New Places for Business Bulk Upload Tool

Yesterday at I/O, Google announced many new features for Local and Maps.  Some of the features aren’t available yet, but we’re already seeing the new Google+ and Places for Business dashboards. If you’re setting up a new Places for Business account, you may be wonder where to find the new Places for Business bulk upload tool. We wondered the same thing, and couldn’t find the answer in Google’s help articles. So, we turned to Twitter for our answer.

New Places for Business Bulk Upload Tool Coming

According to @GooglePlaces, the new bulk upload tool isn’t supported, yet. For now, use this link to access the old bulk upload tool. This takes you to a landing page with a message box that reads “Are You Sure You Want to Use The Bulk Upload Tool?” Read the prompt carefully. If your business meets the requirements, click submit. Next, you’ll see the old bulk upload interface. It might look familiar and is fairly easy to use. If you receive an error message after submitting your .csv file, crosscheck your file with Google’s bulk upload template.

How to Speed up The Verification Process

Getting local listings verified can be stressful and time consuming. To save time try these 3 tricks:

1. Use a domain level email account to manage your listings. This helps Google verify you’re the authorized manager for your business.
2. Inappropriate information in Address line 1. This field is only for street number and name. If you need to add a floor or suite number, make sure you use Address line 2.
3. Avoid custom categories whenever possible. If you aren’t sure if your category is supported check this comprehensive list of Google’s supported categories.

Sign Up for The New Google Maps

Finally, after you’re finished uploading your listings, don’t forget to sign up for an invite to the new Google Maps. Google is releasing a lot of new features for Google+ Local, so it’s important to keep your knowledge current. The key to a competitive local search strategy is adaptability.