The process is not hard or time-intensive. Simply enter your information at places.google.com to register with the service. If you already have videos on YouTube and , be prepared to enter those to enhance your listing. If you have a highly competitive business category, take advantage of these extra features to get a leg up on your competitors.

If Your Business Is Reported Closed

The problem that users have been reporting for a couple of months is that when a business is reported as closed, a tag comes up right away that reads, "Reported as closed."

A business that I know closed permanently at its current location this past Sunday, so I reported it today as being closed. It still received the "reported to be closed" tag within half an hour of my report, although it did not happen instantly.

But if your open business was one of those that was reported as closed on Google Places, simply click, "Reported to be closed. Not true?" next to the name and report it as being open.