Google Maps and Places

As Google continues to integrate the local map results into the main SERPs, the more valuable a strong local profile becomes.  Google Maps and the Local Business Center are also much easier to work with than standard search results as they are much more transparent in their rankings.  With the recent implementation of “place pages,” the local search arena just got better.  Instead of just businesses Google seems to be indexing “places,” and just like local businesses, these places are being ranked.  These “places” also look just like the local business listings, the query “millennium park Chicago, il” brings us that familiar onebox business, now place, listing.