Local SEO Techniques That Help Businesses Dominate Google Maps

Local customers, when they require something quick, have to turn to Google Maps. A coffee shop and a plumber, a dentist, a hair salon. Users go to the app, type in some text and select from the three best options. If your business is not in that pack, then you are missing out on real money. The bright side is that getting ranked on Google Maps is no stroke of luck. It’s based on easy to follow rules and can be used by any business. Being the largest brand doesn’t have to happen. All you have to do is send the right signals to Google and be consistent. In this guide, you’ll learn about the methods that really make a difference these days. 

All of the tips are hands-on and real-world examples of what Google Maps is doing currently. No matter how many stores you own, these tips can get you to the top of local search and hold your position.

The importance of Google Maps Rankings

The majority of local searches are finished on Google Maps. Google displays a map with three businesses listed at the top when a user searches for anything like “pizza near me” or “auto repair shop”. That section is known as the Local Pack. Research indicates that for local searching it receives over 40% of all clicks.

Should you be in that top 3, you receive calls, visits and sales. Otherwise, you scavenge for scraps under the map. Maps ranking is also related to voice search. If you ask Siri or Alexa to show you a business near you, Google Maps data is what it will use.

Claim and verify your Google Business profile

This is step one. Maps can’t rank if a Google Business Profile isn’t present. Claim your business listing at Google.com/business. If your business is already listed but you don’t have control over it, click to Claim this business and follow the instructions.

A postcard, phone call or video typically is used for verification. Don’t skip this. If you don’t have a verified profile, it will not appear in the Local Pack.

After verifying, complete all the fields. Most owners leave half of it blank and it hurts them.

Complete All Information on Your Profile

A full profile is preferred to a partial one. Google considers a complete profile to be more credible.

Make sure you add:

• Store Name – as it should be displayed on your business or storefront.
• Full address including suite/unit number
• Not a toll-free number, this is a local phone number
• Website link
• Hours of operation with holiday hours.
• Business category and other categories that may apply
• Provide services or products that have descriptions
• Images of your storefront, staff and work.
• Opening date of your business

The more details you can provide in your profile, the more people will see it.

Choose the appropriate main category

Many owners don’t realize that your primary category is more important than most. It conveys to Google your business’s identity. If you own a pizza shop, then your main category should be “Pizza Restaurant” and not “Restaurant. The more specific the better.

Secondary categories can also be added. A bakery that also serves coffee may choose to use “Bakery” for the primary term and “Coffee Shop” as a secondary term. But refrain from adding categories which do not fit. This can result in a listing being suspended.

Establish consistency with NAP throughout the community

NAP is a designation for Name, Address and Phone number. The three need to be the same all over the web. The information should be the same and presented in the same way on your website, Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook and every directory.

If your website indicates “123 Main St, #4”, but your google profile indicates “123 Main Street, Suite 4”, they may be different locations to Google. The confusion can cause your ranking to fall.

Once a year, review your listings and correct any discrepancies. If you don’t have the time to perform these audits, you can have a digital marketing agency Fort Lauderdale provide you hire to conduct them.

Get More Reviews, the Right Way

One of the top ranking factors for Google Maps is reviews. Higher rated businesses and those who have more reviews appear higher. However, how you obtain them is important.

What works:

• Connect with customers in real time following a positive experience
• Follow up with a text or email containing a direct link to the review.
• Take a photo of a card to your review page that includes a QR code.
• Encourage employees to include comments on reviews at the checkout.

What doesn’t work:

• Buying reviews
• This is a good idea to let the public know about any discounts on offer for reviews.
• Requesting just when you’re sure it’s a five star hotel

Google can identify bogus patterns. Team up with actual customers and consistent growth.

Include a response to Every Review

Google assumes your profile is active when you reply to reviews. It also instills trust in potential customers who read them. Take the time to thank customers when they have left positive feedback. If a person writes a negative review, don’t take it personally but make an effort to resolve the problem.

Don’t argue. Don’t get defensive. A short professional response is more effective than a long defense. The negative review doesn’t matter to future customers, only how you addressed it does.

Add Photos and Videos on a Regular Basis

Profiles with pictures receive 42 per cent more requests for directions. Adding new Photos on a monthly basis helps Google.

What to upload:

• Storefront from the street
• Interiors of your room(s)
• A team member working alongside another team member.
• Products or completed work.
• Behind-the-scenes moments

Use real images, rather than pictures from stock. Real photos share the information that the company is alive and real to Google and customers.

Invite others to your Google Posts for more activity

Google Posts allow you to post updates, offers and events directly to your profile. They appear when you get a glimpse of your business. Posts last for 7 days so add 1 or 2 every week.

Good post ideas:

• This product will be a new product launch.
• A weekend special
• An event that you are and belong to in a community.
• Any blog post from your website is a great choice.
• A customer success story

Active profiles will be ranked higher than dormant ones. Just posting one per week will make a difference.

Build Local Citations

Any reference to your business on the Internet that includes your NAP is a citation. Any directory, including Yelp, Yellow Pages, BBB and industry-specific directories, will do. The higher the number of quality citations, the more Google is going to trust your business.

Focus on:

• Popular local search sites such as Yelp, Bing Places, Apple Maps
• Industry sites that are suitable for your company.
• Local chamber of commerce listings.
• City-specific business directories

Don’t pay for spammy citation packages. There are hundreds of bad citations and a few dozen good citations.

Earn Local Backlinks

Local backlinks help Google understand that your business is local. Here are some of the most highly ranked signals for Maps.

Ways to get them:

• Sponsor a local sports team or charities event.
• Partner with nearby businesses for cross-promotions
• Make sure that you’re included in the local newspaper or blog.
• Host a community event
• Get involved with your local chamber of commerce.

Links from trusted local sites contribute to your profile weight.

Make your site SEO-friendly for local searches

Your Google Business Profile is enhanced by your website. The two of them work together. Ensure your website has:

• Use city and state in title tags and headers.
• A contact page that has a Google map embedded.
• Local business schema:
• Multiple pages per location if you have several locations
• Quick mobile load time.

The better your site sends local signals, the better your Maps profile will be. Fort Lauderdale SEO services are often offered with website and maps work as a package, since they aid one another.

View the services in the right way

If you’re on-the-go to your customers rather than having a storefront, you can create service areas in your profile. Type in the cities or zip codes that you do serve. If you work in 3 towns and you don’t want to mess around all across the state. Google can detect when services don’t align with real-world activity.

If your business has a brick and mortar storefront and service areas, enter both. A roofing business that has an office in one city, but work in the entire county should demonstrate that.

Track Your Maps Performance

Google Business Profile comes with the insights feature. Look at them monthly to see if there are any:

• How many people viewed your profile
• How many called you
• How many of them requested directions?
• What are the keywords that people enter into Google to get to your site?
• Which pictures received the most views for the week.

This data shows what’s working. If one of your posts receives a lot of clicks, aim to create more of them. If your calls are dropping after a profile change, examine what you’ve changed.

Stay Patient and Consistent

Rankings take some time to build on maps. Some changes can begin to show results in a few weeks. Others may take from three to six months. Avoid making all the changes at once, and do not expect to see results after 1 month.

Create a monthly schedule:

• Include one or two more images
• Provide at least one update
• Reply to all new reviews
• Review insights and make changes

One big push every six months is one small steady work beat.

Final Thoughts

It’s all about clear signals and consistent effort when it comes to ranking on Google Maps. Claim and complete your profile, receive authentic reviews and maintain uniformity of your profile across all platforms. Post new photos and posts. Create local links and citations. This is not difficult, but it will take time. The businesses that succeed on Maps are the ones that appear each week and execute the fundamentals adequately. Choose three of the steps from this guide and get started now! Your next customer is looking, and you want to be the one they look at.