropped on the various locations of the listed

businesses on the right.

Once clicked, the user is taken to the individual pages of the

businesses. These pages are clean and attractive, they integrate

photos well and potentially best of all is that the Zagat rating

information is displayed (also in the + SERP as well).

Google abandoned their own 5-star rating system to instead utilize the

30 point Zagat rating scale that allows for category specific ratings

for food, décor, service, and others, as opposed to fitting all of this into

a unified 5-star rating.

This offers great value for the web searching user as the entire archive of all Zagat ratings from their range of categories are available – free of

charge.

An additional point is that the results in Google+ can be filtered through different categories with

“From top reviewers,” “People like you,” “Just for you,” and “Your

circle.”

All these deliver specialized orders for the listings giving you improved results to get what is believed to be the most relevant results – for you.

All this information is nicely presented and very helpful for

users, but what makes the offering essential and potentially the most

noteworthy to date in terms of local search is the fact that

businesses can message their followers akin to activity on

Facebook and Twitter.

The ability to interact with customers in this way coupled with the likelihood that searchers will be utilizing the Google+ Local access point to get the most information

for their local searches makes Google+ Local the platform for local

companies to engage with their current and potential future

customers.

As a result, businesses should be looking no further than Google+ Local for their local optimization

and online marketing needs, posting information to engage with

their customers.