Almost every local business depends on its online presence to grow, attract clients and make sales. Having top Google Maps ranking means that people will find your business first and it will generate far more traffic than those that appear lower in the search results. Learning SEO Google Maps Ranking is therefore essential for your business success.
While many think that optimizing for maps is easier than doing so for organic search, it’s not always as straightforward. There are a lot of different factors that affect your Google Maps ranking, and some are more important than others. Having an agency that knows all the minutiae of how to optimize for Maps can be a big help when it comes to ranking higher and dominating your local market.
As with SEO for websites, Google looks at on-page and off-page factors to determine how you rank in Maps. On-page factors are the things you control directly, such as headings, titles, and other metadata. Off-page factors are the signals you get from outside of your site, such as citations and social media posts.
Some of the most important on-page factors for Maps include proximity, prominence, and relevance. Proximity refers to the distance between a user’s location and your business. Prominence is the size of your listing and how high it ranks in the map pack, and relevance is based on the keywords that match the user’s query.
One of the best things you can do to improve your Google Maps ranking is to ensure that your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across all platforms. Google will penalize listings that have inconsistent information, so you want to be sure all your NAPs are identical.
It’s also a good idea to have a responsive website that works well on all devices. Most searches now happen on mobile devices, so having a website that doesn’t work well on these devices is going to hurt your rankings. The most important thing to do, though, is to claim your Google Business Profile and add as much information as possible. Google will look at how complete your profile is and the number of reviews you have to determine your ranking.
Another way to improve your Google Maps ranking is to have a robust social media presence. Regularly post about your business and its products and services, as this will help establish your brand as active and credible. It’s also a good idea to monitor your Google Maps ranking and make adjustments as necessary.
Lastly, make sure that your reviews are positive. While a few bad reviews aren’t necessarily a deal breaker, too many can have a negative impact on your ranking. Make sure that you regularly respond to these reviews, as this will also help your ranking.
It’s also a good idea to keep in mind that, if you’re having trouble ranking on Google Maps despite doing everything correctly, your location might be to blame. If your business is too close to your competition, this could be a factor that’s holding you back from the top spots.