One tool openly available to everybody on Google is the “Google Places For Business” feature which everyone should take full advantage of. Not only is it free but it could help you jump your competitors in the search engine page results and generate you business and leads for absolutely nothing at all!

And with the competitive industry that Estate Agents work in, coupled with the high maintenance of SEO (search engine optimisation), Google Places For Business is the perfect freebie for your company. It is simply the easiest way to get high rankings in Google without the hard work, it is easy to do and results usually appear in a shorter space of time.

Well known to many internet marketers, organic search results are more cost effective and generate better traffic which of course generates leads. Even the highest ranked websites may be missing out on this simple tool offered free by Google.

Do you already have a Google Places listing?

If you do then great! But is it performing for you? Each and every month you will receive a report on how your listing has performed, how many page impressions and click throughs your advert has had.

Tips for a grew business advert and to get the most of of it is to be “honest” with what you do and the services you provide, if you are targeting something that your company doesn’t do then or trying to optimise the ad for a huge keyword search term simply will not work. Apply your advert in the correct location, if your company office is based in the centre of Malaga and you market properties for sale and rent in Malaga then it is absolutely paramount that you state this and provide the relevant information.

Don’t put in “Spanish Property” and “Property In Spain” as categories because it simply will not show for these competitive search terms.

An Example of a good advert on Google Places For Business – Step by Step guide

1) Okay, firstly you are going to need your own Google account, many of you that use Webmaster Tools, have a Google Analytics account or use Gmail will already have your own logins to begin with.

2) Go to places.google.com/business and sign in if you have an account or register if you don’t. Once you have signed in you will come to a page welcoming you to Google Places to claim your free listing. On the right hand side it says “List Your Business” click on the link to begin.

3) Select the country where you are based and type in your telephone number.

4) Ensure that you indicate the correct address and contact details of your company, include your website address, e-mail and a good descriptive description of what your company offers in the location you are based in 200 characters, it’s not much but it can be done!

5) In Category, use up to five categories that best describe your business, i.e – Estate Agent, Property For Sale, Holiday Rentals, Property Management, Mortgages – or what ever best suits your company.

6) One thing that is extremely valuable to your listing is to ensure you have filled in as much information as possible, give your opening hours, what type of payment you accept, upload some images for your listing, if possible a video will really enhance your advert! And any other additional details that will set your Google Places For Business apart from your competitors.

7) Once you have entered all the relevant data you need to choose an appropriate way for Google to verify your details, this can be done through a post card delivered to your business address or via telephone. You will be given a code to input to verify your advert and that you have provided the correct contact details so this is vitally important.

8) After everything has been verified then your listing will start to run in a matter of time and you will start to benefit from the listing in Google’s search results.

It is important to keep in mind your categories and location that you have entered, Google Places ranks businesses depending on their location, the further you are away from the desired location the less likely you are to show up for that area, the closer you are … obviously the higher you will rank in the listings. Use your categories wisely and state services that one, people will search for but two … are relevant to the services offer.

Enjoy!