If your goal is to have your business information appear at the top of localized search results, Google Places can help you create and optimize your listing. Here are some common questions and answers about getting started with Google Places.

Why should I use Google Places?
The main advantage of Google Places is that it’s a free way to increase your business. A detailed listing can provide you with name recognition in your local community, allowing you to reach more potential...

After gathering hundreds or even thousands of email addresses, it's easy to feel a bit overwhelmed. Sending a personal email to each individual on your email list is typically not an option unless you hire a team to do nothing but compose and respond to emails. Even if your business can afford the cost of a full-time email staff, you may wish to avoid doing so. Unique emails offer the personal touch many consumers crave, but they can be inconsistent. Make sure that your customers are all on the...

A mailing list can be an important marketing tool to keep customers informed about the latest developments concerning your business. In addition, mailing lists are a great way to provide valuable information to them in the form of instructional articles or coupons; by including such content, you can make your mailing list more useful to customers, which will also make it a more effective marketing device. Mailing lists allow you to connect with your customers and encourage them to remain loyal to...

SEO, which stands for Search Engine Optimization, is the process of setting up a site to increase its rankings in search results from Google and other search engines. Internet users tend to trust sites in free searches more than they do advertised sites, making a high page ranking a useful tool to drive visitors and dollars to a website.

The first part of an SEO campaign is to identify the search terms, or keywords, that pertain to a given business. For example, a florist in Tuscaloosa...

If you own a business and people in your area can't find it online, you're missing out on many prime opportunities. Online marketing isn't just used to spread the word about a business across the world. After all, people often turn to the major search engines to find specific businesses in their areas. For all you know, you could be losing a great deal of business to another company that is succeeding in the local search engine results game. The good news is that it's not too difficult to get in...