Google Maps is one of the most used search engines in the world. While it is designed to help people navigate from Point A to Point B, it also advertises new businesses in an area. One of the best ways to improve your business’ visibility is to focus on local SEO where customers in your area can find your business more easily. Take advantage of this by making sure that your company ranks highly on Google Maps so that customers find you. In this article, we discuss how to raise your Google Maps Rank in 2021.
First, Get on Google Maps
The first step is always the same: get on the platform. You cannot rank on Google Maps if you are not on it. Fortunately, adding your business to Google Maps is very easy. All you have to do is go to Google Maps and search for your business name. Anyone can add any business to Google Maps, so it is important to check if your business has been listed or not.
To do this, go to Google Maps and search for your business. If the name and location are listed, they will show in the search results. You do not have to do anything else. If it does not show, you can add it by clicking the link that says “Add a missing place” in the dropdown list. Complete the form that appears and your business will be listed on Google Maps shortly.
Complete Your Profile
The process of getting listed on Google Maps is easy because anyone can do it and you only need to provide three pieces of information. To rank highly in search results, you’ll need a more complete profile. Claiming your business on Google Maps lets you unlock the deeper profile so that you can create a complete business listing.
You will need a Google My Business Account to do this, which is free but requires additional time and effort. It is an effective way to verify who you are so that anyone cannot claim your business for themselves.
Once you have access to your profile, fill it in with important information about your business. Complete the profile in the way that you would make any social media profile or marketing material. Include your hours of operation, information about your business, and especially contact information. The more information that you can provide in an effective manner, the better your profile will look to search engines.
Include Quality Photos
Pictures can be worth far more than the written content that you put into your profile. People want to see a place before they determine if they want to shop there. You can add pictures to your profile to present different aspects of the company, including what it looks like inside and out. Many customers make their decisions based on visual evidence, so it can help you gain customers by showing them what your company looks like.
Collect Social Proof
Social proof is one of the most powerful resources that you have at your disposal for converting sales. When people investigate a company to determine if they should shop with that company, there is an ever-present risk. The relationship between the company and the customer is new, and customers are unsure if they can trust you. One way around this is social proof in the form of reviews and testimonials.
Testimonials and reviews show that others have tried your products and how they feel about it. Customers can use this to better understand your offerings and it can remove some of the stress in trying a new company. Collecting social proof is easy through Google Maps since it gives people the option of leaving reviews and ratings. However, you will need to take action to get more reviews by driving traffic and asking customers to leave reviews. Happy customers are likely to leave your reviews since they know that it will help your company over time.
One Listing Per Facility
The key to having Google Maps be as effective as it can be is to limit your listings to one per facility. It is technically possible to list your company more than once, and there are situations where this is a good idea. However, each separate facility should only be listed once. Some companies have used this method to try to hide bad reviews and other problems. Search engines like Google will punish companies that try to have multiple listings for only one facility. If you have multiple facilities, then each one can have its own listing.
Manage Your Listing and Post Regularly
Your Google Maps listing has many of the same features as other social media platforms. You can use it to advertise your business through posts. Posting regularly shows Google that you are committed to providing value to your customers, and it will add that to the ranking calculations.
Another reason to post regularly is because it gives you direct access to customers that are very likely to buy from someone. This is called having high intent, which means that you have the highest chance of converting customers with high intent since they are already ready to buy. Many companies use their listing posts to update sales and make special offers available. Plus, you can use it to update the community about important things that your company is doing. As long as you are providing value, your business listing should climb in the rankings.
Partner with a Content Specialist
In order to get the most out of your systems, your company can partner with content specialists. At KitelyTech, we specialize in SEO and content development. Our team can help you achieve the improvements in your search engine rankings that you are looking for. Call us at (800) 274 2908 to discuss your SEO needs.
