Research shows that more than 90% of people search for local businesses online. It is no brainer that any business would like to have an online presence. An online presence increases your overall visibility. An effective SEO campaign can pull it up a couple of notches. A good SEO strategy should be a combination of both on-page SEO and off-page SEO techniques. We shall concentrate on one of the most important off-page SEO factors, Google My Business. This factor makes use of Google maps more than anything else. Hence, we shall look at how to increase your Google Maps ranking.
Google My Business:
Having your presence in Google My Business is not a difficult task at all. Any business can have its presence on Google My Business. This is a very simple procedure.
- Access the official website of Google My Business.
- The procedure requires you to fill up the form. This form seeks basic information about your business.
- On completing the form, the system does a verification check. This is to ascertain that your business is genuine and is located at the address you provide in the form.
- You will receive a code that you have to enter to verify your identity.
- Your Google My Business page is ready.
Your listing is ready. The next step is to secure a high rank on the GMB page. Following these steps can help you achieve this objective.
1. Verify your information on the GMB page
Your objective is to list your business on the search engine ranking page. In order to achieve your objective, it is important to let Google know more about your business. This will help Google Maps to rank your business better. Therefore you should ensure to complete your listing accurately. Including your right name, address, and phone number is mandatory. They call it the NAP information in industry circles.
It is imperative to include your business hours in your listing. This will enable people to know when your business is open. Google My Business has this facility to add your working hours and your off-days.
Google is very strict in discarding duplicate information. It discredits multiple phone numbers for one business location. Ensure to provide the landline phone number to enable Google to conduct the verification process.
2. Google Reviews help
The GMB page has a provision that allows you to add customer reviews. Encourage your customers to submit positive reviews. Of course, proper customer service can automatically lead to positive reviews. These reviews appear on the GMB page thereby making it easy for your prospective customers to know the nature of service to expect from you.
3. Categorize your business properly
When you complete the initial listing on Google Maps, the system provides you with an option of adding a primary industry category. This is the most important aspect because your listing is based on this category. Having a listing in your niche is important. However, many people do not know that you can add up to 5 more categories. Use this opportunity intelligently by categorizing your business correctly. Use the initial option to include your primary business. The remaining 5 categories should include local SEO keywords. This should include the name of the city you have your business.
4. Embed a Google Map on your website:
You would like your customers to get the exact driving directions to your business. You can do so by embedding a map on your website. This map will give accurate driving directions along with the expected time of travel. Embedding the Google map on your website is easy. Doing so will enable customers to have a clear idea of how to approach you.
5. Optimize your listing:
Use your local SEO keyword to describe your business better. This will enable the search engine bots to classify your website correctly. Presenting superfluous information can confuse the search engine bots. Using long-tailed keywords is also a good idea to optimize your description. You can thus cater to specific searches easily. Incorporating the correct listing is possible with help from websites like Tribe Local.
6. Local phone numbers work better
Your principal objective is to rank high on the local SEO. It is advisable to include the local phone number in your listing. This sends the signal to Google that your business has a legitimate contact detail. Many people incorporate the toll-free 800 or 877 numbers. Google search engine bots consider such numbers as spam.
7. Photos can have a say
Include photos of your business in the listing. This will help the customer to identify your place better. Secondly, you will also be able to attract the customer with some aesthetically taken photos. This can attract the customer thereby increasing your web traffic.
Inference:
Google Maps is one of the best ways to advertise your presence on the local SEO scene. However, you should set these things in order before expecting good results from your listing.
