Recently I’ve been helping companies build up their Google + (previously Google Places) pages because of the signals from Google about local being important. You can get to the top of the Google search by being in the hyperlocal area of the search query. So “Reston, VA dry cleaners” can often show on the first page 3-6 links from ‘dry cleaners’ in Reston city with good Google + pages. It helps if you complete your profile. Also adding (not stuffing) keywords into the title and the description helps.
A friend of mine at Circle View Photos introduced me to another way to beef up your Google + page which is especially beneficial for retail establishments. It’s an HD virtual tour of the space where you can walk around and it looks totally 3D and has 360-degree views. Really amazing technology that Google delivers. Hosted on your Google + page.
Here is an example (which Circle View Photos created):
You can embed the code into your pages too which is really cool: