When it comes to local SEO, having a top-notch Google Maps ranking can help your business gain significant exposure and increase your conversions. Whether you’re a restaurant in Broadway or an artisan ice cream shop in the Village, having a high-ranking map pack listing can make a huge difference to your bottom line.
Google Maps is one of the most popular ways for consumers to find businesses in their area, and getting listed in the top three positions on Google Maps is key to maximizing your local business’s potential. In fact, it’s estimated that over 85% of consumers who search for local businesses in Google Maps visit those businesses within 24 hours.
While it’s important to be visible in all of the right places, the first step to optimizing your Google Maps ranking is to ensure that you have a complete and up-to-date Google Business Profile. This includes updating your NAP data (name, address, and phone number) to match up with the information published on your website and all other digital platforms where you promote your business.
Adding local keywords to your site can also boost your Google Maps rank by giving the search engine a clear indication of your relevance to a given location. Additionally, implementing Local Schema on your website helps Google to cross-reference and validate the data you’ve entered in your GMB profile.
Citations and reviews are another key part of building a strong local SEO strategy. By actively seeking and responding to customer reviews on your business’s Google Maps listing, you can send positive signals to the Google algorithm.
When Google is searching for a specific local business, it uses a set of criteria to determine which listings to display on the local SERP. These include a business’s location, the number of reviews it receives and its prominence among other relevant local listings.
The more authoritative and trustworthy a business appears, the higher it will rank on the Google Maps SERP. This is why it’s crucial to actively seek and respond to local reviews on your website, as well as on your GMB listing, so that you can improve your Google Maps ranking.
In-store promotions
If you’re a local store, consider placing an in-store promotion icon on your GMB listing. These can be anything from buy-one-get-one free offers to discounts on certain products.
These in-store promotions can be a great way to get visibility and drive traffic to your business, but it’s vital that you do it correctly. This means ensuring that the pin on your Google Maps profile reflects the correct business type and that the offer is still valid after a certain time frame.
Embedding the Google Map on Your Website
If your company has a website, it’s essential to include a Google Map embed in the header or footer of the page. This will show Google that your pinned location is up-to-date and active.
Using the Google Maps API to create a custom map for your site is also a good way to boost your Google Maps ranking. You can find this API in Google’s Developer Console by navigating to the “Local Business” section.