2. Google introduced of its very own social networking platform: Businesses find that a Google+ business page can pack a lot of punch when it comes to marketing, branding, and building a credible Internet presence. Google recently made Google Plus business pages virtually mandatory for businesses concerned with maintaining the web status quo, with the announcement that Google Plus is completely absorbing Google Places, in the form of Google+ Local.

3. enable real-time interaction between businesses and their customers send out direct messages to them post regular updates both businesses and customers are able to filter, search, and organize their contacts in Google+ circles

4. Now, instead of displaying a business’ page in a list of search engine results, Google provides web surfers with more interactive Google+ Local pages using several different avenues. In addition to Google.com search engine results pages, Google Local listings also appear when users search Google Maps and Google Plus, and when they use Google mobile apps.

5. Google Places relied on a 5-star scale to convey average user review ratings. The new Google+ format makes use of something called the Zagat score. The Zagat score is more comprehensive – including marks for a number of categories related to each specific type of business. The 0 to 30 range is able to rank a broad range of business factors.