How to Rank Higher in Google Maps

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It’s been 16 years since Google Maps came into existence, and ever since its creation, it has only been doing things that we once thought were impossible. Over time, it has become more than just a tool as a map.

In 2020, Google added the ‘Explore’ function to the maps to discover local businesses. 

This was a huge benefit not just for the customer but also for the business. It was now easy to discover them amongst all their local competition.

The year 2021 saw a major update in the Live view feature of maps. You could now discover nearby shops and restaurants or other businesses and see how busy it is. 

Google Maps seem only to improve every year, which greatly uplifts businesses. For instance, if you are traveling to a new city, Maps show you the local tourist attractions. 

If you are running your own business and trying to discover your customers, then Google Maps is one of the easiest and best ways to get your customers’ attention. 

To rank on Google Maps is a task, though. Here are some best tips to help your business rank better on Google Maps.

10 Tips to Rank Higher in Google Maps

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1. Build Strong Backlinks

There are various signals that Google Maps picks up to rank your business. And one among them is link signals. 

Claim as many backlinks as possible as citations are among the most important ways to spread your business information across the web. You can use sites like Yext, brightlocal, mozlocal, etc., to manage and optimize local business listings. 

Use various directories to mention your business and request backlinks from high DA sites for better quality and ranking. Guest posting is one of the best ways to build backlinks.

• When building backlinks, focus on three main aspects: natural backlinks, relevant backlinks, and backlinks from high authoritative publications.
• Citation audits and cleanups are the first goals to have while building backlinks.
• Use backlinking management tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz to work and channel and manage your backlinks effectively.

2. Clear The GMB Spam To Climb Up The Ladder

This is probably the first thing you should be doing even to get listed or cited on Google Maps. 

If you haven’t optimized your Google My Business yet, then this is what you should be doing first. Maps use GMB as the first place to pull out information. 

Do it immediately if you haven’t added your business to the Maps yet. 

• Besides optimizing your own, spot GMB listing that you think is spam and try and remove or edit their information. For instance, some businesses could be listed, but they might not be real. Use the edit tool to cut the business or use Google’s Redressal Complaint Form. 

Find the public URL on Google maps that you want to report (as shown below) and submit it. This will help you eliminate fake businesses trying to climb up the ladder.

• Fighting off the spam in GMB is something that not many do, and if you make the best of this tip and to your advantage, there’s nothing better than it.

Read: Common Google My Business Mistakes People Make

3. Populate Q&A In Advance

Many people come online and find questions about a business in their minds. 

The first thing you should do as a local business is checking your GMB account and find any questions that aren’t answered yet. You can find them on GMB, which are listed as shown in the screenshot. 

If you don’t have any questions listed, you must pre-populate some of them. Open another Gmail account, go to your business in Google search, and click on ‘Ask a question.’ 

Then come back to your professional account to answer them.

• Using this can help you become more visible, and as people like your question, you will see yourself ranking better.
• Add keywords in the Q&As you populate. But ensure it is done subtly. Tools like Soovle, Ahref’s keyword explorer, and Google Keyword Planner can help you populate the right keywords.
• Add relevant questions and ensure all of them are answered.

4. Understand Google Map’s Ranking Algorithm

What is it exactly that the Maps take up to rank your business? There are three focus areas that Maps pick to rank your business. It is called the Google Local Algorithm. 

Check out these three things that are the basis for ranking.

• Relevance refers to how well your listing matches the search term intent. Add complete and relevant information about your business free of errors.
• Proximity - How close is your business from where the customer is searching. Use local keywords for this. Bright Local’s local keyword ranking tool is great for this. For example, take a look at the screenshot. The user searched for hair salons in Denver; thus, it popped all businesses from Denver only. 

• Prominence - Maps pick businesses that have better prominence. For this, list your business across various directories and keep it active in multiple channels, so they become more prominent and most talked about business.

5. Add Local Business Schema Markup

Here’s the trick to adding your NAP information the right way to your business listing. 

While adding your business address, use the schema language. Use Google Tag Manager for this and use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to check if Google is verifying it. Here’s how a business appears on Google using schema markup.

If you are new to adding the schema markup, refer to various online guides that can help you do this.

6. Add Reviews; Plenty Of Them

If you notice, reviews are the best ways to add relevant keywords that can help you rank your business. 

Customers add one or two keywords while typing their reviews, which can do wonders for a business, especially organic search. 

Reviews aid in better ranking on Maps, generate conversations and give insights to new and potential customers. 82% of customers make a purchasing decision based on online reviews. 

They are important for new businesses to trust you and act as social proof to choose your brand over your competitors.

• Use various strategies to get effective reviews from your customers. Adding website pop-ups or handing over a feedback form are simple things you can try.
• Use Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, or other online form builders to effectively collect and channel your reviews. You can even create a link through the GMB page below and share it through various channels asking for a review. 

• Online Reputation Management tools like Sprout Social, Reputology, and Google Alerts help you stay up to date in understanding the mentions of your business, both positive and negative. Use them to spot nicely worded reviews and add them to your GMB.

Read: Reviews & Its Role in Local SEO

7. Post On Google My Business

Your GMB account must be active. If your business is old and you are trying to build a better ranking, then images from the past will not work. 

Customers want to know how the business is in real-time and so being active and adding recent pictures and information is a great way to improve your ranking. But how do they help in the ranking? 

When customers see your business listing, they first check for ratings and reviews, then check for images and how active the business is. 

This improves your mentions, especially when you add original images from your business.

• Use high-definition images for all your pictures and ensure they are original.
• Keep your posts relevant and respectful such that it does not hurt anyone’s sentiments.
• Post at least once a week and show more of your products and location of you have a store.

8. Ensure You Follow The Google Maps SEO Checklist

While updating and optimizing your Google My Business is a great way to rank better, that is not all. Certain things about Google Maps optimization are often overlooked by many. 

A checklist is a great way to ensure that none are missed out. Alex Ratnyski, the founder of Ratynski Digital, has a collated checklist for Google Maps that you can follow to ensure optimum benefit and ranking. Some quick tips while following them:

• For keyword optimization on your website, use keyword research tools like Ubersuggest, Jaxxy, or Google Search Console. 
• Keep tracking your GMB results and analytics to alter or improve your strategy. Observation is the key to staying relevant in the present. You can track it through GMB insights or any third-party tools. 

• Local Market Analytics by Moz is a great tool to understand your ranking position and your competitors’.

9. Optimize Your Google My Business

All things said and done, the most important thing to follow to rank higher in Google Maps is setting your GMB account the right way. 

Many businesses take it casually when it comes to adding information on GMB. This could cost you, potential customers. 

The first thing is to claim your Google Maps business listing. More information, better the ranking. But you should also ensure that it is consistent across all platforms you use. 

• Use a local phone number for your business. Ensure it is reachable and is mentioned on your profile. Customers often try contacting the number, and when they find it is spam, they never return to the business again due to trust issues. So, keep maintaining high NAP accuracy (Name, Address, Phone number) details. 

• Keep your business hours updated. This also includes adding it properly for holidays and festivals. This might sound insignificant compared to other aspects of GMB, but it does create a big deal.
• Use the right category for your business to be listed properly and ranks accordingly in your domain.

Pro Tip: Keep a tab on spam and duplicate listing and weed them out. Google condemns businesses with multiple listings, so keep this as a ritual to promptly check spam listings and delete them.

10. Optimize Your Website For Better Ranking

This is probably one of the most common tips to rank, whether on a search engine or maps. 

Yes, website optimization has got to do with everything, especially for maps, because at least 90% of people access Google Maps from their phones. 

This means when someone is checking for ‘restaurants near me’ or ‘mechanics near me,’ your website or related pages are responsive to view on a mobile screen and if fast enough to access.

• Tools like Sematext, Pingdom Speed Test, and dotcom-monitor help you check your page speed and offer suggestions to improve it. 

Here’s a tested screenshot of a business site that loads within 3s. It’s considered an optimized site as Google devalues sites with 3+ second loading speed.

• Optimize your website content with meta descriptions, title, and header tags to get indexed properly.
• Embed a Google Map on your website on the contact us page for better ranking and ease of accessibility to customers.

Read: Tips to Increase Page Loading Speed

Key Takeaways

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• Add your business in Maps and claim your GMB listing.
• Ensure every section of GMB is optimized with the relevant and right information.
• Consolidate duplicate listings and eliminate them.
• Add photos and update information regularly on GMB.
• Embed a Google Map to your website on any page, preferable in the contact section.
• Add reviews and respond to older ones.
• Track your results to ensure your strategy is working right.
• Have a proper responsive design as many customers access Maps only through their phones and tabs.
• Earn quality backlinks and ensure they have a high DA.
• Add local business schema markup.