If you own a business, optimizing for SEO Google Maps ranking is an essential part of your local search strategy. According to Google, 86% of consumers who make a purchase rely on local searches to find businesses that are relevant to them. This means that if you aren’t in the top results, you are missing out on a significant amount of potential revenue.
Google has finely-tuned algorithms that determine what it shows searchers. By understanding these, you can optimize your Google Maps profile to rank higher and expand your audience.
First and foremost, it’s important to ensure that your Google Business Profile is complete and correct. This includes a verified contact email, accurate opening hours and business address, and ensuring that the information matches across all other directories and citations. It’s also vital to keep your listing active by publishing content and attracting reviews.
Having multiple review channels is another way to enhance your SEO Google Maps rankings. In addition to the reviews that are posted directly to your Google Maps listing, it’s a good idea to encourage customers to leave reviews on social media and websites like Yelp and Amazon.
Your Google Maps ranking is determined by a number of factors, including prominence and relevance. Prominence is a measure of how well known your brand is in the local area, while relevance is determined by the quality and quantity of the keywords you are targeting.
To increase your relevance, you can use targeted keyword research to target terms that are popular in the local market and have a high search volume. These keywords can then be used in your title tags, headers, and other on-page elements. It’s also a good idea to optimize your website for mobile, as the majority of users now search on smartphones.
You can also optimize your Google Business Profile by using specialized schema markup to highlight specific business information. For example, if you have special menu items or services, you can add them to the markup that will be displayed in the search results. This will help to distinguish your Google Maps listings from competitors.
It’s also a good idea to monitor your Google Maps ranking. You can do this manually by performing a manual Google search (preferably in Incognito Mode) or using a rank monitoring tool that will provide you with the information you need to improve your ranking.
There are many different ways to optimize your Google Maps ranking, but it’s important that you don’t neglect your organic SEO. By taking the time to optimize your website for local search, you can boost your Google Maps ranking and get more views, clicks, and paying customers.