Results-oriented Internet Marketing — Scott McAndrew

Previously only in select cities, Google is now making Tags available nationwide.  Haven’t heard of Tags?  Don’t sweat it, not many people have.  Let’s start at the beginning.

Who are Tags intended for?

Google tags are for businesses which have a listing in Google Places (formerly the Google Local Business Center).  Google Places listings are the businesses which appear astride a map in Google search results or on Google Maps.

What are Tags?

Tags allow the business owner to enhance their listing by providing additional information with their local business (Places) listing.  Business owners can provide additional information that links to the Places profile for their business.

In the example below, I searched for “hotels in San Diego, CA” and saw two businesses advertising with Tags.  One hotel, the Omni, linked to a page of photographs of their hotel while another, the Hard Rock, linked to page which had special offers (coupons in their Places listing).

Are Tags Worth it?

That’s all going to depend on your product and service, if people search for it online, and what an acceptable marketing expense is for a lead or conversion.  Barring those important details, Tags is attractive.  Let’s start with the price.  Tags is charged at a flat rate of $25 per month.  That’s very reasonable, especially if you’re in a large city and/or have a product that generates a lot of search engine queries.

Of course, it’s about those clicks and conversions.  While it’s hard to gauge off the bat if the Tag ads encourage click-through, but on the vanilla pages of Google, the addition of the bright yellow Tag image and accompanying text sounds like a winner, and so does the price.

If you’ve got a local product or service company, I’d recommend giving Tags a shot.  You’ll be able to test the waters, and, if it isn’t working out, there’s no contract or obligation so you can simply cancel.

If you don’t have a Google Places listing, that’s your first order of business.  If you’re ready to give it a shot, Google has a painless place where you can get started with Places and Tags.

If you need advice, please just ask.  Good luck!

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