If you’ve ever tried to search for a business on Google, you may have noticed that a map and a listing of local businesses appears before the usual list of company websites. This feature – which was formerly called Google Local Business Center but now goes by Google Places – can be a valuable tool for commercial real estate businesses.
That’s because Google Places will display a business’ name, location, phone number and website address for free whenever anyone searches for a term relevant to that business. For example, if you type “barbecue restaurants in Wilmington, North Carolina” into Google, seven barbecue joints within a close proximity to Wilmington will appear. If you click on the “Local Business Results” link just above the map you’ll be greeted with even more information about these establishments, including some initial thoughts from patrons and an average star rating.
While commercial real estate may have little to do with barbecue joints (unless you’re a restaurant specialist), this example illustrates how useful this free online profile can be to businesses. Consequently, if you type “commercial real estate firms, Seattle, Washington” into the search engine you’ll access these same vital statistics for the city’s local firms.
These entries are complete with built-out profiles that include company logos, a photo of the firm’s exterior, the firm’s specialties and services, testimonials and how to get there via public transportation.
You can even write posts on your Google Places page much like you would on a social media site. This gives agents the opportunity to promote special events, discounts and even new product offerings. The only downside is that only one post can appear on your Google Places page at a time.
Read the Google Places User Guide if you've never used this feature or the Google Local Business Center before.