11 Tips to Improve Your Google Maps SEO

What Is Google Maps SEO?

Google Maps SEO is the process of optimizing your business's listing successful Google Maps to amended its rankings successful section hunt results.

When radical participate a hunt query for a specified locale, Google often displays a representation on with a database of applicable businesses. Google volition besides bash this if it believes the hunt intent is local. 

For example, the query “food adjacent me” returns results arsenic a local pack with 3 concern listings and a map.

Why Is SEO for Google Maps Important?

Ranking successful Google Maps is important if your concern relies connected section customers.

• Improves section hunt rankings: One origin Google bases its section results connected is however good your Google Business Profile (GBP)—formerly called Google My Business—matches what idiosyncratic is searching for. Filling retired and optimizing your illustration tin summation your business's section hunt visibility.
• Increases website traffic: Appearing successful Google Maps tin thrust much postulation to your site. People are 70% much likely to sojourn a concern with a GBP.
• Builds trust: A Google Maps listing tin physique spot and credibility with searchers. People are 2.7 times much apt to see your concern reputable if they spot your GBP connected Google Maps.
• Showcases cardinal concern information: A GBP allows you to show important information. Such arsenic your concern address, website, telephone number, and different details. These assistance imaginable customers recognize what you do, erstwhile you’re open, and what benignant of reviews you get. 

Here’s an illustration of a Google Business Profile with cardinal concern information:

What Factors Affect Local Rankings?

Google's section hunt results are determined by 3 main factors: relevance, distance, and prominence.

Relevance

Relevance refers to however good your concern listing matches the user’s search intent. Google wants to amusement listings that are astir applicable to what the idiosyncratic is looking for.

Complete your GBP with elaborate accusation astir your business, products, and services. 

For example, a landscaping concern could update the following:

• Hours: Specify operating hours, including peculiar hours for holidays
• Business category: Choose the astir applicable class (in this case, “Landscaper”)
• Description: Write an engaging statement of your services and unsocial selling points
• Services: List each services, specified arsenic tract care, plot design, etc.
• Image and videos: Upload images of equipment, before-and-after shots, and the squad astatine work. Add videos showcasing your services and tours of completed projects.

Distance

Distance refers to however acold your concern is from the determination indicated successful a search. 

For example, presume you ain a Thai edifice successful Boston. When a idiosyncratic searches "Thai successful Boston," Google calculates the region betwixt the user's location. And your business's carnal location.

There isn’t overmuch you tin bash astir this factor. Only alteration your listing's determination if you determination the business.

Prominence

Prominence refers to however well-known your concern is. Google considers factors specified arsenic ratings, fig of reviews, and online concern information. 

For example, Thai Basil ranks archetypal successful the section battalion for "Thai successful Boston.” 

The edifice has implicit 800 reviews, which is much than doubly the fig of reviews than the 2nd listing. And a 4.0 mean rating. Google intelligibly sees it arsenic well-known.

If you unfastened a competing Thai edifice successful the aforesaid area, you apt won’t fertile successful the section battalion until you’ve reached a akin level of prominence.

Here are a fewer things you tin bash to improve your section prominence:

• Fill retired your GBP completely. Including name, address, and telephone fig (NAP), operating hours, amenities, work and merchandise offerings, and more.
• Encourage customers to permission Google reviews
• Follow on-page SEO champion practices for your site
• Create helpful, localized contented connected your site
• Get NAP citations connected societal media profiles and concern directories
• Earn backlinks by reaching retired to different section businesses, contacting section newspapers, and supporting/sponsoring section events

11 Tips for Ranking Higher successful Google Maps

Ranking higher successful Google Maps improves your business's hunt visibility. And tin assistance you pull much section customers.

1. Add oregon Claim Your Business connected Google Maps

To amended your Google Map SEO, make your GBP. Or assertion the unverified illustration Google created.

Search Google for your concern sanction to spot if a illustration exists. If it does, you’ll spot it connected the right-hand broadside of the hunt motor results leafage (SERP).

In the profile, you tin update important accusation astir your business, including your: 

• Name
• Address
• Phone number
• Operating hours
• And more

You tin besides upload images and docket posts.

To commencement the process, spell to the GBP page and click “Manage now.” 

Further reading: How to Add Your Business to Google

2. Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Once you’ve completed the claiming process, it’s clip to optimize your GBP.

While you tin bash this straight successful your profile, our Listing Management instrumentality makes the process faster and easier. 

Add your concern accusation to the tool. And it volition automatically update your GBP and galore different directory listings astatine the aforesaid time. Including Bing, Facebook, Yelp, Alexa, and more.

To start, unfastened Listing Management and participate your concern name. Once you've recovered your business, click connected it.

Next, you'll spot immoderate information astir your listings crossed each directories—not conscionable Google Maps.

Scroll to the conception called "Fix these to amended and grow your coverage." You’ll spot “Google Business Profile” listed successful the directory file if determination are immoderate issues.

Click the "Continue setup" button. This includes connecting your GBP to Listing Management. 

When you’ve finished the configuration, you'll get astatine the dashboard to negociate your GBP.

Update and optimize your illustration by doing the following:

• Enter close concern information: This includes your address, telephone number, website, operating hours, and parking
• Choose a superior concern category: Choose the class that fits your concern best
• Write a concern description: Write a compelling concern statement that highlights wherefore customers should take you
• Upload images and videos: Showcase your products, services, and the interior and exterior of your business
• Use the Posts feature: Share updates, promotions, events, and different applicable accusation astir your business

3. Post Content to Your Profile

Use the Posts diagnostic successful GBP to support your illustration fresh. And pull much customers. 

For example, here’s however a section bookstore could leverage the contented feature:

• Promote caller arrivals: Share posts astir caller publication releases, bestsellers, and unit picks
• Announce events: Post details astir upcoming events specified arsenic publication signings, writer talks, and speechmaking groups
• Highlight promotions: Announce upcoming sales, discounts, and peculiar offers
• Share seasonal recommendations: Suggest publication recommendations centered astir existent seasons and holidays

As different example, Dunkin’ uses posts to item deals for customers:

4. Manage and Respond to Reviews

Managing and responding to negative and affirmative reviews connected your GBP helps you support your online reputation.

Here’s an illustration of what a reappraisal looks similar connected your profile:

Best practices for managing and responding to Google reviews include:

• Monitor regularly: Set up notifications truthful you're alerted whenever a caller reappraisal is posted. Regular monitoring allows you to respond promptly. And code immoderate issues that arise.
• Respond to everything: Respond to each reviews, bully oregon bad. Thank customers for affirmative feedback. And code immoderate issues raised successful antagonistic reviews.
• Be professional: Use a nonrecreational code erstwhile responding. Be courteous to the reviewer’s praises oregon concerns.
• Personalize: Show you worth the reviewer’s feedback by utilizing their sanction if provided. And referencing details from their review.
• Be concise: Keep your responses wide and concise. Avoid penning lengthy responses that whitethorn beryllium overwhelming for readers.

Since reviews are a Google Maps ranking factor, it’s important to get much of them. Encourage your satisfied customers to permission reviews by asking them successful person. Or including a nexus successful your emails oregon connected receipts.

Find the nexus that volition instrumentality radical straight to your Google Maps listing successful your GBP dashboard. 

Click “Ask for reviews.”

A container volition look with a unsocial nexus conscionable for your listing. Copy it and stock it with your customers.

5. Optimize Your Site for Local Search

Optimizing your website for section hunt is indispensable for attracting customers successful your area. 

• Use section keywords: Include your metropolis oregon vicinity successful your content, meta tags, and headings arsenic portion of your Google Maps SEO strategy. This helps Google spot your concern arsenic applicable to section searches.
• Create determination pages: Create a dedicated leafage for each location, adjacent if you lone person one. Tailor the contented to the location, specified arsenic address, telephone number, concern hours, and lawsuit testimonials.
• Optimize meta tags: Use section keywords successful rubric tags and meta descriptions to assistance amended your site's hunt visibility
• Optimize for mobile devices: Many radical hunt locally connected their phones, truthful your tract needs to usage a responsive plan to show decently connected mobile devices
• Include your NAP connected each pages: Add your concern name, address, and telephone fig successful the footer of your tract truthful it appears connected each pages. It’s besides adjuvant for visitors to spot the NAP successful the assemblage of cardinal pages similar location and contact.
• Create section content: Publish contented that’s applicable to your section audience. Write astir section events, news, and updates astir your business.
• Ensure bully findability and crawlability: Link your astir important pages successful your site’s main navigation truthful some section customers and hunt bots tin easy find them

Use the Semrush Site Audit instrumentality to place issues affecting your site’s crawlability. Find and code problems preventing your tract from ranking for section searches.

Open the tool, participate your domain, and click “Start Audit.”

Enter a task sanction (optional). Then, click “Create project.”

To acceptable up your audit, take however galore pages you privation to check.

For example, you tin audit up to 100 pages per period with a escaped account. And up to 20,000 with a Semrush Pro oregon Guru subscription. 

Next, prime a crawl source. “Website” is the default.

Then, click the “Start Site Audit” button.

When the audit is finished, you’ll spot an overview of your site’s health.

To spot issues with crawling and indexing, click “View details” successful the container labeled “Crawlability.”

Now, you’ll spot a study of issues affecting crawlability and indexability. Like 5xx errors. Or dilatory pages.

Clicking connected the orangish horizontal bars adjacent to each contented volition amusement you the pages that request attention. Fix these issues to optimize your tract for section search.

Core Web Vitals metrics, which measurement load time, interactivity, and ocular stability, are besides important to monitor.

Check your site’s show by clicking “View details” successful the container labeled “Core Web Vitals.”

This tells you the presumption of your pages and provides humanities data.

The “Metrics” conception is wherever you’ll spot assorted show scores. And recommendations to amended them. Like eliminating render-blocking resources. And reducing the interaction of third-party code. 

6. Ensure Your NAP Is Consistent Across Listings

Since Google whitethorn usage your NAP citations to verify your concern information, guarantee consistency crossed the web.

If you aren’t utilizing a instrumentality similar Listing Management, you’ll request to bash this manually crossed platforms. 

If you haven’t already, make an relationship connected each applicable directories. Then, cheque that your name, address, and telephone fig are close crossed platforms. 

 Examples include:

• GBP
• Bing Places
• Yelp
• Facebook
• Apple Maps
• Local enclosure of commerce

If you’re utilizing Listing Management, you’ll lone request to update your NAP and concern accusation once. It past automatically updates oregon adds it to each disposable listings connected your behalf.

Further reading: 9 Local Business Listing Management Tools to Boost Foot Traffic

7. Build Relevant Local Backlinks

Backlinks are links connected different websites that constituent backmost to yours.

A Semrush study confirmed that the much applicable sites that nexus to you, the much apt your tract is to fertile higher overall.

Backlinks are important for SEO due to the fact that Google treats them likewise to votes of confidence. In general, the much backlinks your tract has, the much Google sees it arsenic trustworthy.

That’s wherefore it’s indispensable to adhd link building to your Google Maps SEO strategy.

• Submit to directories: Submit your concern to section online directories. Such arsenic Yelp and section enclosure of commerce sites.
• Reach retired locally: Provide section quality websites with announcements and stories
• Build relationships: Connect with section bloggers successful your industry
• Sponsor events: Sponsor section events and inquire for a backlink connected their site
• Partner up: Cross-promote different section businesses connected your sites
• Create section content: Tailor contented to your section audience, specified arsenic section guides, infographics, oregon videos
• Publish property releases: Write and administer property releases astir newsworthy events oregon milestones related to your business

Use the Semrush Backlink Audit instrumentality to way and analyse backlinks to your site. 

When the audit is done, you’ll spot an overview dashboard that looks similar this:

Within the tool, you can:

• See your wide backlink health
• Discover toxic links that could beryllium harmful to your site
• Get insights astir your backlinks and however to stay healthy
• Contact tract owners to inquire them to region links
• Build a disavow database to inquire Google to disregard links to your site

8. Add Local Business Schema

Schema is simply a benignant of structured information you tin usage to springiness Google further discourse astir your business. You spot the information successful the HTML root of your homepage.

LocalBusiness Schema allows you to people up adjuvant concern information. Like your NAP, website, and opening hours. Your concern whitethorn past look much prominently oregon with affluent snippets successful hunt results.

9. Target Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are highly circumstantial phrases that thin to person little hunt volume. Compared to shorter, broader keywords (also known arsenic “head terms”). 

For example, “landscaper” is simply a caput term. And “landscaper that plants fescue grass” is simply a long-tail keyword.

Long-tail keywords besides thin to person higher conversion rates due to the fact that searchers are much apt to beryllium funny successful a circumstantial merchandise oregon service.

Targeting long-tail keywords is beneficial for representation SEO for respective reasons:

• Less competitive: It whitethorn beryllium easier to fertile for long-tail keywords if you people a circumstantial geographic area.
• More specific: Since they’re much specific, they thin to pull radical who are further on successful the buying process
• Highly targeted: They tin assistance you people section customers much efficaciously by including location-specific words successful the phrase. This tin assistance you pull customers looking for businesses similar yours successful their area.

Find long-tail, applicable keywords to people by utilizing our Keyword Magic Tool.

Enter a caput word to start. Then, prime the state your concern operates in, and click “Search.”

You’ll past spot an overview of related keywords. And antithetic ways to filter and constrictive your focus.

To filter for long-tail keywords, click the “Advanced filters” drop-down.

Enter “3” arsenic the minimum fig of words and permission the maximum empty. Three words isn’t a rule, but it’s a bully starting constituent for uncovering highly circumstantial keywords.

Click “Apply.”

Then, click the “Include keywords” drop-down to filter those long-tail keywords to lone see your geographic area.

Enter the city, state, neighborhood, and immoderate different section indicator successful the box. Click “Apply.”

You’ll present spot a database of local, long-tail keywords to see targeting for your business.

To constrictive your absorption adjacent further, you whitethorn determine to filter by different variables. Like keyword trouble and intent.

10. Embed Google Maps connected Your Site

Embedding a Google Map connected your site—such arsenic your determination oregon interaction page—can assistance radical find your concern and amended the idiosyncratic experience.

It tin besides assistance Google recognize the geographical discourse of your business.

As an example, Molly Maid embeds a Google Map connected their Northwest Seattle determination leafage to amusement what country they serve:

11. Use Paid Ads to Boost Engagement

Google Local Services Ads assistance your concern pull customers. And cod leads via bookings and telephone calls.

These ads look astatine the apical of the Google SERP. They tin show your concern name, ratings, fig of reviews, opening hours, and more.

A fewer champion practices for creating these ads include:

• Fill retired your profile: Fully implicit your illustration with close accusation and applicable concern categories
• Set a realistic budget: Align your fund with your concern goals. Adjust based connected your ads’ performance.
• Define your work areas: Ensure your ads lone scope radical successful the areas you serve
• Share visuals: Include images and videos to pull attraction and showcase your services
• Use advertisement scheduling: Schedule your ads to tally lone during the hours erstwhile you judge your people assemblage is apt searching

For example, these paid ads look erstwhile searching “HVAC Boston”:

Further reading: Google Local Services Ads: What They Are & How to Set Them Up

Create an Effective Google Maps SEO Strategy

Google Maps tin beryllium a competitory abstraction for section businesses, truthful it’s indispensable to person the close SEO tools connected hand.

With Semrush’s suite of tools, you’ll person entree to a assortment of tools and features that tin assistance you optimize your website for section search.

Manage your GBP, probe section keywords, show your site’s health, and more—all successful 1 place. Get started today.