Google Places: Where a Business Can be Found

Google My Business: Essential for Storefronts and Brands

SNIP This story is about a place that isn’t a place anymore.

Internet giant Google’s initial foray into business listings for search and social media was called Google Places. The idea likely stemmed from a sensible observation: that many businesses offer services to a specific geographical region. That observation is best demonstrated with mobile search. When a hungry smartphone owner is in the vicinity of a restaurant, a search for “pizza restaurant” should, by default, show nearby pizza restaurants, not the headquarters web site for Dominos, Pizza Hut or Little Caesars.

How does this work?  And why, even if there are numerous pizza restaurants nearby, does Google Search only show three restaurants on the search engine results page (SERP)?

Note: The full story is a white label report that appears on a major telecomm site. For more, see Storyteller.tech. 

Image credit: Kevin Dooley