Google business listing is obviously nothing new; introduced in 2008, it was primarily a tool to populate Google Maps with relevant local searches. Let’s say you registered your nail salon business or picture framing store in the localization or address of Damansara Jaya. Naturally you’ll pop up in Google search result for “Nail salon in Damansara Jaya” or “picture framing Damansara Jaya” respectively right? Or when someone’s in the area and they’re using Google maps on their smartphone with location tracking, your site should technically be there.

Thing is, if you’re not registered with Google Local, your competitors might be, and/or the nail salon from the other suburbs in Damansara Utama would most likely reap all the benefits. Case and point: the closer you are to the actual business, the more it matters in search result.

It’s never too late to sign-up, but I can’t stress enough the importance of this first step towards getting a listing via Google business; as they say, "showing up is 80% of success". So, first things first, make sure you’re there when customers are looking for you online.

In 2012, Google launched their own social media platform, Google+. For most social media users this may not mean much as they already have Facebook or Twitter accounts and would probably think that this is just another “me too” moment from Google. As a business owner however, the presence of Google+ can be a godsend. Overnight, just by simply registering with plus.google.com, you can now have an online presence in a form of website hosted by Google; and just like any other parent, they do somewhat pamper their own kids, meaning they would favor listing Google products over third party listings such as Foursquare, Yellow Pages, Service Central (AU), Yelp (in the States) or Trip Advisor.

Some SEO experts might disagree with me with regards to Google’s algorithm showing better results off Google+ itself compared to organic answers from local business listing pages mentioned above. In Malaysia however, having a Google+ page will definitely give you a competitive edge over other businesses and complement your offline presence.

So make sure you're there when people search for you online - get your Google plus page registered and make sure all your business information is populated accordingly.

How do I set up a Google+ business page you ask? Here's a full detailed guide from Wordtracker.