Google Places Guidelines

Google Places is a free marketing tool for local businesses. The benefits of these listings include showing up in web search results and mobile search results. Updating these listings is free and available to the business 24×7x365. Not something you can easily do with the traditional yellow pages. Definitely something you need to consider beyond Google and tap into multiple local listing websites and search engines.

Here are a few guidelines and information to know about when using Google Places. Many of these guidelines apply to other local listing websites as well. Many of these points are pretty self-explanatory. Violating these guidelines and your listing can be suspended. The basic premise is that you need to present your business in the local listings as you would in the traditional world.

1. Only the business owner(s) or authorized representatives may claim the local listing(s).
2. Don’t pack your listing with keywords like in your business name.
3. Along the same concept, do not include phone numbers or URLs in the business name.
4. You cannot use PO Boxes, it has to be physical address.
5. Do not provide phone numbers or web addresses that redirect consumers to other landing pages or phone numbers other than those of the actual business.