I claimed my first Google Places listing last month. Not for a client; for my barber.
Derek runs Menzair in Canterbury. I’ve known him forever, and I was tired of never remembering his opening hours. Google Places seemed like the obvious solution - claim the listing, add the hours, and I’d always be able to find them.
The process took longer than expected. Google mails a postcard with a verification PIN, which sounds simple enough. But the postcard goes to the business address, not yours. So I had to wait for it to arrive, then remind Derek to actually text me the code when it turned up. He’s a barber, not a digital marketer; he had other priorities.
That small friction is worth mentioning because it’s the reality of Google Places right now. The concept is brilliant. The execution still needs work. But what Google is building here will reshape local search completely.
What’s actually happening
Google rebranded their Local Business Center to “Places” back in April. Five months in, it’s clear this isn’t cosmetic. They’re building a bridge that cuts out every local directory that used to sit between Google and the plumber.
Search for a restaurant in London now and you’ll see it: a block of seven local listings sitting above the organic results. Name, address, phone number, star ratings, a little map. Everything someone needs without clicking through to anyone’s website.
For years, directories and city guides have been the bridge between “I need to find a plumber” and actually finding one. Google is building that bridge themselves.
Last month, they added owner responses to reviews. Back in May, they launched an API. Every few weeks, there’s something new.
What local businesses should do
If you run a local business and you haven’t claimed your listing, do it now. It’s free, it takes twenty minutes (plus however long your postcard takes to arrive), and it matters more than almost anything else you’ll do online this year.
The 7-pack appears for nearly every local search query. Being in that box means visibility. Not being in it means fighting for scraps below the fold.
The process:
- Claim your listing at google.com/places
- Verify by postcard (allow a couple of weeks) or phone
- Add photos, opening hours, service areas
- Respond to reviews - this is brand new and hardly anyone’s doing it yet
Derek’s not going to respond to reviews. But for businesses that care about their online presence, this is a significant new channel for reputation management.
Why this changes everything
Google isn’t trying to send users to local websites. They’re trying to answer queries without users needing to go anywhere else.
Think about what people actually want when they search for a local business. Usually it’s the address, phone number, or opening hours. Google Places now provides all three without a click. The research phase that used to involve visiting multiple sites is collapsing into a single search result.
The 7-pack doesn’t link to directory sites. It links to Google’s own Place Pages. Every query they answer directly is a query where traditional local directories get bypassed.
Where this heads
Google Places is five months old and already dominant in local search. They’re adding features monthly.
Within a few years, finding a local business will mean searching Google, seeing the Places result, and either calling directly or getting directions. The entire discovery process - the bit where Yell and Thomson Local used to make money - will happen inside Google’s ecosystem.
Local businesses that optimise for this will thrive. Those that don’t will wonder where their phone calls went.
As for Derek - he’s now got accurate opening hours online for the first time ever. Whether he knows it or not.