No matter the size of your business, a Google Maps website ranking that displays your company in the local pack is incredibly important to your bottom line. The local pack monopolizes an immense amount of SERP real estate, and being found there can significantly increase the number of clicks your business receives.
There are several key factors that determine how well a business performs in Google Maps. These include relevance, distance and prominence. Relevance refers to how closely a business matches a search query; for example, if someone searches for “gymnasiums,” Google Maps will display listings of gymnasiums that match the user’s location and other relevant details. This is why it’s essential that all information on your Google My Business profile is accurate and up to date.
The distance factor is determined by how close a business is to the searcher. For example, if someone searches for “hair salons,” Google will show the closest hair salons first. This is why it’s critical to be sure that your address is accurate and up to date, and that you’re located near the locations you service.
Prominence refers to a business’s prominence on the web and in local media. It’s also influenced by how many reviews a business receives and how quickly businesses respond to their customers’ feedback. Prominence can be enhanced by promoting your business on social media, using local keywords in your online content and advertising campaigns, and gaining backlinks from prominent websites.
A business’s website is also considered to be an extension of its GMB profile. As such, it plays a role in Google Maps website ranking by influencing the performance of the GMB profile. It’s crucial that your website is optimized, mobile-friendly, and has relevant, local content.
It’s also important to embed your Google map directly on your website. This proves to Google that your business is truly local and can be trusted with a higher ranking.
Another way to improve your Google Maps website ranking is to use schema markup. This is a type of code that translates information on your website into an easily readable format for Google’s algorithms. It can be used to display the business name, address, hours of operation, and more on your Google Maps listing. There are several types of schema markup, including the local business markup, review markup, and sitelink markup. The more information you provide on your website, the better your Google Maps website ranking will be.