Supporting Local Businesses With Google Places

The team are super pleased to announce a new integration for the “Where to Stay” and “Things to Do” directories for local tourism dependant businesses in the Bideford area.

Simplification

We understand this very well from speaking to local business owners in the Bideford area.

Having another place to worry about reviews being left unmonitored is needed like a “hole in the head”.

Taking on the feedback we were able to implement and focus on what matters most simplicity.

The team are now working their way through updating the almost 500 listings we have already added to the two current directories to update them with the details needed for this to work automatically.

From the Development Team

A few words from the lead developer:

We’ve added a custom integration to Google Businesses / Places into the Bideford.com platform so that we can show your potential customers the latest details, such as your address, opening hours and phone number and the of course, the latest reviews all in one place.

This helps deduplicate “another place” you have to keep an eye on reviews for and helps simplify the day-to-day web presence requirements for your business.

Matt, Lead Developer

Live Example

An example of this integration can be viewed here.

As reviews are left and as details update, your entry in the directory is automatically updated and with “featured” listings, up to 20 reviews can be displayed rather than the standard 5 (also with some additional filters too).

What are Google Places And Why Are They Important?

As a business owner in Bideford, you already know that tourism plays a significant role in the success of your business.

In today’s digital age, having a strong online presence is essential for attracting tourists and maintaining a thriving business. A key component of this online presence is Google Places.

What are Google Places?

Google Places, also known as Google My Business, is a free tool that allows you to manage your business’s presence on Google Maps and Google Search.

By creating and optimizing your business listing, you can provide potential customers with essential information, such as your location, hours of operation, phone number, website, and customer reviews.

In essence, Google Places serves as a digital directory that helps users find and engage with local businesses like yours.

Why are Google Places important for your Bideford business?

This boils down to three key factors:

Enhanced Visibility
When tourists search for businesses in Bideford, your optimized Google Places listing will ensure your business appears prominently in search results, making it easier for potential customers to find and choose your establishment.

Trust and Credibility
Google Reviews, a key feature of Google Places, allows customers to share their experiences with your business. Positive reviews can significantly boost your credibility and reputation, attracting more customers and fostering loyalty.

Increased Engagement
Google Places listings provide users with quick access to essential information and enable them to interact with your business directly from search results. This streamlined process encourages more user engagement and can ultimately lead to higher conversion rates.

Are Google Places Free?

Yes. The process is simple and the only key requirement is that you have a physical address that can be verified by post. To get started today, see here.

Local Business Directory

If you haven’t seen it yet, we are working nonstop on identifying all the sites and places to see in and around Bideford, plus where to stay and anything that is of interest to a tourist coming to the local area.

• Where to Stay
• Things to Do

It is free for your business to be added to the directory and you can request the addition via the “Contact Us” page. Provide as much detail as possible and we’ll be in touch shortly. There are upgrade options to promote your business on the site, if that is something you are interested in, just ask one of the team.

In Summary

We know first-hand that having another place to keep an eye on for good (and sometimes bad) reviews is frankly just another concern when really your time is best spent on developing your business or helping new and existing customers.

By putting you first, this integration allows you to focus on what you should be doing, the promotion and maintenance of your business and one key part of that is reinforcing your presence via Google Places.

If you have not already created your Google Place, the team strongly urge you to.

This should be one of the very first things you do when setting up, well… any business that has a physical location and is free to do.

The team here are working through the almost 500 listings to update them with the unique ID for your businesses and is shortly adding in all the local hotels (another big project!).

To your ongoing success!