How to Rank in Google Maps?

Discover how to rank in Google Maps, why it is important to rank higher on Google Maps results and how to get to the top of the Google Maps’ results.

Your Google Maps listing is a crucial marketing tool for your business. It can help you get discovered by new customers, stand out above competitors, and generate more business—all for free. But these benefits are really only attainable if your listing has strong visibility, and just because your business is listed in an area does not mean Google will automatically rank it for searches in that area.

In fact, proximity is only just one of many factors Google Maps takes into account when ranking business listings. In this guide, I’m going to walk you through 10 tactics/strategies to get your Google Maps listing to rank higher in results and reap all of the associated benefits.

Why is It Important to Rank in Google Maps?

Research shows that Google Maps is the preferred navigation app for 67% of consumers. And with consumers rarely looking past the first few results when looking for a place to go, it’s crucial to make sure your Google Maps listing is optimized to show up first for relevant searches.

Research also shows that these consumers end up on Google Maps business listings from a keyword (aka “discovery”) search far more often (84% of the time) than from business name search. It’s important that your listing ranks high on Google Maps for these terms your potential customers are searching.

how to Rank Higher on Google Maps Direct?

Another reason to rank on Google Maps is that the top three Google Maps listings will also display in regular Google Search results if applicable. And with 46% of searches on Google having local intent, showing up in that “Local 3-Pack” can greatly increase the visibility of your business.

How to Get Your Business Listing to Rank Higher on Google Maps?

So how do you get your business listing to show up higher in Google Maps? Just like how there are on-page and off-page optimizations for local website SEO, there are on-listing and off-listing optimizations for business listing SEO. But first, you need to get listed on Google Maps and claim your listing, which we’ll be covering next.

1) Add your business to Google Maps.

2) Claim your Google Maps business listing.

3) Add information to your Google Maps business listing.

4) Add photos to your Google Maps business listing.

5) Get Google reviews.

6) Consolidate your Google Maps listings.

7) Post regularly to your Google Maps business listing.

8) Make sure your website is responsive.

9) Add local keywords to your website.

10) Embed a Google map on your website.

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