When the consumer clicks on the Directions link it automatically maps the quickest route to the store from the consumer’s location. Consumers can use the Directions link from their desktop, mobile search ads, and Google Maps for Mobile on Android or iPhone.

Google has recently announced that they will be adding new performance metrics for the Directions link. These metrics will appear alongside those for clicks and phone calls.  Clicks on the Directions link will also be charged as a click on all Pay Per Click campaigns moving forward.

So how will this impact your Pay Per Click campaign?

We already know from experience that any customer who is ready to click on the Directions link and immediately head to your location is an actively engaged customer. This is a customer who is ready to spend and has passed the research stage of the buying cycle. So clicks on the Directions link should generate a sale.

Additionally, clicks on the Directions link will filter out those people who are investigating how far away your location is from them.  It eliminates the need for your staff to spend time on the phone qualifying the customer as they have already pre-qualified themselves.

Clicks on the Directions link will be counted the same as a click on the headline of the ad, so you still get the benefit of seeing the results of your clicks without having to spend valuable time on the phone. Instead those customers who are motivated can get their directions automatically and then head to your store to engage your services.

Google Latitude works like this. After joining Latitude, consumers can invite friends and family to join their network. Consumers then “check-in” using Google Latitude each time they visit their favorite places.  This lets their friends and family know where they are when they check their own Latitude account.  (There are privacy settings built in. Click here for more information.)

With the new Check-In feature, the more times you check-in to restaurants, retailers and other locations using Latitude the more status you gain with those participating retailers.  As your status level increases, you will see greater benefits. Offers range from a free bag of chips to percentage discounts depending on the retailer you are visiting and the status level you have achieved. Check-in offers are available in three status levels and you can redeem your check-in offer right from your mobile phone.

Consumers with iPhones need to install the Latitude app for iPhone. Those on Android can start unlocking offers by updating to the latest version of Google Maps for Android.

Let’s start with a quick refresher course on claiming your Google Places page. If you haven’t already done this, here is what you need to do.

• Go to http://www.google.com/ and find your business, if you get to the places page and see this message, you know you still have to claim your page.

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• Once you have gone through the steps to claim your listing, you will be able to add any basic information that is missing, including hours of operation, address and phone numbers. List your name, address and exact phone numbers as Google doesn’t take kindly to geographic or keyword stuffing. If you have a toll free number, you can add more than one phone number, but list your local phone number first as this will help to localize your listing.
• You next step will be to choose your keywords, categories and description information. You can choose up to 5 categories to describe your business, if possible use all five, but choose only those that accurately describe your business and avoid location words as Google doesn’t like them here. Your description, on the other hand, can and should include geographic or location keywords, while still being easy to read.
• After this step is completed, it is time to add photos and video to your profile. Add at least one photo, even if it is only a logo or photo of the outside of your location. Also consider adding geotagged images to Google Picasa or Flickr. By adding geotagged images to these sites and linking them back to your Places page, you are providing Google with additional geographic data. You can also add up to five YouTube video URLs and since YouTube is now a Google company, it certainly won’t hurt to do so. Video is an engaging medium and adds a compelling image to consumers who visit your Places page.
• Ratings and reviews are important to your rankings, so ask frequent customers to rate you online. It’s not advised to post your own reviews, but if you can get a few positive reviews online it will certainly help the cause.

All of these factors go into helping improve your ranking because Google takes several things into account when providing search results.  The three primary factors are:

• Relevance – Google only shows you those listings that are relevant to your search. For example, if you search for sporting goods stores, they won’t show you listings for car dealerships and fast food chains.
• Prominence – Prominence is determined by how well known those stores are based on sources across the web.
• Distance – Distance is calculated based on how far the stores are from the locatiaon you typed in your search or from your general location.

Now that you have claimed and optimized your Google Places page, let’s take a look at what’s going on with the newest additions to the Google arsenal…Tags, Boost and HotPot.

Google Tags help your organic listings to stand out on a Google results page or a Google Maps search results page.  Google Tags are the bright yellow marker that highlight when business have videos, photos or special offers on their page. They look like this.

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Google Boost is an online advertising solution that enables you to create an online search ad from your Google Places account.  A Google Boost ad appears in the Pay Per Click listing area with a special blue marker and looks like this.

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Google Tags is a flat rate, online advertising product.  While Google Boost is a per click advertising product. Neither affect the ranking of your business on Google or Google Maps.

Google HotPot on the other hand can affect the ranking of your business’ local search result.  It is Google’s new local recommendation engine that allows users to rate and review stores, restaurants, and businesses, and then share these reviews with friends.  When logged in, Google HotPot will also send you personalized recommendations based on the ratings you and your friends provide with the goal of providing you with exposure to new places you might otherwise not have visited.

As Google continues to evolve and add new products to its local search toolkit, it is vital that you have a firm foundation to stand on. Now is the time to ensure that your Google Places listing is claimed and that all information is correct. Firm up your Google Places listing now and start exploring the options available with Google Tags, Boost and HotPot.  Then see what happens to your local search rankings!