Are you a thriving business selling to a local audience? If so, appearing in the top spots in the google map searches would not only be a personal dream but fantastic progress for your business? The top result can be a great spot on a search result page. Nonetheless, it is fair to say that the competition for such spots hasn’t been easy at all and the competition is only getting more challenging by the day. So, the question is, what can a thriving enterprise do to rank higher in 2021.
Top 10 tips and tricks to rank higher on Google Maps
Today we will talk about some of the simplest to the unique ways to rank yourself higher than the rest in google maps. So read on to find out the best ways to boost your business and the additional tips and tricks to reach your goals.
Google maps are one of the best platforms out there to promote your business, primarily on a local level. If you don’t have an online presence, it can be quite a big hit to your potential clientele as people like to search for places nearby on maps. So, the first thing that can help you rank higher is to be on Google maps. You won’t automatically show up; you would need to set up google maps listing for the site yourself.
Setting up your business virtually
You can do so by simply checking whether your business is already on the maps or not. If it is, you can move to point number 2. But if it isn’t, all you have to do is add it as a missing place on the app. Afterward, set up a pinned location for your business.
Now, if you’re curious about why there is a name of your business on the maps, it’s probably because someone else added it before you did. You don’t need to fret though, as no one can do anything to your business unless they claim it. This brings us to the next step, claiming your business. Simply put, it’s letting google know that you own the place. This will let you advertise and add more content to the place on google maps.
Claiming your business
Claiming your business is pretty straightforward. All you need is to have a google business account. Once you have a google business account, you can claim your business. This will allow you to add more information besides the name and the location of your business. Also, you can’t rank higher without being in control first; for that, you need to claim your company.
Adding information
After you have successfully claimed your business, it’s time to add content to it. The more details a listing or a place has, the more likely it will be ranked higher in the search results. You can select a few options from my business page and land on the information page. From here, you can add an accurate location, timings, the services or the products you offer, the link to your website, etc. This will make your listing seem more real and likely show much higher in search results than a place with no information.
Just ensure to keep these in mind:-
- Have a common location and name.
- Add a valid number; if possible, add two.
- Mention your timings clearly.
- Have a well-written description.
Adding images to enhance user experience
Another way to enhance the user’s experience and get your listing to rank higher in google maps is to have more images attached to your listing. This can include the place’s exterior, the street it’s on, and the products it serves. Also, if it’s a food business or a service, make sure to add a picture of your offered delights or services. This can leave a good impact on the user and likely get the place ranked higher on the search engine.
You can add images from your business account from the photos tab. Google outranks places that don’t have actual photos attached, so you’ll probably not be ranked as high as the others without a few decent images. Make sure to update them now and then.
Ask customers to leave reviews of your place
Another thing that can boost your ranks on maps is reviews. And it would be best if the reviews were adequately good. Truth be told, while searching for a business close by, people filter out the “no reviews” or “less than three-star reviews places”. So if the listing of your business doesn’t have reviews or pretty good reviews, it will probably not be something the people want. So for this, have honest reviews.
Polish up your skills and services, and once you deal with an excellent customer, politely ask them to publish a review o of your place. Most people are friendly enough to write good stuff. This can help you build an excellent business-customer relationship and get honest reviews for your place.
Search for fake listings
Another thing that could potentially harm your listing is another place with the same name. Now, even though there might be a similar listing, you practically own the name, if you have claimed your business. Listing without any information but identical to your business name can misguide your potential customers and could be a threat to your actual listings. So make sure that there isn’t a similar listing of your place.
This is possible if a customer or someone who wasn’t aware relisted your place from scratch, with almost the exact location. It’s better to get that listing removed.
Update GMB listing
Additionally, to stay at the top of your game, you need to regularly update your business’s information on maps. This is highly important, as you want to have an excellent active status on your listing. You can edit the information that has been outdated and help improve the customer’s overall experience.
Outdated or old information can mislead customers. For example, an old menu or old timings can mess up and ruin the customer’s experience, leading to a bad review for your place. In addition, a bad review can quickly get you outranked on the maps app.
Add a site and other details
To enhance the user’s experience, add your website to the GMB listings. The website can attract more customers and aid in online sales. Especially during a pandemic, having an outclass site linked to your maps listing is a must. You want to facilitate your clientele as much as possible, and an enterprise with online service can be a great idea.
Employ SEO keywords
There are certain words that the audience searches more often with relation to the niche you are working in. Therefore, searching and adding those specific keywords can help to rank higher on the google maps listings. You can hire someone to do this for you or research yourself and add these keywords to your description.
- Have a Google Maps link on all other social media platforms
Another thing to boost your views and clicks on the maps app is to add the google maps link to your social media pages. Social media pages on Instagram, Facebook, and the like also require a location. So, by attaching such a link, google would direct them to a very well-organized business listing which will probably propel the client to receive services from your place.
Benefits of ranking higher on Google Maps
Since now you’re aware of how to rank higher on the maps app, you may be wondering if it’s worth the effort. A one-word answer would be a yes. Google maps are one of the most popular and widely used apps out there. Not only is it the most frequently used, but it’s the most trustable too. This makes it an excellent platform for free-of-cost marketing for your local business.
Conclusion
Ranking higher on google maps can do wonders for local businesses. Just make sure to have the right content such as images, descriptions, reviews, and information to make it as accurate as possible. The process is pretty simple and is a pretty cost-effective method to build a virtual presence for your business.
Your Google Maps business listing can help you to stand out online and generate leads —for free! In this post, learn how to set up, optimize, and support your listing so that your business ranks higher on Google Maps and reaps all of the associated benefits.
Your Google Maps business listing can help you to stand out online and generate leads —for free! In this post, learn how to set up, optimize, and support your listing so that your business ranks higher on Google Maps and reaps all of the associated benefits.
