Google Maps Marketing: How to Grow Your Local Business

What Is Google Maps Marketing?

Google Maps selling is the process of improving your business’s visibility successful Google Maps. You bash this chiefly by optimizing your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) to marque it much apt that your concern volition look for applicable section searches. 

When your concern shows up successful section searches, you can:

• Build spot with imaginable customers
• Gain a competitory edge
• Drive much sales

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is simply a escaped listing that lets you negociate however your concern appears successful Google Search and Google Maps.

Here’s an illustration of an optimized GBP listing, with photos, opening hours, interaction information, and more:

Your GBP listing tin amusement up successful 3 locations:

• Google Maps (web and app versions)
• Local pack/map pack
• Local Finder

In Google Maps, your concern tin look erstwhile users hunt for circumstantial businesses, products, oregon services.

The local pack (sometimes called the representation pack) appears successful hunt results for applicable terms. It shows akin details to those connected Google Maps.

Like this:

And erstwhile users grow the section pack, they tin find much listings successful the Local Finder (while akin to Google Maps, the interface is somewhat different). 

Why Is Marketing with Google Maps Beneficial?

Google Maps selling tin assistance you:

• Build spot and credibility: When your GBP listing appears successful section searches (especially astatine the top), imaginable customers whitethorn spot your concern arsenic credible and trustworthy
• Tell your customers much astir your business: A well-optimized listing shows that your concern is progressive and reputable, and it provides customers with cardinal accusation similar your location, opening hours, and interaction details
• Increase section visibility: Google Maps selling makes it easier for adjacent customers to find your business
• Gain a competitory edge: Appearing higher connected Google Maps and successful hunt results makes it much apt that customers volition take your concern implicit your competitors
• Make it casual for customers to scope you: Google Maps selling allows customers to rapidly call, get directions, oregon sojourn your website
• Appear successful dependable searches: Many radical hunt for section businesses connected their phones done dependable assistants, which often propulsion results from Google Maps 

How Does Google Rank Local Search and Map Results?

It’s wide that appearing successful Google Maps and section hunt results tin positively interaction your business.

But wherefore bash you request selling to marque that happen?

Because Google uses a wide scope of ranking factors to determine wherever to fertile websites. And knowing what these factors are tin assistance you pinpoint your Google Maps selling efforts for amended results.

Google ranks section concern listings by considering 3 cardinal factors:

• Relevance: Google looks astatine however intimately your concern matches the searcher’s intent. The much applicable your concern is to what the idiosyncratic is searching for, the amended your chances of ranking higher.
• Distance: Google factors successful however adjacent your concern is to the searcher’s determination oregon the country specified successful the search. The person you are, the much apt you are to look successful apical results for section searches.
• Prominence: Prominence measures however well-known your concern is, and it’s influenced by factors similar online reviews, ratings, and backlinks. The much established and fashionable your concern appears, the amended it tin rank.

Next, we’ll locomotion you done the steps to optimize your business’s online beingness for these 3 factors.

How to Start Marketing with Google Maps

1. Optimize Your GBP Listing

The much optimized your GBP listing is, the higher it tin fertile for applicable section queries.

How?

Because it helps Google amended recognize your business. Meaning its algorithms volition beryllium amended capable to lucifer you up with applicable section hunt results. 

Optimizing your Business Profile involves filling retired important details similar your concern name, category, location, work areas, hours of operation, website, and interaction details. 

Beyond these essentials, you tin also:

• Add photos oregon videos: Post high-quality photos oregon videos of your space, products, oregon services. This makes your listing much inviting and gives imaginable customers a amended consciousness for your concern earlier deciding to store with you.
• Write an engaging, keyword-optimized concern description: Create a compelling concern statement that intelligibly explains what your concern offers. Include applicable keywords truthful Google tin amended link your concern to section searches (but don’t keyword stuff).
• Post regularly: Keep your illustration progressive by sharing updates, offers, and news. This tin amusement customers you’re inactive successful business, of course, but offers tin further promote them to store with you.
• Submit questions and answers: Your GBP listing includes a “Questions & Answers” section, wherever users (and you) tin inquire and reply questions astir your business. Use this abstraction to supply further accusation and assistance imaginable customers with circumstantial needs.
• Keep your GBP listing up to date: Regularly update your opening hours, interaction details, and services truthful customers ever person close information.

For example, Junoon has provided each the cardinal accusation a bare patron mightiness need:

Use Semrush’s GBP Optimization instrumentality to negociate and optimize your Google Business Profile. 

You tin besides way however often your illustration appears successful section searches and connected Google Maps. 

Access the GBP Optimization instrumentality with a Semrush Local subscription.

2. Get More Reviews

The much affirmative reviews your GBP listing has, the higher it tin look for applicable section queries. 

Why?

Because it affects the “prominence” origin we mentioned earlier.

According to Google:

Google reappraisal number and reappraisal people origin into section hunt ranking. More reviews and affirmative ratings tin amended your business’ section ranking.

Aim to summation your reappraisal number by encouraging blessed customers to permission feedback. Beyond improving your rankings, this tin besides physique spot with imaginable customers. Which tin pb to much sales.

Keep these 2 cardinal principles successful caput erstwhile encouraging customers to permission reviews:

• Ask astatine the close time. Request reviews erstwhile a lawsuit has had a affirmative experience, similar aft a acquisition oregon palmy service.
• Make it easy. Share a nonstop nexus to your Google Business Profile successful follow-up emails, connected receipts, oregon done SMS, truthful customers tin permission a reappraisal with conscionable a fewer clicks.

Get a nexus to nonstop to customers done the “Ask for reviews” conception of your Business Profile:

This volition springiness you a nexus you tin stock with your customers.

You should besides respond to lawsuit reviews, some affirmative and negative. This shows your customers that their feedback matters to you. 

Follow these champion practices:

• Use the reviewer’s sanction successful your reply to marque it consciousness personal
• Keep responses respectful and professional, adjacent if the reappraisal is harsh
• Respond wrong a week if possible
• Provide a applicable solution, specified arsenic a discount oregon refund, erstwhile imaginable (At a minimum, guarantee the reviewer that you’re addressing the basal origin of the problem.)

Use Semrush’s Review Management instrumentality to negociate and respond to lawsuit reviews from aggregate sites—including Google.

With filtering and sorting options, you tin easy prioritize reviews. 

For example, by focusing connected reviews you haven’t replied to yet.

This way, you tin enactment connected apical of each your reviews with ease, each successful 1 place.

3. Clean Up Your Local Listings

Local listings (or citations) are references to your business’s name, address, and telephone fig (NAP). Typically featured successful online directories similar Yelp. 

Google looks astatine section listings crossed the web to cheque if its ain concern listings are accurate. If it’s not assured successful your profile, it whitethorn beryllium little apt to show it to users.

(Plus, it could confuse your imaginable customers if they don’t cognize however to scope you.)

So, it’s important that your section listings are consistent. Especially erstwhile it comes to your name, address, and telephone number—key accusation for section customers.

To verify your listings, usage Semrush’s Listing Management tool. 

Simply participate your concern sanction arsenic it appears connected your GBP and prime the close 1 from suggestions.

Then, scroll down to spot if your concern is listed successful apical directories and whether your details are correct.

These results amusement that Corky’s Ribs & BBQ is missing retired connected invaluable exposure: 

And that the edifice has NAP issues successful immoderate of its listings:

If your concern has akin issues, scope retired to each directory to get your accusation added oregon corrected. 

Or usage the Listing Management instrumentality to hole everything successful 1 step. 

Click the “Try it now” fastener and travel the instructions to acquisition your subscription.

Then link your GBP to get much circumstantial insights into your section listing’s performance.

The instrumentality volition besides automatically taxable your business’s details to the apical directories successful your country. Which tin assistance amended your Google Maps rankings. 

4. Make Your Website SEO-Friendly

Having a much SEO-friendly website can pb to amended rankings successful representation results. If Google believes your website is applicable to searchers, it whitethorn judge your Business Profile is, too. 

For example, look astatine the SERP for “memphis bbq.” Memphis Barbecue Company’s website ranks top.

This concern besides ranks highly successful the section battalion (and, therefore, the Local Finder).

Memphis Barbecue Company ranks highly for this hunt query successful Google Maps, too.

You tin usage each kinds of local SEO techniques to amended your website’s rankings. And truthful boost your Google Maps selling efforts successful the process. 

Here are immoderate of the champion ways to amended your website’s SEO:

• Build backlinks. Links from respected section sources awesome to Google that your concern is trusted, which tin assistance amended your website’s hunt rankings. Connect with section directories, quality sites, and blogs to physique prime backlinks to your site.
• Optimize for section keywords. Research section keywords that are applicable to your concern and incorporated them people into your site’s content, headers, rubric tags, meta descriptions, and representation alt text.
• Publish localized content. Write applicable contented tailored to section interests, specified arsenic assemblage events, vicinity guides, oregon topics circumstantial to your area. This tin assistance you fortify your site’s relevance successful section searches.
• Fix method issues. Address immoderate technical SEO issues connected your site, similar dilatory loading times, breached links, oregon mediocre mobile usability. Beyond improving your SEO, a well-optimized, user-friendly tract besides enhances the idiosyncratic experience. 
• Add determination pages. If you service aggregate areas, make abstracted pages for each determination with circumstantial details. Including your address, interaction info, and services you connection successful that circumstantial area.

5. Run Google Maps Ads

Google Maps ads are section hunt ads that show erstwhile users look for businesses oregon services wrong a circumstantial area. They fertile astatine the apical of the section pack, Local Finder, oregon Google Maps results. Which tin amended your business’s visibility for applicable searches—at a cost.

By moving these ads, your concern tin look astatine the apical of applicable section searches with a “Sponsored" label. Like this:

Google Maps advertizing works connected a cost-per-click (CPC) basis. You wage each clip idiosyncratic does 1 of the following:

• Clicks to get determination details
• Clicks to get directions
• Clicks to telephone (on mobile)
• Clicks done to your website

The CPC depends connected assorted factors. Including however overmuch you (and immoderate competitors) “bid” for circumstantial hunt terms. (You tin acceptable an mean regular fund to forestall overspending.)

To get started, create a Google Ads account utilizing the aforesaid email code you usage for your GBP.

Next, link your GBP to Google Ads. Then you’re acceptable to make campaigns. To beryllium eligible for Google Maps ads, you indispensable bash the following:

• Target section keywords
• Target a circumstantial location
• Set bids by location

Google besides offers Local Services Ads, which look astatine the apical of the SERP erstwhile idiosyncratic enters a applicable section keyword. These tin enactment alongside your Google Maps ads.

Track Your Google Maps Ranking

Make it a wont to way your Google Maps selling show to recognize however good your strategy is moving and place areas for improvement. 

An casual mode to bash this is with Semrush’s Map Rank Tracker. 

The instrumentality shows precisely wherever your concern ranks connected Google Maps by keyword and determination crossed your work area. And however that compares to your competitors.

Start monitoring your Google Maps rankings with the Map Rank Tracker.