Local SEO – this is the hottest topic when it comes to digital marketing. Why? It’s simple: it works! Most businesses are working locally, have a local consumer base, and design their products or services for their local market. So it’s quite obvious – local SEO is an amazing way to get more locally targeted traffic to your website. One of the most powerful local SEO techniques is Google Maps marketing.
In this article, you learn the following:
- Why do you need to Add Business to Google Maps?
- Effective Google Maps Marketing Strategies for your Business
- What are the Good Practices of Google Maps Optimization?
- How Google Maps Rankings affect your Business?
Google Maps is an amazing platform developed by Google. Packed with tools and features that can get you ahead of your competition, it’s one of the most important tools you can use in digital marketing. Let’s take a closer look at how Google Maps can help your business:
Why do you need to Add Business to Google Maps?
Google Maps will be your best friend when it comes to local SEO. It’s the most popular navigation tool by a landslide – more than 67 percent of people use it, while Waze comes in second place with only 12 percent market share*. This means that Google Maps virtually controls two-thirds of the online navigation market – which is A LOT of traffic.
This makes Google Maps the most important tool for local SEO, by far. Millions of visitors use it to search for directions to local businesses, attractions, and personal addresses. The app is also important because people use it on their mobile devices. The mobile app, especially if the location feature is active, is a powerful marketing tool for your business.
If implemented correctly, Google Maps marketing can become one of the quickest ways to bolster your presence in local search results. What’s more, you will be seen as a local authority in your industry and the go-to place for local customers who want a specific product or service.
Effective Google Maps Marketing Strategies for your Business
Google maps marketing is essentially a set of processes and methods of using Google Maps to make your business easier to find. Google maps marketing is especially relevant for local search traffic (for instance, people searching for “best hair salon near me”).
Local traffic is particularly important for small businesses, which makes Google Maps one of the most important part of your overall digital marketing strategy. Here are some of the effective strategies for local business.
- include your location – your address is the most important element in your Google Maps strategy. Keep in mind that workarounds like building separate landing pages targeting other locations are virtually worthless for Google Maps. They will only be relevant for your organic results. Make sure you include your location precisely – include the physical address, P.O. box, apartment number, and other important location details.
- use Google My Business – to get the full benefits of Google Maps marketing, you must fill out your Google My Business profile. Include your website address, email, phone number, physical address and any other info you may find relevant.
- inbound links and citations – links are the lifeblood of SEO and they are also crucially important in local marketing. Google will see the links and citations pointing back at your website and will better determine your industry, location and overall relevance, strengthening the possibility to appear in local search queries.
- on-page optimization – your website must also be optimized for local SEO. Make sure your website includes the same info you put into your Google My Business profile (the same address, phone number, email and opening hours). Try to include an embedded Google Map with your location and directions by car, public transportation or foot.
- Google Maps ads – if you want to move away from SEO and get instant traffic to your website, try to promote your business on Google Maps. Your ads will appear before the organic results and will look slightly different. This strategy will differentiate you from your competitors and will get you instant results, but will come at a cost.
Let’s go over some of the most effective Google Maps SEO strategies here.
What are the Good Practices of Google Maps Optimization?
Here are the best practices to employ in your Google Maps marketing strategy:
- get good citations – they are specific to Google Maps marketing and they come from 3rd party websites, directories and review platforms. Good citations, with specific local information, will help you a lot in your local SEO efforts. They will increase your company’s visibility, reputation, and credibility.
- generate good reviews – getting Google Maps marketing reviews can be tricky for some companies, but the safest bet is to simply ask for one. You can ask for a review by offering incentives, special offers, review us cards, prizes and so on. Most customers are happy to leave a good review if the service is good, so you won’t have to do much convincing.
- geo-tagging your photos or videos – name your photos as “company name + location” or “keyword + location” before you include them in your Google My Business. Similarly, try to geotag your photos before uploading them. Google will read this information and will consider it when showing local search results.
- use google posts – Google Posts is a new feature in Google My Business; it allows business owners to post and share content on their Google listings. This content will appear on your listing and will make your business more relevant locally.
How Google Maps Rankings affect your Business?
If your business relies on local customers, getting good rankings in the local search results will have a tremendous impact on the success of your company.
Similarly, getting good Google Maps rankings can boost your visibility and increase the number of leads and customers. Using the Google Maps marketing platform will make you a local industry leader and a trusted business partner.
What’s more, Google Maps marketing works in the long run – your business will get more citations, reviews, and backlinks, further increasing its position in local search queries. You’ll see faster growth, more clients and better visibility for years to come.
