Getting found online by people who are searching for your services or products in a highly competitive market during an economic recession can sometimes mean the difference between staying in business, or becoming a business insolvency statistic.
So, if you intend to stay competitive, advertise your products and services free and stand out from the crowd, you need to get on to Google Maps and stake your claim with Google Places.
Beyond being found, you will want to add videos, photos and reviews to your listing.
You can also highlight promotions and post live updates about what's going on in your business.
Google Places is open 24/7, so if you have a special promotion in the works, you can quickly and easily get it promoted for no money outlay.
You can also respond to customer reviews, discover new ways to get found and discover what keywords end users are utilizing to find your site.
With this knowledge, you can tailor your website to expand your keyword coverage so that you get more visitors targeted to your product offerings.
Adding a listing to Google Places is 100% free and the frequency of when you appear in search results vary.
You might want to combine your free listing with Google Boost, which is a locally targeted advertising venue that will get your website and location even more exposure.
In order to use Google Places, you will need to have a mailing address.
However, that doesn't mean you can't get listed if you don't have a business address.
If you are work-at-home or mobile entrepreneur, you can still get listed.
All you need to do is specify a "service area" during the registration process, and then choose to hide your home address.
Multiple listings are not possible for a single address.
So if you have more than one location, you'll need to list them in your main listing, and then use the description and categories to highlight the different locations and services your business provides.
Getting started is easy.
Because you are going to present an online presence, you can sign up and get listed in minutes.
If you're not sure what to list, you can get started and return later to flesh out your listing by adding photos, videos and coupons.
Starting with the basics, adding keywords that describe your business and adding basic information is all you need to start.
When you're done with your initial sign up, you'll be asked to verify your reality by accepting a phone confirmation or via postcard.
It's just that simple, and after that initial confirmation, you be allowed to change any data about your business and build out your listing.
There are more people searching for businesses online than ever before, and that number is growing daily.
It is now, more than ever, vitally important that you get your company listed so that it's easily found via Google Maps.
Google Places makes it easy to sign up, and you can get started using all of the premium options free.
It doesn't get much easier than that.