Google Street View cameras have mapped the Amazon

This is very cool news, the next time I find myself marooned in one of the most dangerous jungles on the planet I shall be able to navigate my way out using my android phone and Google Street View. I can just imagine the Navigation directions; “Turn left after the giant anaconda and keep right to avoid the nest of angry spider wasps." (spider wasps do exist, check wikipedia if you don't believe me!)

Of course this has nothing to do with SEO… Or does it?

Taking control of your Google places page is a no brainer for a local business, but what about for corporate that have a national or international reach? Should they tag themselves and make use of their places page?

YES!!

Aside from the benefits you would expect (clients should always be on time for meetings, new starters can plan an effective route to work etc) Taking control of your Google Places page is an ideal way to take up a little more real estate on the Google SERPs than you would otherwise hold. Okay so it only affects local searches but the areas covered are quite big. A quick search for “Marketing London” reveals a map that covers from Kensington to Limehouse and Kings Cross to Vauxhall that has literally hundreds of hits, companies that haven’t taken control of their Google Places page. Even in such a fiercely saturated industry there is still ways to get one up on the competition.

Google’s search verticals, such as Google places, or image search, are a goldmine of opportunity, places which many companies have ignored or their website doesn’t really optimise well for. Optimising for these variations in core search is an involved process but it is one that SEO junkies are very experienced in performing.

Give us a call to get your own advantage over local and international competitors!