As of November 1, Google rolled out it's the latest shift in its local search strategy and introduced it's re-vamped version of Google Places called Place Search. As a business focused on outshining it's local competitors in search, the shift will soon be felt.
Getting found by your customers on Google may be a whole new ball-game and re-visiting your local search strategy is something your company may want to add to its digital marketing "Must Do's"
The changes in Google Place local search.
First off, the local search box has been eliminated and it now blends local and organic results. This will affect many small and medium sized businesses that have been ranking in the top ten on the first search results page and now might find themselves pushed to the second results page.
Another Google enhancement will predict your location and generate local results even without including a city name or location in your query; it's a feature that may be convenient, but may also correspondingly affect your business' ranking on the search engine results page.
When you check out Google you will also see that the map has moved to the right hand side of the results page.
How to get ranked with the new Google Places Page
With these newly implemented changes from Google, it seems it might be harder for businesses to get ranked well if you don't have a properly-implemented Google Places Page. This is precisely why WSI is calling for our own internal Think Tank: discussing the possible effects this may cause for businesses of all industries is a top priority for WSI Consultants. The digital world is endlessly evolving and it's our goal to ensure your business is growing along with it. It is - after all - critical to your business' online presence that you claim, optimize and participate on your Google Places Page!