Google have this week made some major changes to the way they show results for ‘local searches’. I’ve started to see the new format results today and I believe they will have a big impact on local businesses.

Firstly, and most obviously, Google have completely removed the seven pin map box that we’ve grown to know and love. However, the new layout offers smart local businesses much greater prominence in the search results than before – providing that you have a strong Google Places listing (more below) and good basic SEO techniques in operation on your site.

In a nutshell here are the changes.

1. As I’ve already said, the map which was in the center of the screen is now in the right hand column.

2. Instead of a map box containing just 7 local listings we now see the local listings merged within the main search results. I’m sure Google have done it this way to make it easier for visitors to digest and compare the different listings – and I think it works well. But it doesn’t stop there…

3. …within these new ‘merged’ listings the average star rating from reviews and the number of reviews is also shown. These reviews come from lots of third party sites – not just Google – and visitors can click on these ratings to be taken to the local listings landing page for that business.

4. Underneath the listing it’s really easy and quick to access the business contact details (this bit is pretty similar to how it was before)

5. Image are being shown for those business which have added photos to their listings. These are quite eye catching within the results and will undoubtedly improve the ‘click-throughs’ for businesses that have taken the time to add photo’s. So make sure you have!

The local listings still only appear on the first page of results. It looks like Page 2 onwards only displays the normal organic results.

One other new feature is that on the left hand side of the page there’s a new option to search only ‘Places’ listings. This immediately turns all your search results into ‘local’ results which is quite neat and could catch on as people become more aware of it.

What all this means, in a nutshell, is that having your business properly listed with Google Places in now more important than ever. Local listings that are driven by ‘Places’ and the local ranking algorythm appear to be much more prominent and they are pushing organic rankings further down the page.

This is good news for local businesses. With a fully completed Places listing (it’s really important that your listing shows as 100% complete when you do it) it’s even more likely that visitors will click on you from that first page – providing you’re there!

To get the official line on what’s happening here as well as lots of useful guidance and instructions, visit the Google Places ‘Help for Business Owners’ page

As one of the UK’s top franchisors (we have over 400 franchises with our thebestof brand alone) I was particularly interested in this article posted on Entrepreneur.com in the US this week.

The headline was a bit scary but the tale is a salutary one.

I’ve seen so many franchises come and go here in the UK over the last few years – and when they ‘go’ there’s always a trail of devastation left behind which impacts the lives of ordinary people, especially the franchisees. It’s also a good reminder that franchising is not a panacea. Too many people see it as a quick way to make a fast buck – but it’s a long haul with lots of resources (time, people and money) needed to help your franchise network flourish and thrive. And, of course, you’ve got to recruit the right franchisees which isn’t easy either. We certainly made lots of mistakes in the early days – thankfully we weren’t guaranteeing any leases!!

• @rosemcgrory Half of the 21 are girls. Aaaaaaaaaaaagh!! in reply to rosemcgrory #
• My son Cameron is v excited … he's having 21 of his pals over at mine for a Halloween party and sleepover tonight! Should I be scared? #
• You’re either growing or shrinking. There is no status quo. #
• Residual income is a beautiful thing. It improves every aspect of your life and business. #
• @BenMargulies Well done Ben . Proud of you! I'd go cookies or lottery ticket… in reply to BenMargulies #
• @alysonpellowe Pleasure Alyson – glad it helped… in reply to alysonpellowe #
• @DanJHarrison glad it was useful – thanks Dan in reply to DanJHarrison #
• 90% of local businesses are doing nowhere near enough to exploit the potential of the Web. #
• @LittleLampShop What have you done with your database? Events? Offers? Lots of wYs to get footfall. Much featured in Entrepreneurs Circle… in reply to LittleLampShop #
• @BuytheHour Glad you enjoyed it Pat. Sorry about the ears though! in reply to BuytheHour #
• As a business owner, you are 100% responsible for what happens to your business. It’s all your fault. #
• @BenMargulies Good luck Ben. You know it's the right thing… in reply to BenMargulies #
• @imstevewilson Probably true – but still a point worth making. Alert antennae = business success! in reply to imstevewilson #
• All good to go for the Webinar in 2 mins… water in a spill-proof cup this time #
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• The surprising truth about what motivates us http://ow.ly/2ZNB1 #
• @imstevewilson Thanks Steve. Will check later when i'm back in office. Have fixed the 'follow' issue in reply to imstevewilson #
• @golfinglifest if that's what happened then of course we will. Speak with Phil Wintermantle in office. He will sort in reply to golfinglifest #
• Went to Spymaster (quite possibly London's coolest shop) yesterday – v v cool. #
• The score at Elland Road is v depressing. Show just about to start again here… Fingers crossed we get to end #
• Technical hitch at Billy Elliot means show has stopped mid wAy thru… #
• Off to see 'Billy Elliott'. Great finale to a fab day as a London tourist… #
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• @geoffwaters If only you knew Geoff!! in reply to geoffwaters #
• Just been to Londons most intriguing shop – Spymaster! V v cool… #
• @imstevewilson Tis true – but I do love it! in reply to imstevewilson #
• @aaron_clancy The Eye was magnificent today. Thx for recommendation in reply to aaron_clancy #
• @wheniwasakid @littlesardines Just watching all the great toy demos in Hamleys. I'm thinking lots of short vids on your sites… #
• Just had fantastic service from First Direct – yet again! They clearly are Britains best bank. #
• Enjoying being a tourist in London today! #
• @mrsteviekay Had the full tasting menu – Inc black cod. Delish! 4th time here & it's better than ever… in reply to mrsteviekay #
• Enjoying a v nice family dinner in Zuma… #
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Six years ago I heard a speech by Doanld Trump. One sentence of that speech changed my life. I’ve explained how and why and told the whole story in this short 3 minute video. Hope you like it…

• @SaltdeanSarah Glad it's sorted. Sorry again for delay. Have good weekend in reply to SaltdeanSarah #
• @framframe Graham, have asked John Price to call you. He's driving home right now but will call u when he arrives in reply to framframe #
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• @tracyawere – Sounds to me like you were working pretty hard that day too Tracy! in reply to tracyawere #
• @littlesardines – Who knows? Maybe one day! in reply to LittleSardines #
• @paulawhite_uk Isn't it great how their minds work at that age? in reply to paulawhite_uk #
• @saltdeansarah – great. I'm glad it's all sorted Sarah. in reply to SaltdeanSarah #
• RT @iguanasolutions: Just seen a webinar by @nigelbotterill http://ow.ly/1reJfL on websites. WOW throwing out mine and starting again! #
• @Awakenlifecoach Thanks Beverley really appreciate the feedback. glad it was helpful. in reply to Awakenlifecoach #
• @ChrisJHudson Tee Hee (very true!!) in reply to ChrisJHudson #
• @SaltdeanSarah Not sure why there's problem Sarah – v unusual. Will ensure team call you this afternoon. Sorry for the delay in reply to SaltdeanSarah #
• My son Fabian has joined the staff today. He's caused quite a stir in the office…probably because he's only 4 #
• @matt_cork I was q. opinionated – you'll be surprised to hear! in reply to matt_cork #
• @MicheDowney Glad you're having a fab time… in reply to MicheDowney #
• @PaulKirby giving an entrepreneurs perspective on today's govt announcement…not Leeds United!! in reply to PaulKirby #
• RT @chris_greenf @joannedavies79 has just sexified the bestof CRM by showing the inbuilt analytics reporting….well liked #
• RT @aaron_clancy: 43% of marketers want to use some form of Social Media for Christmas! Great news for MySMB owners http://ow.ly/2WzsK #
• @chris_greenf Pleased to hear it. Hope it's been good day for you in reply to chris_greenf #
• @CazMessenger Thanks Caz – glad you liked it in reply to CazMessenger #
• Catch me on Talk Sport tonight at 11pm. Should be interesting. But first a talk to business owners in Oxford… no rest for the wicked… #
• EArly start. More filming today… #
• @stevebentley39A What a splendid tweet it was too! Welcome aboard in reply to stevebentley39A #
• @HelenJPenny I'm v pleased for you. in reply to HelenJPenny #
• @chris_greenf I blame you entirely for the pair of home defeats … Hope tomorrow good – I am in London unfortunately in reply to chris_greenf #
• RT @maudalleyne: Wow – that's cool l thebestofgloucester is looking pretty swanky! http://yfrog.com/b7u8gvj #
• @BenMargulies Was v v good. Best so far methinks. We missed you… in reply to BenMargulies #
• @ChrisJHudson Tee hee in reply to ChrisJHudson #
• @VeronicaPullen Hope your mum is ok in reply to VeronicaPullen #
• @farmersboyinn Devastated to find out that you're a Manc… in reply to farmersboyinn #
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• If you were a rescued Chilean miner what would you be doing today? #
• At Edmunds in Birmingham celebrating a special friends birthday. Fabulous restaurant & great company. Enjoying it v much… #
• RT @Col_Davies: Great day yesterday at @nigelbotterill's entrepreneurs circle event. It's great to go to amazingly positive events ! #
• Great result for Leeds. V pleased. Now for a nice night out… #
• Fantastic strike by Bechio. All is forgiven. 2-1 #
• Leeds have completely switched off in second half. V frustrating… #
• @andyreader16 Yes – I've added a comment!! Always good to ruffle a few feathers. Interesting that he's so perturbed by something so positive in reply to andyreader16 #
• @Col_Davies Glad it was helpful. I really enjoyed it as well in reply to Col_Davies #
• @NWSocMedia Excellent. Well done. Nice picture! in reply to NWSocMedia #
• @realgoodwriting Call Kathy to set up a 1:1 if it would help… in reply to realgoodwriting #
• @jimangles Thanks Jim – glad it was helpful. in reply to jimangles #
• @ChrisJHudson Oh yes – enjoying it v much so far. We're playing well. Come on Leeds… in reply to ChrisJHudson #
• RT @DuncanAccting: As always @nigelbotterill 's days leave me both exhausted and excited in equal measure! You missed a good one. [Good!!!] #
• RT @PaulaMacArthur: Superb day with @Nigelbotterill, @MarkCreaser & 130 top entrepreneurs. Perfect end to a great week #
• RT @_ElleHolmes: Amazing day with @nigelbotterill and @markcreaser and some awesome entrepreneurs! Just got home… #
• RT @TwtsFromHistory: Alexander Graham Bell: ..and it's a camera too, and if you hold it like this you can open letters with it. [:-) #
• RT @DianaVickers1: Brilliant day at Entrepreneurs circle with @NigelBotterill – databases dissected and CRM considered + the good celebrated #
• RT @JuliaCanham: Great day with @nigelbotterill, and EC team in Bristol. Always inspiring…resets my buttons to get cracking again Thx #
• RT @LittleSardines: Great practical advice &inspiration frm @nigelbotterill at Entrepreneurs Circle event in Bristol. Never a dull moment… #
• @MilitaryHouse Sorry you couldn't make it – we missed you! in reply to MilitaryHouse #
• RT @LAHornbogen: Brilliant day with @nigelbotterill Entrepreneurs Circle – so many good ideas flowing through the room – now to implement. #
• @realgoodwriting Hi Mike, what sort of help & support are you looking for? in reply to realgoodwriting #
• RT @wheniwasakid: @nigelbotterill – WOW, fantastic day, I will be buzzing for weeks. Huge thanks to you all – sincerely #
• @LittleSardines Sorry to hear about blow out – glad you made it in the end… in reply to LittleSardines #

As many of you will know, I make a big commitment to learning. I read several books each month, go to dozens of conferences and events each year and consume information productions on all sorts of business related topics. In addition, I also subscribe to a number of websites, some of which educate me, others of which provide key services that we use in our business.

One of these services for which I pay $30 a month (yes, it’s an American site!) had a bit of an issue earlier this week. I logged on as usual ready to use their service for some transactions (which I pay for in addition to the monthly subscription) only to find that the domain that this business uses had not been renewed!!!

Instead, there was a polite message from the hosting company informing me that the domain expired on the 4th of October and as it had not been renewed it was pending deletion.

Oh, the shame. Oh the embarrassment. Oh the stupidity.

This is a subscription based website for goodness sake. Their income comes in monthly by direct credit card charges. How could they possibly not have acted on all of the reminders to renew the domain name?

It defies belief.

Within 24 hours of course the thing was fixed and back up working again but, the damage to the reputation which has been done to that business, in my eyes certainly, is huge. They look like amateurs. Their credibility has been severely diminished.

Couldn’t happen in your business could it?

It’s not the 69 days underground that’s the most remarkable thing about the Chilean miners – although, in itself it’s one helluva story – and its certainly put Chile on the world map.

What I find most remarkable is the first 16 days. When they had no idea whether they’d ever be found. When there was no light, limited food and hardly any water. 16 days. It really is incomprehensible to us lesser mortals. Would they be rescued or would they slowly starve to death in their pitch black tomb. They had no idea. That’s proper mental torture. And they survived.

The level of mental fortitude required to cope with such an experience is unimaginable. But they did it – and we can only hope that the long term impacts are negligible compared to what they’ve already been through.

So what has this underground rescue, 6,500 miles away, got to do with you?

Well, I reckon it’s all about mental strength. The miners showed us that man can cope with whatever is thrown at us. As humans we’re incredibly resilient. And so it is with business. Providing we do what we have to do.

The miners had no choice. They were incarcerated. They did what they had to do to get through. We, however, have lots of choices. Lots of distractions.

Locking yourself away – for 69 minutes, rather than 69 days – so you can completely focus on working ON your business, away from the ‘day-to-day’ shenanigans that take so much of our time and energy, could be the smartest thing you do this week.

Make it a daily occurrence and in 10 weeks time you too could register an achievement akin to our South American amigo’s.

Of course, most won’t have the mental fortitude or discipline required to do this.

And most won’t achieve what they want with their businesses.

Coincidence?

No – you know it’s not.

So let the miners inspire you. Not in a feel good ‘isn’t-that-amazing’ kinda way, but in a practical, ‘I-can-learn-from-that’ way that makes a difference. To your business and your life…

• Come to "January Business Development Event – Knebworth" Tuesday, 11 January 2011 from 09:00 to 16:30. Full day… http://fb.me/LQ2OG0qS #
• RT @MicheDowney: "Positive thinking won't let you do anything but it will let you do everything better than negative thinking will." Denny #
• @diwestmidspol Thx Neil – appreciate that #
• At Television Centre today filming with BBC. Exciting!! #
• @Bernard_HG Thx. Glad it was helpful in reply to Bernard_HG #
• RT @CazMessenger: It was fantastic night – great atmosphere, @nigelbotterill was on fire, lovely food, great time had by all #
• RT @IanJamesProwse: Looking forward to thebestof Birmingham event tomorrow night with @ [me too!! Hope virgin trains don't let me down] #
• @vikgill hey hey – great to have you on board in reply to vikgill #
• @BenMargulies you look fabulous. Well done:-) in reply to BenMargulies #
• RT @LittleLampShop @nigelbotterill dropped a glass full of water on himself during the webinar – how original! [accident - I promise ] #
• RT @JuliaCanham: Working through my blueprints from @nigelbotterill Entrepreneur Circle to help write leaflets…they are brill & v helpful #
• @JuliaCanham Patient moi???? Sue will never believe that!!! in reply to JuliaCanham #
• @Julie_Poole: @vikgill @lizmelv There is a reason for the follow/unfollow. Will explain on next webinar. It's not personal – promise! #
• @vikgill we did pretty well I thought. Didn't actually count them tho' in reply to vikgill #
• Just arrived at the seaside!!! Beautiful sunset in Worthing where I'm doing the 18 Secrets talk in 35 mins time… #
• @LittleLampShop I'm v embarrassed about my little yawns. :-0 Sorry! in reply to LittleLampShop #
• @SusanMcNaughton Thanks Susan – we're on it. Will be posting a comment shortly in reply to SusanMcNaughton #
• HOW TO: Measure Social Media ROI http://t.co/vu36YIi via @mashsocialmedia @mashable #
• I posted 3 photos on Facebook in the album "Profitability Mini Summit – 100 Club – 11th October" http://fb.me/wHHnXdVK #
• Got 145 questions to answer on My Social Media webinar tonight. Gonna be fun… #
• What Companies Want in a Social Media Manager http://fb.me/BApCqUHj #
• In Lutterworth about to go on stage in front of 100+ business owners courtesy of thebestof Rugby & thebestof Lutterworth. #nervous #
• @rainbow_richard Hope it does! Grt to meet you today in reply to rainbow_richard #
• @LittleLampShop Great news – well done in reply to LittleLampShop #
• RT @markcreaser: RT @iggypintado: 10 Things Your Parents Told You That Apply to Social Media via @DannyBrown http://networkedblogs.com/8SgPr #
• @PaulaMacArthur Apparently not enough tickets sold in reply to PaulaMacArthur #

I loved watching the Ryder Cup recently. Work pretty much stopped in my office for a couple of hours on the Monday afternoon whilst Graham McDowell brought the European Team home. It’s funny, because it happened in the midst of our biggest product launch of the year for My Social Media Business. We launched My Social Media Business on the 22nd of September and we had to close it early on the 6th of October because we had sold out of our allotted numbers. By any measure, it was a very successful launch.

What has the Ryder Cup and My Social Media Business got in common?

The answer is really simple, they both depended, to a very large extent, on momentum. I know it’s a little while ago now but it was the Sunday of the Ryder Cup that really defined the 2010 event when Europe took 5.5 out of the 6 points available. That all began with Lee Westwood and Luke Donald absolutely spanking Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker 6 and 5. It was a humiliation for the world’s greatest Golfer and, that result, rippled through the European Team and helped generate real momentum right across the course. It manifested itself most obviously with the Molinari brothers who, almost miraculously, rescued half a point from their game which looked to have slipped from their grasp. Momentum brought them back.

And so it was with our product launch. We got it off to a great start and thereafter the momentum carried things through. Of course, we worked hard to build the momentum. We shared the success stories that came out, we published lots of emails to keep it top of people’s minds but every day that went by we sold more and more packages. The momentum grew.

I have been fortunate enough to build six very significant businesses over the last six years, each one of them started from scratch. Momentum has played a big part in every one of those successes. It is a formidable force in business.

So how can you get momentum in your business? It isn’t that hard. You’ve just got to start doing things and, once you get it rolling, you move heaven and earth to keep it moving and then momentum kicks in….

Good luck.

I was interviewed last week for MoneyWeek – you can read all about that here http://www.moneyweek.com/news-and-charts/profile-of-entrepreneur-nigel-botterill-50736.aspx