Google Places helps both businesses and consumers find one another through recommendations and more. Users can log on to Google Places and find the places they have been to share ratings and reviews. They can also see reviews left by others, including their friends. Through Google Places, users can share their love for their favorite places. Business owners can claim their Google Places listing and build a profile for their company. Through Google, businesses can reach out to more customers and begin to grow. Google Places is also available or Android devices and iPhones.

Visit www.google.com/places

Google Places is a part of the Google family of applications and was launched in April 2010.

Google Places offers many features that other applications provide. However being linked to Google, the application is capable of covering a large geographic region. Google is one of the most popular and well-known entities on the web, so many users access the applications that fall under the Google name. Google Places is no different, giving the application more options to expand its data base with customer reviews and ratings. This gives all future users a better selection of content to learn about businesses featured on Google Places.

The Google Places webpage uses the same elements as other Google products. The user is greeted by the familiar white background and colorful Google logo in vibrant red, orange and blue. The homepage welcomes both consumers and business owners with corresponding “Get Started” buttons to help them find the pages they need. The bottom of the website provides users with links to Google Boost for businesses and the Android and iPhone friendly versions of the application.

A new user is not required to log in to search for businesses and read reviews. After clicking the blue “Get Started” button along the left hand side, the user can enter their location or the name of a business in the field provided at the top of the following page. To access all Google Places features, the user will have to log in with their Google account. The account works with all Google applications, including Places.

Google Places is a helpful resource primarily because of user participation. Users can share their experiences and opinions to help others make good decisions about where they take their business. There is no charge for this service, which is definitely a good thing to encourage more users to participate.

Google Places is a helpful tool for consumers as well as business owners. Companies can claim their profiles and share more information about themselves with potential customers. Consumers, on the other hand, can learn about businesses and read or provide ratings.

• Log in with your Google account
• Search for businesses by name, location or both
• View ratings and reviews posted by other users
• Post ratings and reviews
• Learn more about favorite places

Visit www.google.com/places

Google Places video