Overview

Sams Teach Yourself Google Places in 10 Minutes  Sams Teach Yourself Google Places in 10 Minutes gives you straightforward, practical answers when you need fast results. By working through its 10-minute lessons, you’ll learn how to claim your free Google Places business page, improve it with everything from video to coupons, and attract more new customers, starting today!   Tips point out shortcuts and solutions Cautions help you avoid common pitfalls Notes provide additional information   10 minutes is all you need to learn how to… Claim your free Google Places online business directory page Publish your basic business information in just minutes Help visitors experience your business with video, photos, and more Keep your page up-to-date, painlessly Add detailed directions to your location with Google Maps Generate discount coupons that attract traffic Encourage rave reviews on Google Places and Yelp–and respond effectively to online criticism Easily create powerful in-store cell phone advertising with QR codes Improve your Google Search rankings Manage online impressions and get detailed feedback through the Dashboard Build a low-cost Adwords campaign that integrates with Google Places   Register your book at informit.com/register for convenient access to updates and corrections as they become available.      

Full Product Details

Author:   Bud E. Smith
Publisher:   Pearson Education (US)
Imprint:   Sams Publishing
Dimensions:   Width: 20.90cm , Height: 1.10cm , Length: 13.90cm
Weight:   0.236kg
ISBN:  

9780672335358

ISBN 10:   0672335352
Pages:   240
Publication Date:   04 November 2010
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   In Print  
Limited stock is available. It will be ordered for you and shipped pending supplier's limited stock.

Table of Contents

    Introduction 1 1 Introducing Google Places 7     Why Google Places? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7     Looking at a Google Places Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11     Google Places, You, and the Competition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18     Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 2 Editing Your Google Places Pages 23     Where Is Google Places?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23     Getting to Google Places Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26     Google Search and Google Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28     Google Maps Search and Google Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32     Editing Your Google Places Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35     Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 3 Using Google Places 41     Taking the Customer’s Point of View. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41     The Role of the Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43     Using Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45     Getting Directions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46     Seeing Service Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48     Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 4 Signing Up for a Google Account 51     How to Get a Google Account for Your Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51     Choosing Your Gmail Login Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54     Signing Up for Your Gmail Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55     Using Google Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58     Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 5 Claiming Your Google Places Page 61     Finding (or Not Finding) Your Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61     Deciding What to Add First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62     Bringing Up Your Business Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64     Adding or Editing Basic Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65     Adding In-Depth Information to Your Listing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70     Verifying Your Listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76     Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 6 Improving Your Google Places Page 79     Adding New Features to Your Listing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79     Google Places Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85     Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89 7 Adding Photos 91     Adding Photos to Your Places Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91     Taking Good Photos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93     Following the Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96     Adding a Picture from Your Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97     Adding a Picture from Picasa Web Albums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99     Removing a Photo from Your Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101     Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101 8 Adding Videos 103     Adding Videos to Your Places Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103     Making Good Video Clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106     Video-Hosting Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108     Following the Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111     Adding a Video from YouTube. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112     Removing a Video from Your Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114     Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115 9 Adding Coupons 117     Building Your Business with Coupons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117     Getting Clicks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119     Creating a Coupon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122     Checking Coupon Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128     Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129 10 Posting Real-Time Updates 131     Using Real-Time Updates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131     Posting and Deleting Real-Time Updates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139     Entering and Shortening URLs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .142     Using Real-Time Updates with Twitter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143     Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .145 11 Advertising with Tags and AdWords 147     The Value of Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147     Using Different Types of Tags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150     Signing Up for Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152     Using AdWords to Increase Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154     Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157 12 Using the Dashboard 159     Tracking Your Google Places Dashboard Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159     Using Your Dashboard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162     Tracking Your Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166     Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168 13 Using QR Codes and Getting Better Reviews 169     Understanding QR Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169     Using QR Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .171     Making Reviews Work for You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173     Leaving Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176     Responding to Reviews on Your Places Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177     Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179 14 Improving Search Engine Results 181     Becoming a Google Favorite Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .181     Understanding Search Engine Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .183     Improving Search Engine Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185     Creating a Basic Website with a Provider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187     Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189 Appendix A Places Categories 191 TOC, 9780672335358, 10/6/2010

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Author Information

Bud Smith has written more than a dozen books about computer hardware and software, with more than a million copies sold. Bud’s recent books include two from Sams: Sams Teach Yourself Tumblr in 10 Minutes and Sams Teach Yourself iPad in 10 Minutes. His other books include extensive coverage of Google, most recently including How to Do Everything Nexus One, Google Business Solutions All-In-One For Dummies, and Google Voice For Dummies.   Bud started out as a technical writer and journalist, and then moved into marketing and product management for technology companies. He worked at Apple Computer as a Senior Product Manager; at Google competitor AltaVista as a Group Product Manager; and at GPS navigation company Navman as a Global Product Manager. Bud holds a BA in Information Systems Management from the University of San Francisco and an MSc in Information Systems from the London School of Economics. He currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, participating in environmental causes when he’s not working on one of his many technology-related projects.

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