Regardless of what types of businesses customers are looking for, chances are their first stop is Google. But for local companies, it takes more to increase web traffic than simply having a website. They also need to optimize for local search rankings and Google Maps.
Getting your website listed in Google’s “Maps Pack” box can give your business highly valuable digital real estate that makes it more likely for local customers to find and visit your business. However, in order to achieve this position, there are certain strategies you’ll want to follow.
In this article, we’ll discuss why optimizing your site for Google Maps is important, along with 11 SEO tips you can follow to achieve this goal.
Why Is SEO for Google Maps Important?
Google Maps isn’t just helpful when you’re driving in your car and need directions. It also has powerful local search features that make it easier for users to locate helpful services in their area and learn more about undiscovered brands.
From a business’s perspective, there are a number of reasons why this is beneficial, including:
- You Get in Front of More Potential Customers - If someone in your business’s local area searches for your services, having an optimized profile makes it easier for them to locate your brand.
- It Creates More Web Traffic - Ranking well on Google Maps can increase your online visibility and often leads more searchers to click on your website links to learn more about your products or services.
- Increases Brand Trust - When you optimize your site for more than just SERP rankings and also focus on completing your business profile across Google Maps and other platforms, it adds even more credibility to the brand and builds trust with viewers.
- Provides Helpful Answers to Searchers - Having an up-to-date Google Maps and Business profile gives searchers all the essential details they need to locate or contact your business, including your business hours, phone number, or recent reviews.
Factors That Affect Local Rankings
While there is no specific criterion laid out by Google to achieve high local search rankings, there are certain factors that can contribute to them:
Relevance
Google wants to make sure that the businesses it connects with are the best fit for their users. To achieve this, Google will look for various features on your website or listings to help connect these dots accurately. This might be by referencing statements like “24-hour plumbing services” on your site and prioritizing your listing for customers searching for “emergency repairs” or “Sunday plumbing service.”
Distance
When someone searches for a local service, Google takes into consideration the physical location of users when providing them with relevant search results. Because of this, your business’s location often affects its ranking and will be higher or lower in the results depending on where the user searches from.
Prominence
Your brand’s overall prominence online, including its authority and reputation, also comes into play when trying to rank higher on Google Maps.
No different than when trying to rank higher in regular SERPs, the more backlinks your site has coming from other reputable sites and the higher your positive review count, the more likely your business links will be served higher in the results pages.
11 Tips for Ranking Higher in Google Maps
1. Add or Claim Your Business on Google Maps
The first step you’ll want to take is claiming your business profile in Google. To do this, you’ll want to find your local business listing and click the “Claim This Business” option. This will then direct you to various steps you can follow to confirm your ownership of the business, which will allow you to create a dedicated Google Business listing.
Part of this process will involve updating your “NAP” details (business Name, Address, and Phone Number). This is really important to get accurate and keep consistent across all your other online profiles, as Google will use this to reference whether or not it can trust the details provided.
2. Optimize Your Google Business Profile
Just creating a Google Business profile on its own won’t necessarily give you all the benefits you can gain. You’ll also want to take certain steps to optimize your profile as much as possible.
To do this, start by confirming that all your business details are accurate. Then, you’ll want to associate a primary category with your business that best describes the products or services you offer. This will make it easier for Google to associate your listings with specific user searches.
You’ll also want to take the opportunity to write a thorough business description that tells others about your business and add high-quality photos or videos of the location to help searchers find it more easily.
3. Post Regular Content to Your Profile
It’s important not to forget about your Google Business profile as soon as it’s created. It should really be treated the same way you would a social media account and have regular engagements from your brand to keep it relevant while sending signals to Google that you’re an “active” business.
Posting once a week on your profile is generally best practice. This gives you a good opportunity to talk about some upcoming sales events the business is running, the release of new products or services, or sharing helpful tips about the industry. The more active you are in making updates to your profile, the less likely Google might assume the business is no longer running.
4. Manage and Respond to Reviews
Customer reviews are an important ranking factor that can impact how well your business shows up on Google Maps. Not only can they attract or detract customers from visiting your business, but they can also be used as a strong signal to Google as a sign of your credibility.
Reading and responding to your Google review regularly can go a long way. It helps to show your customers that you appreciate the time they took to provide praise or feedback and encourage others to do the same. If dealing with a negative review, you want to avoid making excuses or being overly defensive. Instead, acknowledge the concern and offer to resolve the problem offline if applicable.
5. Optimize Your Website for Local Search
Your company website is also used by Google to verify the information on your business profile and Maps listing. To make this process more seamless for search engine crawlers, try to weave your city and neighborhood names naturally into your web content.
Since most local searches happen on a mobile device, having a responsive web design is also critical. Make it easy for customers and Google by displaying your name, address, and phone number on every page. Publishing blog posts about community news or local events can also help and play another important role in increasing your visibility in search results.
6. Ensure NAP Consistency Across Listings
Your business’s NAP (Name, Address, and Phone Number) could be listed in a variety of directories and websites online, even when you never added them there yourself. If there are too many instances where there are inconsistencies across all of these sites, it can be hard for Google to know which information should be listed in Maps.
It’s important to locate and correct any of these inaccuracies whenever possible, especially with the channels you have direct control over.
7. Build Local Backlinks
When another similar website links to yours as a reference, it can create positive signals to Google’s web crawlers. The more of these backlinks you have from other local businesses to your own, the more it shows votes of confidence and can actually improve your own local rankings.
There are many different ways you can actively start gaining additional links to your site. One way is by getting your business listed in reputable local online directories or by sponsoring a community event to get a link from their site. Partnering with local bloggers or other nearby businesses for cross-promotion can also be effective.
8. Add Local Business Schema Markup
Schema markup is code you add to your website that acts like labels for your business information. It helps to categorize various elements on the site, such as pages dedicated to your business location, hours of operation, or contact details.
While having or not having schema markup won’t necessarily improve or hurt your Google Map rankings, it does help Google confidently display your business details in local search. This includes getting listed on Google’s Rich Snippets, which appear on the first page of search results. Adding schema markup to your site is relatively straightforward, and you can use a variety of website plugins or online tools to generate the code easily.
9. Target Long-Tail Local Keywords
Another strategy for improving your Google Maps ranking is focusing on targeting longer-tail keywords. For example, instead of only targeting broader terms, think of the various ways your customers might look for different services in their local areas.
These detailed searches have less competition and are typically used by individuals who are much closer to making a purchase. Brainstorm the specific issues your brand solves and try to weave these descriptive phrases naturally into your website content and Google Business Profile.
10. Embed Google Maps on Your Website
Embedding a Google Map on your website makes life easier for your customers, letting them see your location and get directions without leaving your site. However, it is also an easy way for Google crawlers to confirm your physical address.
If possible, place an embedded map on your main "Contact Us" page. To get one, all you need to do is find your business on Google Maps, click the "Share" button, and copy the code from the "Embed a map" tab to paste onto your site.
11. Use Paid Ads to Boost Engagement
In addition to your organic SEO efforts, you can use paid ads to improve your search presence on local search results. Google's Local Services Ads and ads with location extensions can place your business above the fold on the Maps Pack, giving you priority positioning and visibility.
This strategy puts you directly in front of customers searching for your services. For the best results, target your ads effectively by defining your exact service area and scheduling them to run during your business hours.
Start Ranking Higher in Google Maps
Ranking your business higher in Google Maps can be an effective way to improve your visibility and increase your local search visibility. By following the steps discussed, you’ll increase these rankings over time, allowing you to bring in more qualified leads to your business and convert them effectively.