Google Places Switches to Google+ Local

In another attempt to force more people to use Google+…I mean, In an attempt to make your local listings more social and interactive, Google switched all Google Places listings over to Google+ Local at the beginning of this month (June).  You do not need to do anything regarding the switch as all information, images, reviews, etc. were automatically converted to the Google+ Local format.

So, What Has Changed?

Much of Google’s local features remain the same.   However, there are some changes that occurred with this switch.

• You’re Google local listing looks a little different, as you can see from the screenshot to the right.
• If you use Google+, there is now a new “Local” tab on the right, making it easy to access local pages from your Google+ account.
• Google has now done away with their 5 star user rating system and replaced it with Zagat scores (Google bought out Zagat last year).  If your organization doesn’t have a Zagat score, a 30 point user score may be available.
• The Google+ Local pages are integrated across several Google services, such as Google Maps and Google Mobile.
• +1 buttons have been integrated onto these local pages.
• Google+ sharing for pages and reviews is now integrated.
• Google+ Local pages will be indexed in Google’s universal search.

How Does This Effect You?

The two biggest ways this change may effect you are that your local listing is now more visible (good) and more interactive (also good).

You Are More Visible
With Google+ Local pages being indexed in Google’s universal search engine, you have more chances to be listed in search results (then again, so do your competitors).  Additionally, with the new Google+ integration, when Google+ users share a review, post a rating, or just share your business, their circles will see that.  If they +1 you, you may show up more prominently in their and their friends search results, though we don’t yet know how much of an effect it will have.

Your Listing is More Interactive
As mentioned above, people can post reviews and ratings like before, but now those reviews and ratings are shared with their friends on Google+.  People can now +1 your listing and thus share you with their Google+ friends.  People can also post their own pictures related to your organization.  And all this is just the beginning, according to Google.  Google indicates that they are planning to add even more interactive features in the coming months, including ways to more easily communicate with the Google+ users who have +1’d your local page, probably in a way similar to how Facebook Pages work with Facebook.

Below is a short video from Google for the launch of Google+ Local:

Search Engine Land also has a very in depth look at all the changes:

http://searchengineland.com/google-places-is-over-company-makes-google-the-center-of-gravity-for-local-search-122770

Final Thoughts
These all seem like good changes that Google has made to their local features.  What remains to be seen is how effective they will be.  While we’d all love to see an instant local connection and community form around our listing, the fact that this is based in Google+ may be problematic.  Google+ has continued to make massive gains in the number of users, but a lot of that growth has been due to Google forcing Google accounts onto Google+.  For example, if you sign up for gmail, you are now a Google+ user, even if you have no interest in using Google+.

The claim that Google is padding how many users they have is also supported by the usage figures that have come out which show Google+ users spending a tiny fraction of the time on Google+ as Facebook users spend on Facebook.  Google+ users also appear to share much less than Facebook users according to some reports I”ve seen.  So, we’ll see if Google+ has enough activity to create this utopia of local interaction, but this is definitely a step in the right direction.

So, what do you think?

•  Do you like the changes Google has made?
• Will you try to engage your local community more on the new Google+ Local page?