How Do I Get on Google Places?

Getting listed in Google Places and other business listing sites is automatic when using a business phone number.

I was chatting with a small business owner at a chamber mixer last week and she asked "How do I get listed on Google Places?" I told her that there are many web site SEO companies that will put her on Google Places and other business listing sites. She would have to have her web site hosted with them or the company she gets her domain through would do it for a monthly fee. One of my sites is hosted with Register.com and they list your business for around $80 per month.

She has an insurance brokerage and is struggling to keep her business afloat. She would not be able to afford that kind of additional expense. And she admits she is not "web savvy" and would not know how to do this on her own. She only has her cell phone and works from her home to keep expenses down.

I suggested that she get a virtual business telephone number from All Call Technologies and have it listed. Listing her telephone number would get her business added to Google Places, Yahoo Local, Merchant Circle, YP.com, Superpages.com, Yelp.com and many others. It would also list her in the phone directories. She was not impressed with that and said "No one uses phone books any more."

I told her that all of the telephone directories have online versions and that they pull their free listings from the business listing database and she would be included. And when someone calls 411 information she would be included there as well.

Then I explained the features of a virtual business phone number like call routing to her cell phone, Call Screen, professionally recorded greetings and Voice Mail to Email.

I just spoke with her a few minutes ago and she has a new business phone number and is very happy to be getting started.