Google Maps is a powerful tool that allows your customers to find you easier and quicker. Proper optimization of your business’s Google Maps website ranking is one of the most important parts of local SEO and heavily influences your traffic acquisition. In this article, we will take a closer look at the methods you can use to improve your Google Maps ranking and how they compare with other local SEO techniques.
According to a recent study, 85% of users who search for businesses on Google end up visiting them. Google Maps listings are also featured prominently in SERP’s as part of the “local pack,” which gets a lot more clicks than other results. As a result, it’s crucial for businesses to rank high on Google Maps.
To achieve this, you’ll need to follow the best practices for optimizing your Google Maps listing. The main factors that affect your Maps website ranking include relevance, proximity, and prominence. Each of these has its own set of techniques and strategies you can implement to increase your chances of success.
If your Google Maps business profile includes a full and complete description of your company, products, services, and hours, you’ll have a much better chance of ranking higher in search results. You can do this by adding descriptive keywords to your business listing.
It’s a good idea to use keywords that are relevant to your region and industry, as this will give you more leverage in local searches. In addition, it’s worth trying to incorporate longtail keywords into your description as this can help you rank for more niche phrases that will attract targeted traffic.
Another way to boost your Google Maps ranking is by encouraging your customers to leave reviews of their experience with your business. Getting more positive online reviews can significantly impact your Maps ranking. In addition, it’s a great way to build trust with potential customers.
You can further boost your Google Maps ranking by including photos of your business on your website and social media. This is particularly useful if you sell locally-based products and services. In addition, you can also improve your Maps ranking by using a variety of other features on your Google My Business profile. These include highlighting your business hours, posting videos, and creating a comprehensive list of products and services.
Lastly, you can also boost your Maps ranking by using structured data markup. This is a special code that can be used on your website to highlight specific information, such as dates, prices, and sizes.
Maintaining a high Google Maps ranking can be a daunting task for small businesses. However, by following these tips and nurturing each of the four primary local SEO focus areas—business data, local landing pages, off-page visibility, and online reputation—you can drastically improve your Google Maps ranking and stay ahead of the competition. To make this happen, you’ll need to constantly monitor and test your Google Maps website ranking through manual searches or by using a rank monitoring tool.