Tinker Web Design

Google has just sent out a notice notifying Google Places users that if they have a home office and do not have a physical storefront, that the box to hide their address must be checked off or their listing could be removed. Below is the actual notification:

“Dear Google Places user,

We’d like to tell you about a recent update to our quality guidelines. This new addition, which affects service area businesses based at a residential location, states:

If you don’t conduct face-to-face business at your location, you must select the “Do not show my business address on my Maps listing” option within your dashboard. If you don’t hide your address, your listing may be removed from Google Maps.

Why the addition? We want to ensure that Google users do not attempt to visit your business at the location listed publicly on Maps — it’s a bad experience for you, it’s a bad experience for them.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll begin strictly enforcing this guideline, more so than we have been since the policy change. This means that if you don’t have a storefront, and you haven’t hidden your address, your listing is not in compliance with our updated quality guidelines and subject to takedown. We wanted to give you a heads up both to give you enough time to be in compliance and to ensure your listing remains live on Google Maps going forward.

To hide your address:

1. Go to your Google Places dashboard 
2. Click “Edit” on the listing to view its details
3. Select “Yes, this business serves customers at their locations”
4. Select “Do not show my business address on my Maps listing”
5. Hit Submit

You can also read a step-by-step guide to hiding your address in our Help Center. Note that it will take a few days for the address to be removed completely from the live listing.

Please update your Google Places listing to ensure it remains active on Google.

Sincerely,

The Google Team”

For newbies starting a blog for marketing purposes - it is a daunting task:

• What do I write about?
• I just don’t have time.
• What is the point to blog writing and other internet marketing?

Think of blog writing as a way to become an expert in your field. Well, you already are an expert in your field. Writing a blog portrays that to others on the web.

So think of potential customer’s questions, topics, concerns and other aspects of your business. To you they may be second nature, but to others they are not. If you are into the cleaning business: what is the best way to wash a window? If you own a handyman business: how do I fix a broken closet door? You can also offer quick tips, links to other great articles, ask questions to your audience, etc. An issue might come up in your daily operations that sparks a potential topic.

To get started, make a list of potential blog posts - start out with as many as you can come up with. Then simply do one a week, or one every other week. It doesn’t have to be daily. Sometimes you can tie your blog and Facebook profile together so your fans when know when you make a blog post too.

If I write a blog, they will come. Well, not necessarily. But with your social networking - Facebook, blog, etc. - you build a network based on credibility and trust. As time goes on, your followers might need your services or know someone who does. It is about awareness, not making a direct sale.

So do not get discouraged when you have posted 15 blogs, gotten 200 Facebook fans and not a single sale. This is a continuous effort that will simply be a part of your overall marketing effort.