Google continues to add more enhancements to their local listings, i.e. Google Places, that give business owners more ways of making their listing stand out. After several months of testing, Google has officially rolled out an update that allows business owners to Tag their local results. Google Tag’s are yellow markers that allow business owners to promote important features of their businesses that differentiate them from other similar businesses.  Users can scroll over Tags on Google or click on the sponsored link to view coupons, photos, or other select features (see example below).

Tags are not free, but for just $25 a month you can create a yellow price tag that shows up on the map as well as in the 7-pack (Google’s listing of the top 7 businesses on local searches).

TIP: Google is offering a 30 Day Free Trial of Google Tags, but the offer to enroll expires on 7/23 – Visit Google Places for more details.

As you can see in the screenshot below, in addition to the standard info and Tags, Google also released a new feature called Posts. Posts allow business owners to create a custom message with their Google Local results to let the world know what may be going on with their business at that moment. Examples of Posts are:  exclusive coupons, special event announcement, happy hour specials, new products in stock, or other discounts and notices.

To see an example, check out the Place Page for Mission Mountain Winery which posted to introduce a new wine.

You can now get the word out by posting to your Place Page directly from your Local Business Center dashboard. Once you’ve logged in and are on your business’ dashboard, post an update and it will go live on your Place Page in just a few minutes.

Finally, I”m sure you’re wondering how all this affects search results. The short answer is that Tags and Posts do not affect the rank of search engine results. What they do is simply add more information about your business and give you another tool to make your listing standout when people are searching.

Contact WSI if you have further questions or need assistance.