Bud E Smith Sams Teach Yourself Google Places in 10 Minutes 800 East 96th Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240 Sams Teach Yourself Google Places in 10 Minutes Copyright © 2011 by Pearson Education, Inc All rights reserved No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein resulting from the use of the information contained herein International Standard Book Number-10: 0-672-33535-2 International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-672-33535-8 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file Trademarks All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized Pearson cannot attest to the accuracy of this information Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark Warning and Disclaimer Every effort has been made to make this book as complete and as accurate as possible, but no warranty or fitness is implied The information provided is on an “as is” basis The author and the information contained in this book Bulk Sales Pearson offers excellent discounts on this book when ordered in quantity for bulk purchases or special sales For more information, please contact U.S Corporate and Government Sales 1-800-382-3419 corpsales@pearsontechgroup.com For sales outside of the U.S., please contact International Sales international@pearsoned.com Executive Editor Greg Wiegand Acquisitions Editor Rick Kughen Development Editor Michael Henry Technical Editor Karen Weinstein Managing Editor Sandra Schroeder Project Editor Mandie Frank Copy Editor Keith Cline Proofreader Water Crest Publishing Indexer Erika Millen Compositor Mark Shirar Nonie Ratcliff Book Designer Gary Adair Editorial Assistant Cindy Teeters Contents Introduction Introducing Google Places Why Google Places? Looking at a Google Places Page 11 Google Places, You, and the Competition 18 Summary 21 Editing Your Google Places Pages 23 Where Is Google Places? 23 Getting to Google Places Pages 26 Google Search and Google Places 28 Google Maps Search and Google Places 32 Editing Your Google Places Page 35 Summary 39 Using Google Places 41 Taking the Customer’s Point of View 41 The Role of the Website 43 Using Reviews 45 Getting Directions 46 Seeing Service Areas 48 Summary 49 Signing Up for a Google Account 51 How to Get a Google Account for Your Business 51 Choosing Your Gmail Login Name 54 Signing Up for Your Gmail Account 55 Using Google Services 58 Summary 60 Claiming Your Google Places Page 61 Finding (or Not Finding) Your Page 61 Deciding What to Add First 62 Bringing Up Your Business Listing 64 Adding or Editing Basic Information 65 Adding In-Depth Information to Your Listing 70 Verifying Your Listing 76 Summary 78 iv Sams Teach Yourself Google Places in 10 Minutes Improving Your Google Places Page 79 Adding New Features to Your Listing 79 Google Places Policies 85 Summary 89 Adding Photos 91 Adding Photos to Your Places Page 91 Taking Good Photos 93 Following the Rules 96 Adding a Picture from Your Computer 97 Adding a Picture from Picasa Web Albums 99 Removing a Photo from Your Page 101 Summary 101 Adding Videos 103 Adding Videos to Your Places Page 103 Making Good Video Clips 106 Video-Hosting Options 108 Following the Rules 111 Adding a Video from YouTube 112 Removing a Video from Your Page 114 Summary 115 Adding Coupons 117 Building Your Business with Coupons 117 Getting Clicks 119 Creating a Coupon 122 Checking Coupon Guidelines 128 Summary 129 10 Posting Real-Time Updates 131 Using Real-Time Updates 131 Posting and Deleting Real-Time Updates 139 Entering and Shortening URLs 142 Using Real-Time Updates with Twitter 143 Summary 145 Contents 11 Advertising with Tags and AdWords v 147 The Value of Advertising 147 Using Different Types of Tags 150 Signing Up for Tags 152 Using AdWords to Increase Business 154 Summary 157 12 Using the Dashboard 159 Tracking Your Google Places Dashboard Results 159 Using Your Dashboard 162 Tracking Your Results 166 Summary 168 13 Using QR Codes and Getting Better Reviews 169 Understanding QR Codes 169 Using QR Codes 171 Making Reviews Work for You 173 Leaving Reviews 176 Responding to Reviews on Your Places Page 177 Summary 179 14 Improving Search Engine Results 181 Becoming a Google Favorite Place 181 Understanding Search Engine Results 183 Improving Search Engine Results 185 Creating a Basic Website with a Provider 187 Summary 189 A Places Categories Index 191 201 vi Sams Teach Yourself Google Places in 10 Minutes About the Author Bud Smith has written more than a dozen books about computer hardware and software, with more than a million copies sold Bud’s recent books include two from Sams: Sams Teach Yourself Tumblr in 10 Minutes and Sams Teach Yourself iPad in 10 Minutes His other books include extensive coverage of Google, most recently including How to Do Everything Nexus One, Google Business Solutions All-In-One For Dummies, and Google Voice For Dummies Bud started out as a technical writer and journalist, and then moved into marketing and product management for technology companies He worked at Apple Computer as a Senior Product Manager; at Google competitor AltaVista as a Group Product Manager; and at GPS navigation company Navman as a Global Product Manager Bud holds a BA in Information Systems Management from the University of San Francisco and an MSc in Information Systems from the London School of Economics He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, participating in environmental causes when he’s not working on one of his many technology-related projects Dedication This book is dedicated to you—the businesspeople, nonprofit organizers, civil servants, and others who work hard to serve the public Acknowledgments Acquisitions editor Rick Kughen has been a great guide in getting this book through the collaborative decision-making and creative processes at Sams—not only intact, but improved Project editor Mandie Frank and development editor Michael Henry steamed and straightened tangled sentences Technical editor Karen Weinstein and copy editor Keith Cline checked all the steps and instructions to help make them clear and correct We Want to Hear from You As the reader of this book, you are our most important critic and commentator We value your opinion and want to know what we’re doing right, what we could better, what areas you’d like to see us publish in, and any other words of wisdom you’re willing to pass our way You can email or write me directly to let me know what you did or didn’t like about this book—as well as what we can to make our books stronger Please note that I cannot help you with technical problems related to the topic of this book, and that due to the high volume of mail I receive, I might not be able to reply to every message When you write, please be sure to include this book’s title and author, as well as your name and contact information I will carefully review your comments and share them with the author and editors who worked on the book Email: consumer@samspublishing.com Mail: Greg Wiegand Associate Publisher 800 East 96th Street Indianapolis, IN 46240 USA Introduction Google Places is the biggest opportunity ever for locally based businesses to get online, get found, and get more new and repeat business It’s (relatively) easy to set up, easy to keep up-to-date, easy to manage, and very likely to get used in a way that brings in customers The tide is running in your favor, too People want to shop locally, understanding that it’s better for their communities, for the environment, and, if done carefully, for their pocketbooks And there are more and more tools to help them to shop near their homes, workplaces, and other favored locations Taking advantage of these tools is the tricky bit Owners of local businesses are responsible for what seems like a million things at once You have to serve customers, get supplies, pay bills, and manage employees—or yourself, the most difficult employee of all! Switching gears from all this to looking after a very visible and very important online presence on Google Places might seem like too much bother So, Sams and I are bringing you this book to make it easier We’ve broken down the steps you need to take full advantage of Google Places into a series of 10-minute lessons, each very specific and to the point You can get quick benefits from Google Places even if you don’t have much time for it—even if you just find your business online, verify that you are the owner, and then edit the core information to make sure it’s correct You don’t want an out-of-date phone number or incorrect hours to appear! To really get the most out of Google Places, though, requires six major areas of focus: Accurate business information: Begin by claiming your busi- ness listing on Google Then, as with any listing, the information you list on Google Places has to be accurate, spelled correctly, and use correct capitalization, punctuation, and grammar This 194 APPENDIX A: Places Categories Elementary Schools High Schools Junior High Schools Kindergartens Middle Schools Music Schools Night Schools Preschools Private Schools Real Estate Schools Religious Schools Tutoring Vocational & Technical Schools Entertainment Adult Archery Ranges Arenas & Stadiums Art Galleries Athletic, Fitness, & Health Clubs & Gymnasiums Auto Racing & Speedways Ballrooms Batting Cages Beaches Billiards & Pool Bingo Bowling Bridge & Card Clubs Climbing Comedy Clubs Country Clubs Dance Classes Dance Clubs Dinner Theaters Disc Jockeys Driving Ranges Football Golf Courses Gymnastics Hiking Karaoke Live Music Miniature Golf Courses Movie Theaters Museums Night Clubs Opera Houses Orchestras & Symphonies Paintball Parks Performing Arts Theaters & Playhouses Planetariums Racquetball Courts Self Defense & Martial Arts Classes Shooting Ranges Skating Rinks Ski Slopes Soccer Clubs Spas Squash Courts Swimming Pools Tennis Courts Tourist Attractions Wineries Yoga Classes Government Offices County Courts Education & School Federal Fire Departments Local Using the Bulk Uploading List Police Post Offices Sheriffs State Health and Medical Abortion Services Acupuncture Alcoholism Counseling & Treatment Allergists Alternative Medicine Animal Hospitals Assisted Living Cardiologists Chiropractors Clinics & Medical Centers Counseling Dentists Dermatologists Endocrinologists Family & General Practice Physicians Gastroenterologists Geriatrics Gynecologists Hematologists Hospices Hospitals Immunologists Infectious Diseases Infertility Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurologists Neurosurgeons Nursing Homes Obstetricians Oncologists Ophthalmologists Optometrists Orthodontists Orthopedics Otolaryngologists Pain Management Pediatricians Physical Therapists Plastic Surgeons Podiatrists Psychiatrists Psychologists Pulmonologists Radiologists Rheumatologists Sports Medicine Surgeons Travel Medicine Urologists Veterinarians Organizations Chambers of Commerce Charities Churches Fraternal Historical Societies Mosques Non-Profit Professional Religious Sports Clubs Stock Exchanges Synagogues & Temples Volunteer Welfare Youth 195 196 APPENDIX A: Places Categories Real Estate Agents & Realtors Apartment Buildings & Complexes Appraisers Commercial Home Inspection Property Management Surveyors Restaurants Afghan African All You Can Eat American Argentinean Australian Austrian Banquet Halls Barbecue Bars, Pubs, & Taverns Belgian Brazilian Breakfast & Brunch Breweries & Brewpubs British Buffets Cafes Cajun Caribbean Caterers Chilean Chinese Coffee Shops Colombian Creole Cuban Czech Delicatessens Delivery Dessert Dim Sum Diners Ethiopian Family Style Fast Food Fine Dining French German Greek Halal Hungarian Ice Cream Indian Indonesian Irish Italian Jamaican Japanese Korean Kosher Lebanese Malaysian Mexican Middle Eastern Moroccan Nepali Pakistani Pizza Polish Polynesian Portuguese Russian Sandwiches Seafood Southern Using the Bulk Uploading List Southwestern Spanish Sports Bars Steakhouses Sushi Swedish Takeout Tapas Thai Tibetan Turkish Vegan Vegetarian Vietnamese Retail Stores Animals & Pets Antiques & Collectibles Appliances Art Supplies Automobile Alarms Automobile Audio Automobile Parts & Supplies Automobiles Automobiles—New Automobiles—Used Awards & Trophies Baby Clothing & Supplies Bakeries Banks Beds & Mattresses Beer Bicycle Boating Books & Magazines Bridal Building Supplies Butchers CDs, Records, & Tapes Camera & Photography Candles Candy Carpet & Flooring Charity & Thrift Cheese China & Glassware Cigars, Cigarettes, Tobacco, & Smoking Clothing Comic Books Computers Consignment Convenience Cosmetics Costumes Craft Supplies Credit Unions DVDs, Videotapes, & Movies Department Discount Electrical Equipment Electronics Equipment Rental Fabric, Sewing Supplies, & Notions Fireplace Equipment Fireworks Fish & Seafood Fishing Supplies Flea Markets Florists Furniture Games & Hobbies Garden & Gardening Gas Stations Gift 197 198 APPENDIX A: Places Categories Gift Baskets Green Grocers Grocery & Supermarkets Guns Hardware Health Food Hot Tubs, Saunas, Spas, & Swimming Pools Hunting Jewelry Kitchen Laundromats Lighting Lingerie Liquor Lumber Maps Medical Supplies Mobile Homes Motorcycles Music & Musical Instruments Newspapers Office Equipment & Supplies Opticians Outdoor Furniture Outlets Paint, Wallpaper, & Wall Coverings Paper Party Supplies Pawn Shops Pharmacies Plants Plumbing Equipment & Supplies Recreational Vehicles Restaurant Supplies Shoes Shopping Centers & Malls Skiing Sporting Goods State Stores Surplus Telephones Theater Supplies Tires Toupees & Wigs Toys Tuxedo Rental Video Games Watches Wine Wool & Yarn Services Accounting Advertising Agencies Alteration & Tailoring Animal Control Animal Shelters Animal Training Appliance Repair Appraisal Arborists & Tree Services Architects Astrologers, Palm Readers, & Psychics Attorneys Auctions Auto Detailing & Washing Automobile Repair Bail Bonds Barbers Beauty Salons Body Piercing Burglar Alarm Cable & Satellite Television Car Washes Using the Bulk Uploading List Carpet Cleaning Cemeteries Check Cashing Cleaning & Maid Computer Consulting Computer Networking Computer Repair Computer Security Conference Facilities & Halls Construction Consulting Convention Facilities Copying Courier & Delivery Court Reports & Stenographers Currency Exchange Data Recovery Dating Day Care Centers & Nurseries Dry Cleaning Dumps & Landfills E-Commerce Electrical Electronics Repair Embroidery Employment & Temporary Agencies Engineering Engraving Event Planning Facsimile Sending & Receiving Family Planning Fencing & Fence Repair Financial Planning Food Banks Funeral Homes & Mortuaries Garage Door Installation Gardening & Landscaping General Contractors Glass & Window Repair Graphic Design Hair Removal Handyman Heating, Ventilation, & Air Conditioning Home Remodeling & Repair Human & Social Services Importing & Exporting Insurance Interior Design Internet Marketing Internet Service Providers Investments Janitorial Services Junkyards Kennels Landscape Design Laundry Legal Aid Libraries Locksmiths Marinas Marketing Massage Modeling Agencies Mortgage Services Moving Music Nail Salons Notary Public Painting Passport Personal Trainers Pest Control Pet Boarding Pet Grooming 199 200 APPENDIX A: Places Categories Pet Sitting Photographers Piano Repair & Tuning Picture Framing Plumbing Pressure Washing Printing Process Servers Public Relations Publishing Record Management & Storage Recording Studios Recycling Roofing Secretarial Security Self Storage Shipping & Receiving Shoe Repair Siding Signs Skin Care Snow Plowing & Removal Software Development Stables Storage Swimming Pool & Hot Tub Talent Agencies Tanning Salons Tattooing Tax Preparation Telephone Ticket Sales Title Companies Towing Trash & Waste Removal Trucking Upholstery Utilities Video Production Watch Repair Web Design Web Development Web Hosting Wedding Photographers Wedding Planning Welding Window Treatments Transportation Airlines Airport Shuttles Airports Automobile Rental Bicycling Boats & Ferries Bus Limousines Parking Facilities Subways Taxicabs Trains Travel Bed & Breakfasts Camps & Campgrounds Casinos Cruises Hostels Hotels Motels Recreational Vehicle Parks Tour Operators Travel Agents Vacation Rentals Index A B accounts See Google accounts actions, 160, 167 Add a Coupon Now button, 123 Add a Photo from the Web button, 99 Add a Photo from Your Computer button, 98 Add New Business button, 64 Add Photo button, 98-100 Add Video button, 113 additional details, 82-85 addresses, editing, 35, 66-67 advantages of Google Places, 7-8 focus, 10-11 location data, 8-10 advertising AdWords, 58, 154-157 coupons See coupons tags See tags tracking results with Dashboard actions, 160, 167 business results, 167 changes you make, 167 explained, 159-162 getting daily results, 163 impressions, 160, 167 improving results, 164-166 real-world events, 166-167 seeing and changing Dashboard display, 162-164 top search queries, 160 ZIP codes where driving directions come from, 160-161 value of, 147-149 AdWords, 58, 154-157 Analytics, 58 availability of tags, 153 bad reviews, handling, 173-176 bit.ly, 142-143 Blogger, 58 business results, tracking with Dashboard, 167 business-specific accounts, 51-54 business-to-business categories, 193 C Calendar, 58-59 carrotmobs, 19 categories editing, 35, 69 explained, 13, 191-192 finding, 192-193 list of, 193-200 changes to opening hours, posting, 134-136 Checkout, 59 choosing login names, 48 passwords, 57 claimed versus unclaimed pages, 13 claiming Google Places pages adding in-depth information, 70-75 bringing up your business listing, 64 deciding what to add first, 62-63 editing basic information, 65-70 finding pages, 61-62 verifying listing, 76-78 Cohan, George M.,175 comment posting policy, 86-87 competition, comparing, 20 compressing photos, 95 Contacts, 59 cost of tags, 150, 152 coupons, 151 advertisements, 119-122 building business with, 117-119 202 coupons creating, 122-127 discounts, 120 fixed prices, 120-121 free initial consultations, 121 free reports, 121 Good Until dates, 126 and Google Search results, 118 guidelines, 128-129 mobile coupons, 119 offer codes, 126 online summary, 119 printed coupons, 119 Create a Google Account - Gmail page, 56 Create an Account button, 56 Create Tag button, 153 cropping photos, 95 crowdsourcing, 36 customer quotes, 14 customer’s point of view, 41-43 D Dashboard actions, 160, 167 business results, 167 change you make, 167 explained, 159-162 getting daily results, 163 impressions, 160, 167 improving results, 164-166 real-world events, 166-167 seeing and changing Dashboard display, 162-164 spotting trends, 163 top search queries, 160 viewing QR codes in, 171-173 ZIP codes where driving directions come from, 160-161 deleting real-time updates, 139-142 description, editing, 68 details area (Google Places pages), 15 directions, 46-48 Directions link, 47 Google Maps, 46-47, 48 Search Nearby link, 47-48 street view, 48 Directions link, 47 discounts, 120 Docs, 59 E Edit This Place link, 37 editing Google Places pages, 28-32 additional details, 82-85 address, 35, 66-67 basic information, 65-70 bringing up your business listing, 64 categories, 35, 69 crowdsourcing, 36 deciding what to add first, 62-63 description, 68 editing capabilities available by country, home pages, 35 hours of operation, 35, 74 in-depth information, 70-75 labels, 79-82 location of business entrance, 35 payment options, 75 phone number, 35, 67-68 photos See photos place name, 35 service areas, 70-73 before verifying pages, 37-38 education categories, 193 encouraging reviews, 44 entering URLs, 142-143 entertainment categories, 194 events, posting, 137 F fast followers, 148 Favorite Places, 181-183 Google Places pages finding categories, 192-193 Google Places pages, 26-27, 61-62 URLs of videos, 108 fixed prices, 120-121 Floyd Smith Consulting Places page, 132 focused searches, advantages of Google Places, 10-11 followers, 149 free initial consultations, 121 free reports, 121 G generating QR (Quick Response) codes, 172 geolocation, Gmail accounts, creating, 55-58 for business-specific accounts, 52, 54 login names, 54-55 goals in improving your Google Places presence, 18-20 Good Until dates, 126 Google accounts business-specific accounts, 51-54 creating via Gmail, 55-58 login names, 54-55 Google AdWords, 58 Google Analytics, 58 Google Apps, 53 Google Blogger, 58 Google Calendar, 58-59 Google Checkout, 59 Google Contacts, 59 Google Docs, 59 Google Favorite Places, 26, 181-183 Google Groups, 59 Google Maps, 9-10, 14, 46-48 related maps, 15-16 203 Google Picasa, 59-60 Google Places pages advantages of focus, 10-11 location data, 8-10 bringing up your business listing, 64 categories explained, 191-192 finding, 192-193 list of, 193-200 claimed versus unclaimed pages, 13 coupons advertisements, 119-122 building business with, 117-119 creating, 122-127 discounts, 120 fixed prices, 120-121 free initial consultations, 121 free reports, 121 Good Until dates, 126 guidelines, 128-129 mobile coupons, 119 offer codes, 126 online summary, 119 printed coupons, 119 customer’s point of view, 41-43 Dashboard actions, 160, 167 business results, 167 changes you make, 167 explained, 159-162 getting daily results, 163 impressions, 160, 167 improving results, 164-166 real-world events, 166-167 seeing and changing Dashboard display, 162-164 spotting trends, 163 How can we make this index more useful? Email us at indexes@samspublishing.com 204 Google Places pages top search queries, 160 viewing QR codes in, 171-173 ZIP codes where driving directions come from, 160-161 directions, giving, 46-48 Directions link, 47 Google Maps, 48 Search Nearby link, 47-48 street view, 48 editing, 35-38 additional details, 82-85 address, 35, 66-67 basic information, 65-70 categories, 35, 69 crowdsourcing, 36 deciding what to add first, 62-63 description, 68 home pages, 35 hours of operation, 35, 74 in-depth information, 70-75 labels, 79-82 location of business entrance, 35 payment options, 75 phone number, 35, 67-68 place name, 35 service areas, 70-73 before verifying pages, 37-38 explained, 11 finding, 26-27, 61-62 goals in improving your Google Places presence, 18-20 Google Favorite Places, 181-183 Google Maps, 14 Google Search and, 28-32 home pages, 25 location of, 23-24 navigating to, 26-27 online resources, 25-26 Owner-Verified Listings, 12 photos See photos policies comment posting policy, 86-87 explained, 85-86 local listings content policy, 88-89 quality guidelines, 87-88 QR (Quick Response) codes explained, 169-171 finding, 171-173 generating, 172 saving, 173 real-time updates changes to opening hours, 134-136 entering and shortening URLs, 142-143 events, 137 explained, 131-133 new products and services, 138 news and opinions, 138-139 posting and deleting, 139-142 specials, 136-137 spell-checking, 140 Twitter, 143-145 reviews leaving, 176-177 responding to, 177-179 tips for getting good reviews and handling bad ones, 173-176 role of website, 43-45 service areas, 48-49 structure of, 11-17 address, 13 business name, 13 category, 13 customer quotes, 14 medical categories details area, 15 more about this place, 17 nearby places you might like, 9-10 Photos, 15 Print | Email | Link Area, 14 related maps, 15-16 reviews, 15, 45-46 sponsored links, 14 street view, 14 user content, 17 Web address, 13 verifying, 76-78 videos See videos Google Places Support page, 25 Google Places Videos page, 25 Google Sites, 60 Google tags availability, 153 cost of, 150, 152 coupons, 151 explained, 150-152 menus and reservations pages, 151 photo/video links, 152 post links, 152 signing up for, 152-154 website links, 151 Google Talk, 60 Google Voice, 60 government offices categories, 194 205 hours of operation editing, 35, 74 posting updates to, 134-136 I I accept Activate My Tag for $25 Per Month button, 154 images See photos impressions, 160, 167 improving Dashboard results, 164-166 search engine results, 185-187 J-K-L JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group), 97 labels, 79-82 laggards, 149 Lat Long Blog, 25 leaders, 148 leaving reviews, 176-177 length of videos, 112 Link area, 14 links, sponsored, 14 local listings content policy, 88-89 location data advantages of Google Places, 8-10 location of business entrance, editing, 35 location of Google Places pages, 23-24 login names, 54-55 H M handling bad reviews, 173-176 headings for advertisements, 120-121 health categories, 195 home pages, editing, 35 hosting videos, 108-111 Vimeo, 109-111 YouTube, 108-109, 112-114 Maps See Google Maps Marcus, Paul, 15, 92 Martin, Steve, 11 maximum photo size, 96 maximum video length, 112 maximum video size, 112 medical categories, 195 How can we make this index more useful? Email us at indexes@samspublishing.com 206 menus and reservations pages menus and reservations pages, 151 mobile coupons, 119 mobile devices, accessing Google Places from, 27-28 model releases, 105 more about this place area (Google Places pages), 17 More Info link, 37 Morris, Tee, 144 N names, login names, 54-55 navigating to Google Places pages, 26-27 nearby places you might like area (Google Places pages), 9-10 new products and services, posting, 138 news, posting, 138-139 O offer codes, 126 opinions, posting, 138-139 Owner-Verified Listings, 12 P pages See Google Places pages passwords, choosing, 57 Paul Marcus Wines, 15, 31, 44, 92 payment options, 75 permissions, photo permissions, 95 phone numbers, editing, 35, 67-68 photography tips, 93-94 photos adding from Picasa web albums, 99 adding to Google Places pages, 91-93 compressing, 95 cropping, 95 formats, 96 links to, 152 maximum size of, 96 permissions, 95 photography tips, 93-94 Picasa web albums, 59-60, 97, 99 preparing for online use, 94-95 removing from pages, 101 resizing, 95 rules for use on Google Places, 96-97 uploading from computer, 97-99 Photos area (Google Places pages), 15 Picasa, 59-60, 97, 99 pictures See photos place names, editing, 35 policies comment posting policy, 86-87 explained, 85-86 local listings content policy, 88-89 quality guidelines, 87-88 video policies, 112 Post to Your Place Page, 140 posting real-time updates, 139-142 posts, links to, 152 Preview and Select a Tag drop-down menu, 153 Print area, 14 printed coupons, 119 providers, creating websites with, 187-189 Q QR (Quick Response) codes explained, 169-171 finding, 171-173 generating, 172 saving, 173 quality guidelines, 87-88 Quick Response codes See QR (Quick Response) codes R real estate categories, 196 real-time updates changes to opening hours, 134-136 tags entering and shortening URLs, 142-143 events, 137 explained, 131-133 new products and services, 138 news and opinions, 138-139 posting and deleting, 139-142 specials, 136-137 spell-checking, 140 Twitter, 143-145 real-world events, tracking in Dashboard, 166-167 recording video, 106-108 related maps area (Google Places pages), 15-16 removing photos, 101 real-time updates, 139-142 videos, 114-115 resizing photos, 95 resolution of videos, 107 responding to reviews, 177-179 restaurant categories, 196-197 retail categories, 197-198 reviews, 44 leaving, 176-177 responding to, 177-179 reviews area (Google Places pages), 15 tips for getting good reviews and handling bad ones, 173176 S Sams Teach Yourself Google AdWords in 10 Minutes (Smith), 155 Sams Teach Yourself Twitter in 10 Minutes (Morris), 144 saving QR (Quick Response) codes, 173 search engine optimization See SEO (search engine optimization) 207 Search Nearby link, 47-48 SEO (search engine optimization) coupons, 118 creating basic websites, 187-189 explained, 183-185, 192 tips for improving search engine results, 185-187 service areas, 48-49, 70-73 service categories, 198-200 service providers, creating websites with, 187-189 services, 58-60 shooting photos, 93-94 videos, 106-108 shortening URLs, 142-143 signing up for tags, 152-154 Sites, 60 size of photos, 96 of videos, 112 Smith, Bud, 155 specials, posting, 136-137 spell-checking, 140 sponsored links, 14 spotting trends, 163 street view, 14, 48 subheadings for advertisements, 121-122 Submit button, 69 T tablets, accessing Google Places from, 27-28 tags availability, 153 cost of, 150, 152 coupons, 151 explained, 150-152 menus and reservations pages, 151 How can we make this index more useful? Email us at indexes@samspublishing.com 208 photo/video links, 152 post links, 152 signing up for, 152-154 website links, 151 taking photos, 93-94 Talk, 60 top search queries, 160 transportation categories, 200 travel categories, 200 trends, spotting, 163 Twitter, 143-145 U unclaimed pages, 13 updates See real-time updates Upload a Picture dialog, 124 uploading photos, 97-99 URLs entering and shortening, 142143 of videos, 108 user content area (Google Places pages), 17 tags links to, 152 maximum length of, 112 maximum size of, 112 model releases, 105 policies, 112 recording, 106-108 removing from pages, 114-115 resolution, 107 rules for use on Google Places, 111-113 video-hosting options, 108-111 Vimeo, 109-111 YouTube, 108-109, 112-114 Vimeo, 109-111 Voice, 60 W Wanamaker, John, 147 websites creating, 187-189 role of, 43-45 website links, 151 Welcome to Gmail page, 55 V Y-Z validating Google Places pages, 7678 verifying Google Places pages, 7678 video-hosting options, 108-111 Vimeo, 109-111 YouTube adding videos from, 112114 explained, 108-109 videos adding from YouTube, 112-114 advantages, 103-104 disadvantages, 104 file formats, 111-112 finding URL of, 108 Yellow Pages categories, 192 YouTube, 60 adding videos from, 112-114 explained, 108-109 policies, 112 ZIP codes where driving directions come from, 160-161 ... Sams Teach Yourself Google Places in 10 Minutes 800 East 96th Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240 Sams Teach Yourself Google Places in 10 Minutes Copyright © 2011 by Pearson Education, Inc All... books include two from Sams: Sams Teach Yourself Tumblr in 10 Minutes and Sams Teach Yourself iPad in 10 Minutes His other books include extensive coverage of Google, most recently including How... Understanding who Google Places is for Claiming your Google Places page Entering and updating your business data Showing up high in Google Search results Showing up in Google Maps searches Getting