Kristian writes in with a good overview of creating a Google Places page for local business owners.  Check it!

Google Places is a resource available to local businesses to help reach those searching for detailed information about them . This is available via a Google Search or via Google Maps. Ultimately, a user can pull up a Place Page, which has a collection of detailed information for that local business.

The Place Page for Leon’s Full Service is a perfect example.

A recent post on Google’s LatLong blog provides information about users editing data presented on Google Places as well as links for business owners to claim their businesses and update the information.

Google also announced last month that they intend to add a check-in feature to the Places API similar to foursquare, presumably used via Google Latitude.

It would be in any Decatur business owner’s interest to take advantage of Google Places, and I thought it might be something they should be aware of if they aren’t already.

Also note that activating Google Tags is [offering a 30-day free trial] for a limited time. [DM: According to Google, "Adding a tag to your Google Places listing allows you to highlight info that you want your customers to see."]