Last week, Google announced a total overhaul of their local search platform. Basically, Google Places is gone, and has been replaced with Google+ Local. Google has automatically converted millions of existing Places pages into new Google+ Local pages, and from this point forward, local search through Google is based around Google+.

It’s a huge change – from a user’s perspective, the Google local search experience is very different. The familiar Places look is gone, replaced with a more vibrant Google+ frontend. But while the look & feel has been dramatically updated, most of the basic Google Places functionality has been retained.

Google+ Local still operates under the same overall paradigm as Google Places. There’s still a unique profile for each local business, and basic local information such as address, description, categories, hours, and pricing has been retained.

That said, Google+ Local does introduce some major changes. The new review system jumps out as a major update. The previous 5-star system is gone, replaced with Zagat ratings that range from 0 to 30. Zagat’s review content has also all been made free and integrated directly within Google+ Local. (This explains Google’s acquisition of Zagat last September)

Google+ itself has of course also been changed to include Local. The main G+ interface now has a Local tab added to the primary side menu, and users can search G+ Local to surface the new Local pages. Google’s search results themselves have also been changed to point to Google + Local, rather than Places, and the expanded review system now appears directly within the SERPs.

What Does Google+ Local Mean for Brands and Businesses?

The sudden change from Places to +Local has raised many questions and concerns for local businesses owners, brands, and agencies managing Google Places accounts. Google places help guru Vanessa Schneider has put together a video of common questions that business owners have been asking about the switch from Google Places to Google+ Local.

Some of the most common questions about Google+ Local that we’ve heard both around the web, as well as directly from clients, include -

Q: How do business owners manage Google+ Local Profiles?

A: As of now, Google+ Local profiles are managed in the exact same way as Google Places. Business owners are still managing their local data from the Google Places dashboard – but now the information that business owners enter gets pushed to Google+ Local, rather than Google Places.

Q: How do I verify my Google+ Local profiles?

A: Google+ Local profiles are verified the same way as Google Places profiles. Businesses that have already been claimed don’t need to be claimed again. Although Google+ Local profiles don’t indicate if a business has been claimed, Google will add this feature soon.

Q : Does Google+ Local impact search engine rankings?

A: No, at least not in an obvious way. Most expert analyses have pointed to Google+ Local being largely an interface update, not an algorithmic update. That being said, in the future we can certainly imagine that social signals from Google+ will start to play a larger role in local rankings.

Q: What if my business already has a Google+ page?

A: Google is working to automatically merge the new Google+ local pages with Google+ pages that already exist for local businesses. There’s nothing businesses can do about this – Google will handle the page combination internally.

Q: How does Google+ Local impact brands and businesses with multiple locations?

A: Google’s bulk upload and bulk management tools have not changed for Google+ Local. Companies with multiple locations can manage Google+ Local pages in the same way as they managed Google Places. Additionally, while Google does not yet have a way to connect a corporate brand page to individual local page, this system is under development.

Ultimately, the move from Google Places to Google+ Local is a very important change in local search. But for the moment, it is mainly an interface update. Businesses should continue to manage their locations as usual. And despite the confusion, some of the new features in Google+ Local, such as a more robust review system and expanded social features, should actually be exciting upgrades for local business owners.