Getting listed among the top 3 spots in Google’s Local Pack Page will not only boost your online visibility but also improve sign-ups, website visits, direct phone calls and other desirable conversions. However, securing this coveted spot is not easy and requires you to take action in the right direction.
This article shares 10 tactics/strategies that will help you optimize your business listing and secure it in the best possible position. Let’s dive into it!
1. Ensure that your NAP is accurate on your Google Business Profile (also known as GMB) and other directories and citations. Google places a lot of weight on this factor and favors businesses with consistent NAP across all citations.
2. Use structured data markup on your website to highlight important information like address, price, hours of operation, and more. Structured data markup tells Google that your business’s information is essential and should be displayed prominently in search results. It’s especially important to include it on pages that are likely to be searched by consumers, such as your contact us page or about us page.
3. Make sure that the keywords you’re targeting on your Google Business Profile match the queries people are searching for. The closer the match, the more likely your business will appear in local search results.
4. Add photos to your Google Business Profile to increase engagement and attract more consumers. Studies show that adding photos to a business listing increases click-through rates by 23% and helps it stand out on the Google search results page.
5. Embed a Google Map on your website to demonstrate that your business is located where you say it is. Google places a lot of value on this factor and ranks listings higher if they are located in the same place as the address they list on their GMB.
6. Publish posts on your GMB to inform consumers about new services or products and special offers. Posts on Google maps resemble social media posts and are visible to anyone who searches for your business. By regularly posting on your GMB, you are showing Google that you proactively manage your listing, which is a positive signal for ranking.
7. Get more reviews to enhance your GMB’s visibility. People are increasingly making decisions based on customer reviews and credibility scores when choosing a local business. So, it’s crucial to have a large number of high-quality, verified reviews. To facilitate the process, try a tool like Podium that will automatically collect reviews from your customers and provide you with reports of how well your Google Maps profile is performing.
8. Monitor your local search rank on a regular basis to identify opportunities to improve. Google changes its algorithm often, so it’s important to keep track of your rankings and see how they change over time. You can do this manually using the “Search Engine Results Pages” feature within the Google Business Dashboard or use a rank monitoring tool that focuses on local SEO.