Google is one of the most popular ways that users use to find local businesses near them. So, what’s the best way to catch the attention of local searchers on Google? The answer is – through Google Maps marketing, which is the process of optimizing the online presence of your brand in Google Maps, with the goal of increasing your brand’s online visibility. Google Maps can help a business come up into the three positions on local map packs. Thus, any business that is serious about being found needs to utilize the power of Google Maps.
Create a Google My Business profile
First and foremost, you need to have a Google My Business profile, and to qualify for the profile, you must make in-person contact with your customers at your brick-and-mortar store in your stated business hours. You can give all your details in your profile like your business name, description, phone number, address, website, locations, business hours, products and services, photos, reviews, and more. Offering all such information in detail will help increase your traffic, and thus your revenue and ranking.
Optimize for Google Maps
Make sure your profile is complete and accurate. Once all of that is done, you must optimize it for better results; and for that, you may use a variety of tactics like building local links, getting more online reviews, and fighting off any Google My Business spam.
Tips to rank in Google Maps
There are eight ranking factors that contribute to ranking in Google Maps and the local pack, namely Google My Business signals, link signals, review signals, on-page signals, citation signals, behavioral signals, personalization, and social signals. All these signals are well analyzed based on three criteria – proximity, prominence, and relevance.
Google Maps SEO checklist
There are many optimizations on various levels that are important to rank in Google Maps, some of the most important ones being adding holidays, adding links for booking appointments, having unique descriptions for every product/service, verifying listings, blogging, adding owner details and photos, and responding to queries and reviews.
Tracking results
So, you have put in all efforts. Now, it’s time to track your results. For this, you’ll need to log into your account and select “insights”, which will give you a lot many details, such as the search queries that triggered your listing, the appearance of your listing in Google search, the appearance of your listing in Google Maps, customer actions taken, the days and time you get most calls, the number of photos that have been viewed, etc. You can get all sorts of information here.
So, you can see how filling up your Google My Business profile, and making comprehensive optimizations and improvements can help you succeed. So, make sure you keep following this tactic, and regularly test different optimizations, while closely monitoring your results. Whatever you do, just invest in Google Maps marketing, and you’ll see how you can drive local leads to your business regularly. And, you can always hire professional SEO services in Bangalore for added assistance.
