Google Maps is the go-to navigation app for millions of consumers. In fact, it was downloaded over 25.5 million times in the US alone in 2021. Whether you’re looking for a new lunch spot or a mechanic to help with your flat tire, searchers turn to Google Maps for fast, accurate results. With that in mind, it’s important for local businesses to optimize their Google Maps website ranking to ensure their customers can find them easily online.
In addition to making sure your business information is up to date, it’s essential to regularly add content to your Google My Business profile. This includes updates, posts, and photos. These updates and posts will boost your Google Maps ranking by demonstrating that you are actively managing your profile, and they may also influence your search results.
The key to maximizing your Google Maps website ranking is providing quality, accurate content that helps potential customers decide if your product or service is the right fit for them. You can also increase your rank by focusing on building reviews and accumulating local citations, both of which are major factors in the Google Maps algorithm.
Building trust with your customers is an essential aspect of any marketing strategy. And one of the best ways to do that is by encouraging your satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on your Google Business Profile. Having an abundance of high-quality reviews will tell search engines that your business is reputable and trustworthy, and it can also help drive more traffic to your website.
Aside from making sure that all of the relevant details in your Google Business Profile are filled out, it’s critical to ensure that your listing is free from duplicate or spam profiles. This is important because having multiple listings can negatively impact your search engine rankings. Thankfully, duplicate profiles can be corrected by submitting a redressal request to Google through the Business Center.
Another aspect of optimizing your Google Maps website ranking is ensuring that your business’s website has a mobile-friendly design. Nearly 60% of all Google searches are conducted on mobile devices, so having a mobile-friendly website is crucial for improving your Maps ranking. This means ensuring that your website loads quickly and is easy to navigate on any device.
It’s also important to monitor your Google Maps ranking over time to see how your optimization efforts are paying off. You can do this manually by performing manual searches for keywords that you’re targeting in both Maps and the regular search engine results pages (SERPs). Or, you can use an SEO tool with local rank tracking, like Semrush’s Listing Management or Heatmap, to get a more comprehensive picture of your ranking. Using this data will let you know what’s working and what needs further improvement.