Google Places allows business owners to update and manage their physical business location information. It is a very important and an interesting tool used more and more.
Indeed, according to a recent Google study, 20% of all searches realized on Google are to find location specific answers. As it is said in this article Google Places is a vital channel for the hotels.
With more than four million businesses and growing currently listed on Google Places, there is a real and a big competition between the hotels present on Google Places, for their page ranking. So, it is essential for a hotel to optimize its Google Places page, in order to appear near to the top of Google results.
This article gives and explains ten important tips that hotels need to follow to maximize their Google Places page:
1. Add as much detailed information as possible
2. Fill out the additional, yet optional, information fields.
3. Take advantages of Google Tags
4. Optimize your description
5. Select category listings carefully
6. Keep your title simple
7. Use the “share an update” feature
8. Includes pictures and videos
9. Take advantage of the coupon feature
10. Encourage online interaction with your guests.
Google Places is a vital channel for hotels, and, hotels need to have a Google Places page. This page need to be as detailed as possible but with essential information! Indeed, it is not the official website of the hotel, so the hotel need to be concise using some key words, the goal is to be more visible and attractive!!
For me, I is a good tool and with the use more and more important of Internet (to organize your travel, to search a hotel, to collect information about a hotel…) it is primordial, for a hotel, to have a Google Places page. But, this presence should be active and regular, to face the increasing competition.
ð Why is it so important to have a Google Places page and to optimize this page?
I think, it is important to have and to optimize a Google Places page, because it is essential to appear near the top of Google results, in order to be more visible and to be present on the first page of Google results. I do not for you, but, for me, when I make a research of hotel on Google, I see and I am more attracted, most of the time, by the first results, and, especially hotels which are localized on Google map. For me, if a hotel has not a Google Places page or if it is not appearing on the top of Google results, this hotel is missing an important and a real opportunity to reach potential customers, travel shoppers, direct bookings… so it can have a negative impact for the hotel.
ð To conclude, I wish to advise the hotels : Go on Google Places, create your page and optimize it!! It is a good deal and a good strategy to use it!!
I think that Google Places has become so huge that no business can afford not to use it. Whatever its size and budget, a business can take advantage of this new feature as it is easy and free to use!
RépondreSupprimerIndeed, in a few minutes, you can create your Google Place pages and expect a high return on the time you invested... First, one of Google Place's main advantage is for you to be more easily localized geographically and... on the web as it influences the SEO!
Second, Google Places allows businesses to gather all their main information at the same place: adress, pictures, videos and even promotions and coupons! The potential cons however is that, as Google Places also includes user-generated contents, it may become difficult for a business to manage its online reputation. The good news is that it can encourage them to take better care of their customers...
Finally, another advantage, for hotels I mean, is the integration of the room rates through all the distribution channels and the possibility to book directly clicking on the links of the OTAs or hotels' main sites. Even if at the moment, the rates provided only come from the main OTAs and main hotel chains, Google and Pegasus are working together to allow smaller actors to compete.