Google Place Pages

Before I launch into details about how to use TripAdvisor.com, you should probably be aware of the importance of Google Place Pages.  If you have already claimed your Google Places Page, you're not done yet.  Google has recently introduced several new products that are important for you to know about.  One expert recently told me that Google has introduced more new products in the last 4 months than they had in the previous 4 years.

If you haven't already claimed your business listing on Google you should immediately do so.  Don't worry, it's a simply process that you can complete in less than hour.  In fact, Google now has tutorials and a step-by-step lesson for you.

Why is this important?

In a recent TripAdvisor.com Forum posting, a Property Management Company representative from Santa Fe asked if there was anything she could do about how Google Places had links to reviews on Trip Advisor on her company Places Page that weren't for her company.  She was told in separate correspondence that Trip Advisor relies at least in part upon Google Places to identify companies.  She was told by Google that they rely on Trip Advisor listings to match reviews to "Places."

Caught in what seemed to be a circular trap, the company representative was exasperated.  The problem was that the reviews for this company on Google Places were NOT reviews for this woman's business.  They were reviews for a vacation rental company that had appropriated the business name via an identical domain name.  Ultimately, the problem wasn't really either Trip Advisor's or Google's fault -- it was a legal matter.

The point of this example is to show you the danger of not claiming and managing your business identity on Google and of not properly managing your business reviews on Trip Advisor.  If you have time, click on this link and follow the thread of responses -- there was a lot of confusion and a lot of wasted time and effort.  Because the TripAdvisor Forum was not the setting for a detailed response, I communicated via e-mail with the business rep.

My recommendation for this business:  they had not included the full name of their business when they claimed their Google Places identity.  I recommended that she start over on Google Places as if claiming a NEW business identity and once she had that set up, she could "Suspend" the first one.  Most people don't know it, but as the business owner, you have the power to remove your Google Places Page as long as Google can verify your relationship as owner.

An example of a Photo on La Posada de Taos' Google Places Page

Finally, I want to relate to you that La Posada de Taos did not claim its Google Business Identity on what is now known as Google Places until late in 2009.  At the time I first went to claim it, their map had us out on the West Mesa (we're downtown) with 3 rooms instead of 6 and lots of other misinformation.   We claimed our Identity and we keep our page current with visits every few months.  Here's what we currently do.  If the link doesn't work, do a Google Search using keywords La Posada de Taos and Google Places.

From time to time I'll have more information on Google Places Pages, but for now here are the Must Do's:

• Fully complete all the information
• Include photographs
• Link a video (even if it's just a generic Taos video from YouTube)
• Look at ALL of the business development tools available through Google, use at least one.
• Check your Google Map location (you can change it here easily)