Google places have long been identified as a vital aspect of search engine optimization for the search engine giant, which every business and website hopes to conquer. But while many businesses and marketers strive to improve the way they rank among competitors in google search results, Google Places have become increasingly important to increasing visits and highlighting business validity. While the battle to rank among Google Places is an endless one, which ever site manager and marketer attempts to win, ranking among Places results is no easy feat. Understanding the basic premise of how to rank and why certain search engine optimization tactics can help is one of the most important steps to improving Places rankings and, therefore, increasing visits, interactions and traffic.

Think Local

Although many of the aspects associated with Google places optimization are similar to general optimization of a site, on of the most important aspects can be focusing on the local and geo-targeted keywords, which often provoke search engine results in the maps and places section of results. Though keyword research is vital, understand where one’s target demographic and market is and where they are searching for businesses is imperative to improving results. Looking at different forms of prospective keywords can also be tied to a region and what potential audience members are searching.

Use Variety

Keyword stuffing is no longer a standard practice in the search engine optimization world. In contrast, using a variety of terms related to well-researched keywords is more beneficial to a site, offering a quality experience when it comes to the content consumed by an audience while picking up terms that may not be as popular or competitive.

Look to the Outskirts

While many businesses look to the cities where they are located to optimize their listings and maps on Google, looking to areas directly outside a target region and surrounding is a valuable tool for Places optimization. Some of the outlying regions can be much less competitive while offering consumers and visitors that are looking for a product or service nearby.

Title and Meta Tagging

Just like general site optimization, tagging a site is important to optimizing for Google places, especially the title for the main page.

Optimize Listings

Having a places listing that is full of all of the necessary information as well as the aspects that make it appealing visually is a good way to promote visits while optimizing the listings overall. Address, phone number and other contact information, such as hours of operation, are valuable to searchers while sending signals to search engines that a site and business has authority and is up and running. In addition, pictures, reviews, video and multimedia can help improve a listings optimization while adding visual appeal to searchers looking for a product or service.