Earlier this month, the Google Local Business Center became Google Places. This change is designed to connect Place Pages with the tool Google provides for business owners managing their Google presence.

New features include:

• Service areas: show geographic areas served by your business if you travel to serve customers
• Business photo shoots: in certain cities, businesses can request a free interior photo shoot
• Customized QR codes: Download a QR code unique to your business from the Google Places dashboard. QR codes can be placed on marketing materials and scanned by some smartphones to take customers to the mobile version of the company’s Page Place
• Real-Time updates: for sale promotions, special events, coupons, etc.

Google says that one out of five Google searches are related to location, so taking advantage of this service is an important piece of local SEO.

[Background information provided by The Official Google Blog]