If I have a Google+ Business page, do I need a Google Places page as well?

[jonnyholt]

It seems like the two are redundant?  Any official word on this?  I'm fairly OCD about things being tidy and I dont want to split my reviews / shares / etc between two profiles.  Are they not the same thing?

I searched for my company, both my plus business page and my places page came up.  I attached a SS of the situation.

placesvplus.png

[OlegKorneitchouk]

When you create a listing from G+ local biz page, it asks you for a phone number and tries to look it up in their current places pages. If it does exist, they try to merge them. Looks like you have both showing up, personally, I'd keep them both as is.

G local is very buggy in terms of updating and merging listings and at this point, not sure how you would proceed if you wanted to merge them. Perhaps someone else can jump in.

[jonnyholt]

just thinking that it might be better to have all reviews on the google plus business page as it is better branded and if people come looking and im splitting traffic, +1s, shares, and reviews its likely going to be worse in the end to have two.  On top of that, we don't really have customers come to us.

I'm looking into this because I'm wanting to find best practices for showing on the front page map.  I've always been in markets where the map didn't show so organic listings were my game.  Now I'm SEOing for a wedding photographer and the map shows (which is stupid because most of them don't have actual storefronts.) and now the map is part of the game.  Any thoughts on both issues would be greatly appreciated.

[RepLoc_Tim]

Unfortunately Google is still in limbo here.  They are moving forward, very slllloooowwwwllllyy.  Last May '12, they started the move from Google Places to Google+Local.  Previously Places was too static and didn't allow enough engagement, etc as they were dropping the Google+ overlay onto all of their properties.  Well it has been over a year and they are still in limbo.  You fall into the category of non-merged.  You shouldn't do anything right now until they finish the transition.  It will only cause problems as Oleg suggested.

We have seen a lot of our clients already merged, while many aren't.  Until it happens, you need to make sure that you have everything completed on both and that it matches up.  Don't neglect the Places page

The best guideline to telling which of the 3 scenarios you fall into, is outlined perfectly (with visuals) in the Search Engine News Local Search book (called Unfair Advantage) that was just updated this month.  You fall into the category that they suggest to not do anything with right now.

[jonnyholt]

I need to bump this and offer more information.  Both accounts are fairly new, and I just want to know what the negative effects of deleting the google places profile would be?  There's no reviews on it, I'd rather it not show up because it has a map for the cover photo instead of our branding, and its a mailing address anyway, not an actual studio because the photographer works from home and doesn't want to list the home address publicly. Thanks in advance.

[RepLoc_Tim]

In all markets where we work with wedding photographers, the local/ maps listings matter.  Until your Google+ business page and your Google+ local/ Places page merge, you should optimize each.  They will merge eventually, likely within the next few months based on what I am seeing.

There is no reason to get rid of the Places listing, and it would have negative consequences in that you would be attempting to remove the main piece of real estate that can get you listed in the maps listings that are showing up on the first page.  Google+ Local (Places) allows you to not show your address, but instead use a service area.  It is a simple selection option in the dashboard.  This is how all service based businesses that do not have customers coming to their place fo business are supposed to be doing it.  So, just claim/ verify it and optimize it properly, then wait until it merges.  This will help your efforts.

If you choose to claim/ verify and then try to delete the listing, there is a very high likelihood that Google will just re-add the unclaimed listing based on the data it has, which might still be the home address of your client (and you just wouldn't have control over it).  Not advisable.

[MiriamEllis]

Jonathan - please let me know if you still don't feel that your question has been answered.

[jonnyholt]

the question has been answered perfectly!  Thanks