Back in March we posted about Local Search Optimisation and while most of what we said back then is still relevant today, Google has recently made some changes, so we thought it was time to do a bit of an update on this increasingly important subject.

For a start, Google has changed the name of the site where you can claim your business listing that appears on Google Maps. It is no longer called the “Local Business Center”, now it is just called “Google Places”.

But the really big change that Google released at the end of October is the change to how “Places” have been integrated into the search results.

As a reminder, here is what a search for “north shore dentist” used to look like:

And here is what the same search returns today:

Now that doesn’t really look all that different, we still have a 7 pack of local results and 10 standard search results, but now the map has moved to a new location above the AdWords ads in the right hand column (note that the map stays in the same place as you scroll, covering up the ads which seems an unusual move seeing as the ads are how Google makes most of their money), and now the address is shown as well as the phone number.

But what if we try a different search?

This time, the local search results have been fully integrated into the 10 natural search results, plus we also have images, reviews and star ratings taken from the relevant Google Places page for each business.

This goes to show just how important it is that your website’s search engine optimisation strategy incorporates local search, and to make sure you have claimed and properly filled in your Google Places page.

Contact First Rate for professional SEO advice today.

Related Posts:

• Local Search Optimisation

Q Ltd the digital marketing group (ASX:QXQ) has launched Great Promotions, a comprehensive digital promotions service built around a powerful promotions platform that will streamline all aspects of a company’s digital promotions’ campaign.

The Great Promotions technology platform is designed to add an interactive element to sales promotions and lead generation campaigns by facilitating online games, competitions, scratch cards, instant win and a range of other customer experiences.

Great Promotions Features

• Microsoft Certified thereby meeting exacting standards of security and stability
• Underwritten by Lloyds of London
• State-of-the-art security centre with 24/7 monitoring
• State-of-the-art, highly secure firewall
• Encrypted off-site backup
• High frequency security audits
• Fraudulent entry protection and hack-attempt monitor
• Indemnity insurance up to $5,000,000.
• Secure and stable system, tried and tested over seven years
• Able to process hundreds of transactions per second
• Multilingual capability
• Robust and scalable
• Fast Delivery

How to Get Started

Working alongside our sister company Market United, First Rate we will create a performance-driven campaign that will create massive market exposure.

Contact us today for a no-obligation demonstration.

Here’s some examples of the types of competitions we can run:

The platform is designed to help marketing departments and agencies with all aspects of digital promotions including design and build, hosting, legal and fulfillment, campaign management and reporting services.

Jon Ostler, CEO of Q Ltd (Sydney) said he is excited about the launch of the Great Promotions platform and service.

“We identified an opportunity in the market to not only provide a suite of advanced promotional tools but also to help corporations who need a fail-safe solution that meets all their privacy and data protection requirements and other legal obligations relating to promotions,” Mr Ostler said.

The original technology platform was developed by Keyway Worldwide who have operated and developed it successfully over the past seven years powering many high profile promotions including: Weet-Bix, Microsoft, Woolworths, NRMA, Jacob’s Creek and Pirelli.

“Q Ltd has worked with Keyway for many years and so when the opportunity arose to purchase the technology Q Ltd snapped it up, along with securing the system’s creator and technical director Stephen Dolier.”

The Great Promotions platform is incredibly reliable as it’s externally audited and holds ISO/IEC 27001:2006 certification. The platform is pre-approved by all Australian state regulators, and a number of promotion underwriters including Lloyds.

“All too often big brand promotions are run on systems that are vulnerable to fraud and hacking, fail to scale to peaks in traffic, have inadequate redundancy and backups and do not meet high enough standards of data protection.”

Mr Ostler believes that the need for trustworthy and intelligent promotional technology platforms is becoming more of a priority as the scope for promotions evolves.

“With the ongoing growth of internet and mobile usage, we believe that every promotion will have a digital element and that advertisers will recognise that a truly successful digital promotion requires specialist expertise and robust technology,” Mr Ostler said.

The platform’s list of features is extensive including: Instant Win, Scratch Cards, Rank & Win, Q & A, Trivia, Leader Board, Sports Tipping, Interactive Games, Unique Entry Codes, Coupons, Tell a Friend and Social Media Integration.

-ends-

About Q Ltd
Q Ltd (ASX:QXQ) owns a group of specialist interactive advertising and digital marketing communication companies. Each company is a leader in their area of expertise. The Q Ltd Group provides an integrated spectrum of interactive advertising and digital marketing services needed to interact with today’s digital consumer.

Q Ltd provide: Digital strategy & planning services, creative & technical development, search marketing & performance marketing, media sales (display, email, mobile, performance & data) and digital publisher representation. Q Ltd companies include: Thinq, Market United, First Rate, 3D Interactive and QEDigital (The Performance Network, The Great Sites and Great Promotions).

Q Ltd has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth & Auckland. www.qxq.co.nz

Related Posts:

• Competitions as a link building strategy