In this article, you will discover 10 Google Maps SEO optimization tips and tricks for ranking higher.
Location is an important factor in finding a local business. People can even start their search on Google Maps by typing the essential query: "local businesses" near me.
This means that Google Maps SEO is vital to getting your local business discovered online. People aren't willing to scroll down, so it's important to reach the top three results.
Many of us today turn to Google Maps to discover local businesses and make more informed buying decisions.
So how can local businesses rank higher where consumers are increasingly looking to purchase local products and services?
Don't worry, it's possible to reach the top three results, and we have 10 easy SEO tips to improve your Google Maps ranking to generate more traffic and get more customers. These Google Maps SEO tips and tricks can help your local business rise to the top of the search page over time. Let's get started!
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What is Google Maps SEO?
Google Maps is one of the most popular and frequently used tools provided by Google. More importantly, it allows customers to find your business much more quickly and easily. Correctly optimizing the Google Maps listing is one of the key elements of local SEO and greatly influences traffic or, more precisely, traffic acquisition. So it's a good idea to learn how to optimize your Google Maps listing and include it in your online marketing strategy.
Why is Ranking High on Google Maps Important?
It contributes significantly to local SEO and gives you the opportunity to reach potential customers in your area who are ready to make a purchase. In addition, a high ranking on Google Maps means that you are displayed in the first results, on the first page of SERPs.
This is an easy way to improve your brand recognition. It is also worth mentioning that Google Maps listings include a number of contact details such as a phone number, email address, website URL, and the physical address of your business. This gives potential buyers the opportunity to engage and interact with your business in the way that is most convenient for them.
Thus, optimizing your Google Maps listing gives you a significant competitive advantage over your competitors in the marketplace, and can be an effective tool for driving sales and brand recognition.
How does Google Maps SEO Work?
When you type a keyword related to a specific area, such as "French restaurant London", into the search engine, you get several types of results: ads at the very top, Google Maps with business cards of some businesses (or restaurants in this case) and organic results below.
Whether or not your business name appears among the Google Maps results depends on many factors.
One such factor is your website quality and backlinks count. However, in the case of Google Maps SEO, optimizing your Google My Business profile seems to be just as important. Based on a keyword or key phrase, several business cards appear in the search results but only the top 3 generate the vast majority of traffic. You can see this article on how many backlinks you need to rank on the first page of Google?.
Let's start by taking a closer look at how users are leveraging Google Maps and the available listings.
One of the most common queries is for store or business hours. For example, if you type in "IKEA Berlin, opening hours", you will immediately know from the properly optimized listing that you can only shop until 9 pm.
Very often people use mobile devices for local searches and then almost always the first result is a business card from Google Maps. This is an extremely user-friendly solution that allows you to call a given business directly from the search engine, simply by clicking on the phone icon. One other very useful feature is route mapping to the object (it uses your localization on the map).
With Google My Business reports, you can easily monitor your reach - you are able to check the number of searches, phone calls, or even clicks referring to customers wanting to know how to get to your business.
Properly optimizing your Google My Business profile is relatively simple and doesn't take much time, so it's worth the effort. You can see this article on how to use Google My Business for local SEO.
How to Check your Google Maps Ranking?
Wondering how to check your ranking in Google Maps? The easiest way is to enter the expression you are interested in in the search field, for example, "French restaurant near me" (it is better to use the incognito mode for this). Then, you just have to see where your business (in this case, your restaurant) is located in the ranking.
Of course, you can also use special tools such as Google Maps Rank Checker, where you provide all the necessary data, such as your business URL, the specific keywords you want to check, your country, and up to three cities you want to analyze. Then the tool generates a report (which will be sent to your email address) with your positions on Google Maps in those specific cities for those specific keywords you provided.
10 SEO Tips and Tricks to Rank Higher on Google Maps
1. Set Up your Google Account and Google My Business Listing
Your Google account is the most important element to start with. It will allow you to create a Google My Business listing. If you're not sure if your business already has a Google My Business listing, go to Google Maps and search for your business name.
If it's there, you can move on to the next step, which is filling in inappropriate information. If it's not there, find the "add missing location" option and fill in your business name, location, and category. The whole process is intuitive, so you shouldn't have too many problems with it.
Keep in mind that almost anyone can add businesses to Google Maps. Therefore, just because you haven't listed your business doesn't necessarily mean that someone else hasn't done it for you. That's why it's always best to check if your business is already listed on Google Maps. Although someone has created the business listing, you don't have to worry. That person can't change or delete it. Only someone who proves ownership of a business can do that. That's why we need to take the next step, which is...
2. Claim your Google Maps Listing
If you want to achieve better positions in Google Maps, you need to show Google that you are the business owner. At the listing creation stage, you can only fill in information such as name, category, and location.
However, at the end of the verification process, you have many more options when it comes to information and details about your business. As you might guess, the more informative and useful your listing is, the higher it appears in search results and the more potential customers it attracts.
But what do you need to do to claim your Google Maps listing? The only thing you need is a free Google account. Then, find your listing and search for phrases like "owner of this business?" or "claim this business" and click on them. Follow the instructions and wait for confirmation.
3. Provide Contact Details
Once you have claimed ownership of your business, you can move on to the next step, which is to provide contact details. Complete the information about your business.
It is essential to fill in your address, phone number, and website information. This will help potential customers to get in touch with your business.
Think of all the information that can be useful and attractive to potential customers. First, define your company's area of business, add hours of operation, and the category that best describes your industry.
Write an eye-catching, concise and readable business description with selected keywords that are important to your business. Categorize your business properly to ensure that you are listed for phrases related to your business, and keep all data (including hours of operation, address, and phone number) up to date.
Remember, the more informative and professional your business listing is, the more likely you are to reach the top of the search results.
4. Add and Optimize Images
Don't forget about high-quality, optimized images, including your company logo and important photos. Uploading high-quality images to your Google Maps listing tells Google that you are truly active and care about your potential customers.
Remember that technology is constantly evolving, so Google is analyzing images more and more accurately and starting to display them in local search results.
In addition to supporting your Google Maps SEO process, images can entice potential customers. They help them assess whether a given location is likely to meet their expectations (this is especially important when talking about all entertainment and leisure places such as restaurants and hotels). In addition, eye-catching photos can help you gain a competitive advantage over your market rivals.
5. Create a User-Friendly URL
After a while, you can change your Google My Business URL to make it more accessible and personalized. So instead of:
http://plus.google.com/3537328431980
you can generate something like this:
https://plus.google.com/+CompanyNameFrenchRestaurant.
6. Incite People to Write Reviews
This step is more complex, as you don't have full control over customer reviews. However, it's worth taking care of this aspect, because the number of positive reviews affects your position in Google Maps.
If it occurred to you that fake accounts would be a good idea, don't even think about it! Google robots are getting better and better at detecting fraudulent reviews. Don't forget to respond to comments and reviews written by buyers.
Related:
How To Get More Google Reviews
How To Respond To Negative Reviews
7. Take Care of Structured Data
With structured data, you can easily mark important elements of your website, such as dates, addresses, prices, or sizes. This way you can make your Google Maps listing even more accurate. If you want your logo, address, or phone number to show up directly in search results, the Schema Markup can help you achieve your goal.
8. Be Active and Regular
To some extent, Google Maps is similar to social media platforms like Facebook. This means you can publish posts that will appear directly next to your listing.
When ranking, Google takes your activity into account and rewards businesses that take a proactive approach. In addition, posts can intrigue potential customers, get their attention and encourage them to visit your website.
9. Fill your Website with Local Keywords
If you target your website for local keywords, you increase your chances of being displayed in the top positions for those specific keywords. This will help you rank higher on Google Maps and in regular search results.
Saturate your homepage, product or service subpages, and contact page with local keywords. Consider creating an FAQ section where you can mention your address, scope of activity, industry, and frequently asked questions. Your answers can be displayed in "Rich Snippets", which can encourage users to enter your site and learn more.
10. Build Local Backlinks and Citations
Finally, focus on creating links and citations to improve Google Maps SEO.
Backlinks are generated when a website links to your website. The more good websites that link to your website, the better. They indicate to Google that you are a real, reliable, and reputable business or organization.
A citation is simply a mention of your restaurant's name, address, and phone number on another website. A crucial factor is that your name, address, and phone number (NAP) are identical in all online citations. You can check out this article about what is a local SEO citation?.
Google Maps SEO Tips and Tricks - Summary
In conclusion, if you are thinking about local SEO, you should definitely start by creating a Google My Business listing, thanks to which you will be visible on Google Maps.
What makes it a good idea to consider Google Maps SEO?
First of all, it does not require much work and does not generate additional costs. At the same time, the advantages of being displayed in the first position on Google Maps are priceless.
Although we don't know all the algorithms responsible for Google Maps SEO, the tips and tricks mentioned above should not only help you improve the position of your business listing, but also attract new customers.
