Local businesses have so many options for marketing their brand, and there are numerous channels for gaining visibility. Other than social media and content marketing, the go-to resource for local customers is Google Maps.

In fact, Google Maps carries more weight when it comes to local businesses because that is how the majority of the local audience looks for brands that cater to their needs. Whether you’re a restaurant, repair shop, or any other service provider operating locally, your Google Maps rating is going to play a significant role in establishing your credibility within the local community.

Recently various trends have shown that the majority of local consumers check Google ratings and reviews of a place before doing any business with them. This alone is a huge testament to how much of an impact Google Maps have on the rankings of local businesses. The chances of a lead turning into conversion are significantly higher if you rank well on Google Maps.

Let’s learn more about this phenomenon below!

Google Maps Marketing: What is it?

The impact of Google Maps ranking is so significant that a whole segment of marketing campaigns is dedicated to it. Google Maps marketing is a strategy for optimizing a local business’ online presence on Google. This helps a great deal with the visibility of a new local business online.

How does it work, you ask?

Well, when you go on google to do a search that has local intent, such as “hair salons in the Bronx” or “sushi places near me,” you will see a list of Google Maps places in order of their ranking. So, the goal for local businesses is to be among the three that show up as a result of this search. People trust those businesses easily when they have been ranked higher by Google and also have good reviews from other local customers.

Why Local Businesses Need to Prioritize Google Maps Marketing?

The biggest selling point of a high Google Maps ranking is the immense brand visibility that you get. This advantage proves monumental for businesses that operate locally and compete for the attention of the same target audience.

Did you know that Google Maps is one of the most frequently used apps for smartphone users today? Yes, that’s true, and as a locally operating business, you need to make sure that your business looks well on Google Maps with high rankings so more and more local customers visit you or purchase from you.

The majority of US consumers check online Google ratings before doing any kind of business with local entities. Whether it’s a new restaurant, bar, clothing brand, or gift shop, your potential customers are highly likely to check your Google Maps ratings before considering interacting with you.

Therefore, if you’re a new and coming local business that hopes to get visibility in the market, you need to have a Google Maps marketing strategy that allows you to rank higher. Let’s learn more about what makes a strong Google Maps marketing strategy below!

How to Set Up Your Business for High Google Maps Ranking?

Before you begin to panic over how to get your local business up on Google Maps and ensure that it has high ratings, you first need to understand all the factors that determine the ranking of a business on Google Maps. There are a few elements that you’ll need to get right before you can shoot for that high-ranking shot on Google Maps.

It is important to note that local rankings work very differently from regular search engine optimization services and search engine algorithms. Since the searches are specific to a location, different factors come into play to determine the ranking of search results.

Once you know all the ingredients of this recipe, it will become easy for you to build and maintain a high ranking on Google Maps. We are listing all the things that go into creating a strong Google Maps profile that helps with local rankings. In total, there are eight signals that help establish a good Google Maps ranking. They include:

1. Google My Business signals
2. Review signals
3. On-page signals
4. Link signals
5. Personalization
6. Citation signals
7. Behavioral signals
8. Social signals

The local algorithm of Google Maps takes into account all the signals listed above in order to rank the search results. These 8 signals are analyzed based on the following three areas:

• Proximity to the Searcher: How close is a business in proximity to the searcher?
• Local Prominence and Credibility: The authority or popularity of the business in the locality.
• Relevance to the Search: How relevant the business is to the searcher’s exact query.

All the above-mentioned factors come into play when analyzing the eight signals on Google Maps. All of these come together to rank a local business on the search results on Google Maps. Out of all these, Google My Business or GMB is the primary factor that has an impact on all the rest. Let’s learn more about it below!

Google My Business: How Does it Improve Google Maps Ranking?

Google My Business or GMB is a business platform that Google offers to local businesses to create a profile that will be displayed when a user searches for the business. It is a free platform for businesses to represent themselves properly on Google platforms. The profile created by businesses here is displayed across all Google products.

If you’re a new local business and want to create a GMB profile, the first thing you’ll need to do is create an in-person interaction opportunity for customers with your business. This could mean that you’ll need a physical location with specified business hours.

If a permanent location is not an option for you to interact with your customers but your nature of service requires you to visit customers, then that counts as well. The only thing that matters is that you have specified working hours in which you cater to your customers directly.

To create a GMB profile, you will have to provide information about your business, including the following:

• Business name
• Business description
• Website
• Phone number
• Address
• Reviews
• Business category or industry
• Locations that you serve
• Business hours
• Products and services
• Photos
• Other information based on your industry

Once you create a Google My Business profile, you enter the race of Google Maps ranking on a strong foot. It will allow you to channel traffic to your business, increase revenue, and improve your Google Maps ranking.

Tips for Improving Your Google Maps Ranking

Once you have set up your business’ Google profile, it is important that you actively seek a higher ranking by boosting your Google Maps marketing efforts. Here are three factors that help boost rankings on Google Maps:

1. Quality Online Reviews

Online reviews help businesses immensely with their rankings and credibility. As mentioned earlier, when it comes to new local businesses, consumers take Google reviews into account before deciding to get in touch with the business or make any purchases. Google Maps gives immense value to customer reviews and the rankings also heavily rely on them.

Reviews help consumers understand what they expect from a business. It also gives them social proof of the quality and credibility of the business in question. As a local business owner, you need to incorporate it into your customer practice that reviews are encouraged. Train your staff to ask customers for reviews. Consider giving new customers an incentive to post their reviews on Google. The more quality reviews you have, the higher your business would rank on Google Maps.

2. Local Link-Building

Links are another significant factor that comes into play for the Google algorithm for rankings. It is especially important when it comes to rankings of Google Maps. Local links help establish authority and credibility for businesses on Google’s algorithm.

There are many ways that you can build links for your business. Consider starting by utilizing your existing business relationships. Reach out to other local businesses and organizations that you have supported, worked, or collaborated with. You can create a content piece in collaboration or exchange testimonials for each other.

3. Track Your Analytics & Results

Google My Business offers key insights and analytics for businesses to monitor and track their progress. Make sure you keep a close eye on these tools and also follow suggestions made by them.

These analytics will provide information like:

• Which keywords and search queries lead to your listing
• How often your business appeared in Google searches
• How often your business appeared on Google Maps
• The type of actions taken by customers on your GMB
• The days and timings of most activity from customers, such as calls, emails, website visits.
• And many other insights

These analytics give you information that will help you revise and improve your Google Maps marketing strategy even further.

Concluding Thoughts

Google Maps have a huge impact on local rankings, especially for businesses that operate locally. By incorporating the tips and strategies discussed above, you can improve your business’s rankings on Google Maps.