In previous articles I’ve talked about using Google Places as a source of traffic and I’ve also mentioned that you can make great extra cash as an affiliate by taking some of your skills offline.
I’ve found a course by Mario Brown which will help you take advantage of Google’s new top ranking spots… its local business listings.
Not only can you sell the ability to get businesses up in these rankings but if you’re creative, there are some ways that you can use this skill to bring traffic to an affiliate product site.
So what is “Google Places Unleashed”?
In GPU, you get taken, step-by-step, through the process of setting up Google Places listings and how to get them to rank better.
It’s easy to add a business to Google Places. What’s hard is getting it into the “7 box” that shows up on the first page for local searches.
In the early days, when not many people had claimed their listing, it was relatively easy to do. Now that everyone has noticed that the 7 box keeps appearing, there is much more competition.
Also, of course, Google keeps refining its formula to stop people taking advantage of them. Personally, I consider it part of the game but it frustrates others.
As an affiliate for a specific product, you can take advantage of these listings by drawing traffic from a local level. For example, set up a site for a solar power product then using a post box or virtual office address with a SkypeIn number, add yourself to the Places listings. When people follow the Places listing to your site, you sell them on your affiliate product. Marketers have been doing this with hosting services and more for years.
What’s the content like?
As I worked my way through the videos, I discovered a range of new ways to improve how Google looks at my Places listing. Mario takes care to discuss each way of building your listing in detail and the Camtasia style videos are clear, showing all the steps you need to follow.
I especially like the fact that he has taken the time to update some videos and add new ones as Google has changed its ranking formulas. This is something that you don’t often see in these sorts of “how to do it” packages.
He covers keyword research that works with Places and how to choose the categories to list your business under. This was interesting, because I know that I just filled in basic details and left them. Mario likes to go back and change things once the listing appears to get it to show for a wider range of keywords.
In the videos you’ll learn specific research steps that you can take to learn more about your competition and how they are getting their rankings. From this information, you can imitate them. For example, I now know that Google incorporates the ratings from sites such as TrueLocal, CitySearch, InsiderPages and Yelp because I can see where Google lists these ratings under my competitor’s Places listing.
From adding videos to images, you’ll learn the most effective way to build a better ranking Google Places listing. I never knew that you could add images to other parts of Google to influence the Places section.
What did I think overall?
I liked Mario’s style of presenting. It’s easy to listen to, he doesn’t waste words on irrelevant information and he sticks to only what works. One thing’s for sure, you’re not buying any “filler” when you get this course.
The proof is in the results
I applied the Google Places Unleashed method on a friend’s Google Places listing.
The result?
Through the Places analytics, I was able to see a jump in impressions from 4 to 20 a day (low traffic, local area) in just 4 days. In a small town, that was quite surprising and it happened over a weekend which is a time when most small business traffic drops off.
Get your copy of Google Places Unleashed today
If you’re an affiliate, Internet or business marketer, this course is worth owning. The method really does work and with Google pushing the standard results down under their Places listing, it’s one of the only ways to get to the very top of the page.
Click here now to order your copy of Google Places Unleashed
UPDATE: Google Places has been replaced by Google+ Local. The good news is that Google+ Local pages are being indexed in the search engine, so there are SEO opportunities there.