Deciding how to advertise your business on the Internet is not an easy decision, especially when you’re on a budget. There are so many different advertising platforms in existence that gain you traffic in exchange for the majority of your advertising budget. With so many options available and some very expensive, it’s difficult to know whom to trust. Enlighten yourself to a new technologically savvy way of marketing and promoting your business that your competition may be unaware of. Google Places is very beneficial to many businesses and this is why:Google Places is free. This means that if you decide to advertise your business using this service, your advertising budget remains untouched. Most online advertising costs money i.e. Pay-Per-Click (PPC), which can cleverly eat into your advertising budget if you’re not careful. Additionally, there is much to be learned before you likely see any success and many people do not realize this.Google Places is obviously owned by Google; think of the benefits to you since this is the case. Google is the most popular and frequently used search engine in the world as millions of people use their search engine daily. Additionally, Google is constantly changing and testing their algorithms to ensure they are giving people the exact information they are searching for.Now, imagine consistently being on the first page of Google’s search engine and how that could benefit you and your business. Increased visibility on Google equals potentially massive exposure. The exposure will surely send highly targeted traffic to your Google Places listing.A huge advantage to using Google Places is that it is very easy to get set up, and you’re visible almost immediately. If you know how to type and operate a mouse, then you’re all ready to set up a basic listing. Everything is labeled step-by-step. There are also strategies to utilize to ensure you are gaining the maximum amount of exposure possible with this service. Just make sure you read on these strategies so you are getting the most of this free service.The great thing to know about Google Places is that your competition will most likely not be savvy enough to claim their free listing here. If you know that it’s such a simple process to list your business there, then all you need to do now is to take action and verify your listing. Don’t let this simple process go without taking advantage of it. Either have your webmaster claim your Google Places listing or do it yourself correctly.