I often make the statement that “the fastest way to page 1 is through Google Places”.  Google recently made some changes so that businesses that have physical locations can be better found in geographic searches.  An example of a geographic search is “contractors in barrie”.  Google will give significant page 1 real estate to those businesses that have a Google Places listing in combination with a well optimized website.  Here is an example of a search for our client Check the Trades Inc., the search term is “contractors in barrie“:

The key to success is first be sure you have verified your businesses Places listing.  Once you have done that you can then optimize it for the keywords you want to be found for and get the completion rating to 100%.  Don’t forget about getting some reviews on your listing, they can be very influential.  You also need to be sure that the website that is connected to your Places account is also well optimized.  It is the two working together that get the best results.