With the dramatic rise in voice search and local searches, SEO Google Maps Ranking has become an essential tool in any online marketing arsenal. A high Google Maps ranking means more foot traffic for your clients’ businesses and a higher likelihood of turning those searches into sales.
There are three main factors that determine a business’s Google Maps ranking: relevance, distance and prominence. Relevance refers to how closely a result matches the user’s query, while distance takes into account how close the business is to the searcher. Prominence is an elusive but extremely important factor that Google uses to measure how well-known a business is, both offline and online. According to Google, prominence is based on the number of reviews, organic website rankings, backlinks and citations that a business has.
In order to rank highly on Google Maps, your client’s business listings must have up-to-date information, accurate location data and a complete description of the services they offer. A listing that has all of these elements will be more likely to appear in the local pack of results, which receives the most clicks of any other SERP result.
Another factor that contributes to a high Google Maps ranking is the presence of professional photos on the business profile. These photos are a great way to distinguish your client’s listing from the competition and they help consumers decide whether they should visit the business or not.
Having more reviews is also an important part of a high Google Maps ranking, as it shows that customers have had a positive experience and are happy with the service they received. A large number of reviews also helps to build trust with potential customers and may even drive more conversions.
Running paid ads on Google can boost a business’s visibility on the Google Maps results page and increase its chance of appearing as a promoted pin. This type of result is more prominent than standard results and can help to bring in more traffic and generate more reviews.
It’s a good idea to check your client’s Google Maps ranking at least once a month. This will give you an objective overview of how your efforts to improve the ranking are progressing. You can use a tool like Semrush’s Listing Management to monitor your client’s average local position and find out how their competitors are ranking (available to Premium locations only).
Getting in the top 3 positions of the Google Maps pack will not only increase online exposure for your clients’ businesses but also significantly boost sign-ups, site visits and phone calls. Securing a spot in the Google Maps pack will also help them beat their competitors to the most profitable business opportunities.