If you’re a local business looking for more customers, improving your Google Maps Ranking is essential for achieving a higher SERP ranking. The local pack takes up a large portion of the SERP and receives more clicks. To achieve the top spot in this pack, you need to rank high in the three factors that determine prominence: relevance, distance from the user, and prominence. Read on to find out how to improve your Google Maps Ranking.
One of the most important aspects of a Google Maps ranking is the inclusion of photos. Images make your listing more attractive to consumers, and Google prioritizes listings with images over those without. According to a Brightlocal study, businesses with at least 100 photos received more calls, directions requests, and website clicks than those without. Including photos in your Google Maps listing is easy – just visit the Photos tab in the listing. In addition to photos, make sure to add as many relevant pictures as possible.
One of the most effective ways to increase your Google Maps Ranking is to encourage customers to leave reviews. The more reviews you get, the more credibility you’ll have. Place a link to Google Maps on business cards, invoices, and emails. You can even encourage people to leave reviews by placing an email signature with the link. Adding a review link to your website is an easy and acceptable way to encourage customers to give you positive feedback.
To make your Google Maps Listing more appealing, make sure your business has a verified listing. Google doesn’t like toll-free numbers because they tend to be spammy. Use local phone numbers with an area code, which helps Google understand your business more effectively. In addition, having a local business listing will allow you to appear higher in local search results. This will allow you to reach a wider audience and increase your revenue.
Lastly, it’s vital to keep an eye on Google’s algorithm. Changes occur frequently, so staying active and supervising reviews is crucial. By following these steps, you can increase your Google Maps Ranking in no time. Make sure you follow up with regular analysis and optimization, because doing it too quickly can raise red flags with Google. Keep in mind, however, that you should never rush into SEO. The last thing you want is to be penalized for poor SEO!
While you may think you don’t need a website to get high rankings on Google, you can still be competing with local businesses by increasing your Google Maps ranking. It’s worth noting that almost 70% of users use their mobile phones to find local businesses, and Google looks at the mobile version of the website when saving information about a particular location. And if you’re a local business, you should be aiming for the top three Google Maps pack listings. You’ll get plenty of traffic and increase your conversions.
A simple way to improve your Google Maps Ranking is to use structured data. Structured data tells Google more about your business and makes it easier for the company to index it in Maps. Incorporate an address, opening hours, and social media profiles. By doing so, Google crawlers will have an easier time understanding your business and trust it more, so your listing will be more prominent in Google Maps. Make sure to validate your schema with Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool. Finally, don’t forget to take advantage of Google Maps Ads, which are an excellent way to acquire traffic to your local business.