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Follow UsBANGALORE,INDIA: The emergence of online platform has given a short in the arm for emerging businesses to log-on to the Internet bandwagon. However,indexing the company or product details to search engine results have always been a puzzle to them.
Search engine giant Google seems to be cashing on the same. It's newly launched Google Places (formerly Local Business Center) now allows business owners to register company details in two easy steps and go online within seconds. And for customers its a matter of getting results based on their priority, instead of being forced to search through unlimited search result pages.
Says Manik Gupta, product manager, Google India, business continue to go online for the benefit of reaching out as Internet usage is increasing. In India, response to Google Places has been encouraging to the company as it has been witnessing a 40 percent growth from the last six months.
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So what is the key for popularity of Google Places?
"One out of of five searches on Internet is done with local intent. With the new Google Places we have enabled business to choose their areas of service and have just made it each for business and customers to search on their priority," according to Gupta.
India is a nation of small entrepreneurs and it is estimated that there are more than 30 million small businesses in India. However, only a fraction of the small businesses are online. Google is helping people to make more informed decisions, be it about visiting local businesses such as restaurants, or parks, Gupta adds.
According to the product manager, Google Places allows owners to post real-time updates to their place page. They can promote sales, special events, or anting else customers need to know, and this feature lets businesses communicate that directly to their customers. They can also provide extra incentive by adding coupons.
Gupta adds that listing on Google Places can serve as a vital force accelerator to the outreach efforts of a local business. With Google Places listing, businesses can reach out to the customers in specific target areas, without spending time and money in creating a full-scale Internet presence with the extraneous bells and whistles that larger businesses might want to opt for.
Google Places has over 30 million place pages in world and is a free service that allows local businesses to find their customers. Google allows businesses take control of what search users see when they search for a product or service in their area.