When a person is looking for a business near his location, he will have the reflex to search on Google, especially on Google Maps. That's why adopting a local search strategy on Google Maps is a great way to bring potential customers directly to your branch.
Here are some tips to help you improve your Google search rankings, i.e. appear in the top search results.
What is Google Map Pack?
Over the past decade, it has become increasingly important for local business owners to establish and grow their online presence. This is largely because building brand awareness online can quickly increase sales in the offline world.
The Google Map Pack, or Google maps pack in French, is the term used to describe the location-based search results you may see on a results page that lists local businesses and identifies their location on a map with small place markers. If you want your business to be visible to your potential customers, you need to rank well in the Google map pack.
What factors influence the Google Map Pack ranking?
Now that you have an idea of the benefits of Google Map Pack, let's find out what factors affect your rankings. This will give you possible solutions to rank in the 3-Packs, or the first three search results.
- The structure and format of your Google My Business (GMB) page. In your GMB account setup, set a primary category that best represents your business and will have more impact in your searches.
- The proximity of your business to user search and their location will impact the results.
- The number of reviews and especially the number of positive reviews are very important to gain the trust of Google Maps users.
How to improve your ranking in the Google Map Pack?
1. Start with Google My Business
The first thing to do is to create and configure your GMB account. A GMB profile will give potential customers looking for you a quick and easy overview of information about your business like your opening hours, contact details, directions to your store and reviews from your existing customers.
Setting up your Google My Business goes beyond free advertising and getting more visibility in searches. It is an effective tool that turns your customers' attention into action. Indeed, many searchers, especially mobile device users, rely on Google to access credible contact information and use their call-to-action buttons.
WHY A GOOGLE MY BUSINESS LIST?
Google My Business has become one of the most convenient and accessible ways for everyone to promote their business in search results on Google — the most used search engine in Canada with an average of 92% share of market.
To help you take advantage of the platform and optimize your Google My Business account, we've compiled a number of tips and tricks in The ULTIMATE Guide to Google My Business 2022 to shed light on your business!
2. Verify your address
To verify your business address, you must complete a GMB application form. After 3-5 days, Google will mail you a verification code. Enter this code in your GMB account.
You can also use the Gmail account you used to sign up for GMB. Once you've done this, Google associates your accounts with your business location.
3. Optimize your ads
This involves filling in important details about your business. The information you provide will affect your brand's visibility on search engines.
You will need to fill in the following fields:
- Company Name
- Category
- Contact details
- Pictures
- Comments
- business quotes
4. Optimize your website
Finally, you must also optimize your website by improving your content, your calls to action, the usability of your site, the compatibility of your site for mobile devices, in short everything to improve the user experience of your customers.
Optimizing your site improves its quality score, as well as your search engine ranking.
Conclusion
The importance of ranking in Google Maps searches should not be overlooked, especially for local businesses with a storefront. As you move forward with your local search strategy, it's important to know that Google results vary when checking your rankings from different locations. Google will always know where you are and return the most relevant results for your current location.
Want to take your Google My Business profile to the next level? Discover THE ULTIMATE GOOGLE MY BUSINESS GUIDE 2022 . Your reference to know everything from A to Z about this tool which is essential for your local SEO in your organic growth and social proof strategy!
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