What Are Google Map Citations?
Google Map Ranking Factors!
Relevancy
Distance!
This might sound like Business 101, but your business’s location is a very important factor in determining your brand exposure. You have to be located in a hot location, somewhere approachable and trending. This is how most consumer businesses gain traction. But the thing is, you can’t do anything about it, can you? Your business is located, where it’s located; you can’t just put a false location that’s somewhere close to a landmark or something, can you?
It still doesn’t change the fact that distance is one of the most crucial factors in getting listed high up in search queries. A business could have the worst rating and the worst services, but it’s located near a very famous park that lots of people visit. Now, anyone who searches anything that’s remotely relevant to that business would have that business’s Google Map listing pop up in front of them as one of the top 3 Google Maps results. So, distance is something that matters to the world, but no one can do anything about that, unfortunately.
But let’s talk about something you do have control over!
Ratings
Google always prefers to list businesses at the top that have decent ratings, and that’s what you need to make sure of. Ask your customers to rate their experience and provide feedback for your business. This is how your business listing can get to the top when a user searches for a particular niche. Ensure that your customers are satisfied with your services and that they leave feedback on your Google Map listing!
Optimise Your Google My Business Photos
Another important factor to rank higher on Google Maps is ensuring that your listing has attractive photos of your business! Google has even highlighted this factor in its blog. You can also add a virtual tour of your business to the listing. But it doesn’t end there; you should also use links to promote your listing; this can either be through social media posts, events, etc. Anything that gets your name out there, link it! You’re essentially marketing your Google Maps listing to ensure that it gets the exposure it needs!
Now that you’re familiar with what exactly a Google Maps listing is and what factors define a high-ranking Google Map citation, you’re ready to dominate Google Maps 3 pack! Let’s take a look at our guide that guarantees map ranking on page #1.
This guide is intended to get your business listed in the top 3 search results in Google Maps. Let’s get started!
10 Steps To Ensure You Rank Higher On Google Maps
Step 1: Get Your Business Listed!
The first step to rank higher in Google Maps is to make sure that your business is properly listed in Google Maps. We showed you how to add your business in Maps, but you also need to click on claim business to officially become its owner in the eyes of Google. Add a proper Google Business Profile description, and ensure that your business is listed in the right category. This is how a proper Google Maps listing is made. Double-check that all your information is correct and that you’re using attractive images to showcase your business!
Step 2: Claim & Complete A Google My Business Profile
Step 3: Ensure Your Listings Are Correct & Updated
A common mistake businesses make is not updating their citations. This results in outdated NAP data, and that would mean your brand is getting recognition in all the wrong ways. Ensure that your business’s name is accurate and that the correct services & products are listed. Another common oversight is inaccurate business hours; you have to make sure that your listing has the right business hours listed. Otherwise, it would have a negative impact on your Maps listing. You have to make sure that your citations are consistent to rank higher in Google Maps!
Another important step you shouldn’t forget about is to be transparent about your products and services. You do not want to misguide your audience about your business; this can ruin your ratings and credibility in the community.
Also, don’t forget about double-checking your website’s link; more often than not, listings have an outdated link to their website.
Step 4: Hone In Your Uniquness!
Don’t miss this step! We know it’s business 101, but we strongly advise you to cash in your unique selling points. These points are essentially attributes of your business that you can use to attract your clients. Attributes can be the various facilitations of your business that you can use to give your brand an extra kick! You can also highlight your offline transactions feature in your business listing to facilitate your customers more.
Step 5: Google My Business Map Embed
A simple yet effective step in ranking higher on Google Maps is integrating the Google Maps API into your web pages. This can help create a connection between Google Maps and your website!
Step 6: Ensure Your Website is Optimised!
An important step that can help attract your local audience is ensuring that your site’s local SEO is operating at its finest! Integrating trending local keywords into your website can help get your name out there. Also, make sure that your website is responsive and mobile-friendly. This is because almost 60% of users visit your website on their phones, not desktops.
Step 7: Building Citations & Local Authority
Getting your business listed in local business directories is an excellent method of authority building, which allows Google to trust your site. We would suggest building at least 50 consistent NAP citations of your business across various directories like Yelp, Bing, Yellowpages, etc. You can also hire our expert local citation building agency, OutreachGirls is experienced in helping businesses like yours grow locally!
Step 8: Build Local Backlinks
Building backlinks with local trending sites allows your business’s local SEO to improve significantly, thus, boosting your chances of ranking high on Google Maps. Local backlinks establish trust between the search engine and your site, and you have a much higher chance of getting a spot in the Google Maps 3-Pack!
We are experts in building exceptional local backlinks both internationally and locally! OutreachGirls offers the best backlink building services using engaging guest posts! Get in touch now.
Step 9: Schema Markup
Schema markup is also another factor to consider when building NAP citations and business information about your brand. This is to ensure that Google’s algorithm can easily crawl sections of your website.
Step 10: Track Your GMB Rankings
Lastly, tracking your GMB rankings allows you to understand if your local SEO strategies are the right fit for your business growth. You can determine where your Google Maps rankings strategy needs attention and ultimately, boost your brand’s local visibility!
In Conclusion
Google Map citations are an excellent and rewarding method of boosting your business’s local SEO. This can significantly help grow your business in your specific area. There are various factors that define how high your business listing gets to be in the Google Maps SERPs, and we have provided you with an in-depth guide on how to rank top 3 in the Google Maps pack!
OutreachGirls offers incredible local citation building services that are not only accurate but locally optimised to ensure maximal brand recognition! Our experts are proficient in auditing local directories to update or remove any outdated or inaccurate listings of your business. We can help you dominate Google Maps 3 pack! Get in touch with us now.
