Google Upgrades Its Google Places Dashboard

Google has begun a staged upgrade of its Google Places Dashboard.

Google Places Dashboard is a backend tool that allows local businesses to manage their business information that appears in Google’s search results.

A new dashboard will offers some new functionality

The new design will have its navigation options in the left-hand column.

Google says the new look dashboard will give local business owners a way to access the social features of Google+ — “sharing photos, videos or posts.” Local business owners without a Google+ account won’t have that navigation tab in their dashboard.

The existing dashboard offeres no such integration with Google+ Local pages.

The new dashboard will also allow service area-based businesses — those that travel to customers instead of having their own location (like plumbers, for example) — to have Google+ Local pages for the first time.