With over a billion monthly users, Google Maps is easily the #1 navigation app on all platforms. Whether on foot, by car, or on public transport: if you're going somewhere new, you probably asked Google how to get there first.
For businesses, that means your Google Maps ranking can be the difference between thousands of customers and none at all. If you run a pizza restaurant but don't come in the first few results on Maps when someone searches 'Pizza near me', your life's a lot harder than it needs to be.
So how do you improve your Google Maps rank? What Google Maps SEO tricks are there to drive your business up in Maps' charts?
Read on to find out!
1. Get Verified!
The first step of any business looking to boost their Maps rankings has to be getting verified. By verifying your ownership, you simultaneously convince Google you're a legitimate business and also give yourself a lot more control over how your business appears on Google Maps.
2. A Picture Says a Thousand Words
If there's one thing Google loves, it's pictures. Adding photos to your business listing on Google Maps can do wonders for your Google Maps rank and Google SEO in general. After all, a business with photos attached is inherently more trustworthy than one that's just a name and address.
And as an added bonus, those photos will go a long way towards tempting any potential customers that find your Maps listing.
3. But Words Help Too
Google helpfully provides a huge number of fields for businesses to fill in and provide information about themselves. Like everything else, filling in these fields with things like opening hours, categories, sub-categories, and more will help convince Google of the reliability and legitimacy of your business. So make sure you do it!
4. Encourage Customers to Leave Google Reviews
Getting good feedback is a great thing to strive for regardless of Google Maps SEO, but you can bet that having a significant number of positive reviews will encourage Google to put your business higher up in its rankings. Nothing indicated quality and trustworthiness like satisfied customers, after all.
5. Optimize Your Website for Google Maps Ranking
When you put a URL on your Google Maps listing, Google uses that site landing page to make evaluations about your business. Optimizing the content it finds there to maximize the benefits of that process is crucial. Unsure of how to do it? Try working with SEO experts to organize your site!
Putting Your Business On the Map
So there you have it, a few quick and easy tips to boost your Google Maps ranking results. It's a few tweaks, but by implementing them you can do massive favors for your business on the world's number 1 navigation service.
So get out there and put yourself on the map!
Interested? Take a look at our services and see we can help you beat out the competition on Google!