Google Maps Ranking is one of the most important areas for businesses to focus their SEO efforts. When a business ranks high on Google Maps, it receives more clicks and resulting traffic to its website and physical location. Despite the high competition in local search, a well-executed Maps marketing strategy can have a significant impact on a company’s overall rankings.
A fully complete and verified Google Business Profile (GBP) is the first step in ensuring a business is optimized for local search. GBPs that are active (publishing new content, receiving reviews, and interacting with commenters) have a better chance of ranking higher in local search results than those that don’t.
Another way to boost GBP rankings is by optimizing the listing’s name, address and phone number (NAP). Having consistent NAP across your GBP and other directories and citations will help Google verify that your business exists in the same location as indicated on your website. Having accurate business hours is also a must. In addition, backlinks are a big part of Google Maps rankings. A high volume of quality backlinks is the best way to get your business to rank well in the local pack.
The local search algorithm is made up of a variety of factors, including relevance, distance and prominence. Relevance focuses on how much your business’s information matches the search user’s query, while distance is how close the searcher is to the business. Prominence is a measure of how well-known and liked a business is in the local community. This factor can be enhanced by a variety of tactics, including encouraging reviews and running review generation campaigns.
Google is also likely to consider the accuracy of a business’s NAP as well as the category that it is listed under. However, a GBP’s category may not be able to be changed once it has been verified, so it is important that the correct category is selected at the time of registration.
Lastly, the use of professional photos on a Google Business Profile will help it to rank higher in searches. This is because Google will prioritize a business listing with photos over those that do not. In addition, incorporating relevant keywords in your photo captions can also help to boost listings.
In summary, it is crucial that all businesses optimize their Google Business Profile to ensure they are visible for their target market. By following the above tips, a business can increase its ranking in the local pack and gain more clicks and customers.
Interested in learning more about the benefits of optimizing your Google Business Profile? Schedule a consultation with a Circleboom SEO Specialist. We’ll take a look at your current marketing efforts and help you develop a plan to improve your rankings.