Even if you're familiar with search engine optimization (SEO), you might not have heard of Google Maps SEO. But remember when your water heater went out unexpectedly, and you needed a plumber? You pulled up Google Maps, searched plumbers, and found a well-reviewed nearby plumber. That's the powerful magic of Google Maps SEO. Let's demystify Local SEO so you can ramp up revenue.
Understanding Local SEO
Before tapping into the growth potential of Local SEO, let's establish some SEO basics. When Google users type in a search and get useful results on the first page, that's the result of Google's algorithm and massive index of websites working together. Search Engine Optimization is how you make your online identity visible to the bots called crawlers that index your website so users can find what they're looking for fast.
Ultimately, search engine optimization is about ensuring search engines recognize your business as reputable and helpful so customers reach the same conclusion. SEO becomes easier if you think about your customers' needs first: What questions are they asking? How do they decide who to trust? If your online presence is set up to answer these kinds of questions, you can increase sales without necessarily increasing marketing costs.
Local SEO
Local SEO just takes things a step further by narrowing the focus to people in your surrounding area who are looking for a solution that your business can provide. You need to let the customer know that you're nearby, have the solution for them, and are reliable.
Why is Local SEO so important? If you operate a business with a predominantly local customer base, like restaurants, home services, or health, then making sure those people know where to find you is critical to success. Operating without Local SEO would be like running a store without a sign out front; how are customers supposed to know you exist?
While relying on walk-ins might be good for businesses located in commercial districts with tons of foot traffic, it's not the reality for many businesses. An online presence is a must for local businesses; 21 percent of consumers rely on the Internet daily to find a local business. Even if people aren't searching for local businesses daily, about a third of consumers still use it multiple times per week. But just being visible is only half the battle—you need to be seen first.
How Google Ranks Businesses
Before your business can begin climbing the SEO leaderboards, you need to understand how Google ranks businesses on the results page. Google believes its unique selling point to internet searchers is its ability to get people answers fast. Google uses Relevance, Distance, and Prominence to rank results and get people where they want to go quickly.
Relevance
The strength of the relationship between what the customer is searching for and what you have to offer determines relevance. The more your online presence displays an ability to answer the user's question, the higher up the results you get. Relevance is why you don't get results for whales when you search for airplanes.
Distance
When a search includes the term "near me," Google needs to be able to recognize that your business is near that searcher based on their location data. Increasingly, Google can recognize when it's relevant to include distance as a factor in search results even when users don't type "near me." This is especially true when people search for businesses on Google Maps. For this reason, your address must be visible across your online presence. If your business has multiple locations, make sure that you have landing pages that include each location's address.
Prominence
It's long been common practice to ask for references in the hiring process. Why? It lets the employer know that what the candidate says about themselves is actually true. The same is true for Google local search results. Google wants to confirm that your business has a strong reputation their users can trust. Google doesn't want to send people to dark corners of the web, so don't hide out there. Increasing prominence takes effort but it can be one of the best ways to climb up the results rankings.
How to Get Your Business on Top of Google Search
It might seem like managing your way through a battlefield of bots is more than your business can handle. In reality, climbing up the Google Search results comes down to being intentional with all the tasks your company already does in pursuit of success. Providing excellent service, receiving good reviews, and being a leader in the community all go a long way toward climbing the rankings—if you optimize your Google My Business Profile and Website.
Google My Business Profile Optimization
A Google My Business (GMB) profile is your vehicle for managing your business across Google platforms like Search and Maps. If you don't already have a GMB profile, you can create one or claim your business by providing Google with information to verify that you own the company. Once you set up your GMB profile, you can use it to increase your business's relevance, distance, and prominence rankings.
In today's increasingly fast and connected world, customers want to quickly find reputable businesses, and Google searches provide the perfect starting point. 97% of people learn more about local businesses online than any other resource. For those searchers, your GMB profile will be the first thing they see about your business. Here are some strategies to make sure your GMB profile is sending the right message:
Verify and Correct All Information
Start with the basics and make sure your business name, address, phone number, and website are accurate and posted. If your business has multiple locations, you will need a GMB profile for each address unless you have ten or more locations.
You also want to make sure that the primary industry your business is engaged in is accurate on your GMB profile. If your business provides multiple services or products, determine which one people are searching for the most and use that as your primary. For example, what if your repair shop fixes cars and motorcycles, but more people are looking for auto repair than motorcycle repair? In that case, listing auto repair as the primary industry makes the most sense. If you're primarily a motorcycle repair shop, you can still list that as the secondary.
Link to Social Media and vice versa
Your Google My Business profile should include links to your entire social media presence so customers can engage with your business directly in the future. Likewise, take a moment to confirm that your social media links back to your GMB profile to increase customer trust.
Post at least ten unique images
Unique images are critical to boosting your relevance and prominence in Google rankings. Google's crawlers believe that businesses with unique pictures are more credible. They also provide essential insights to potential customers, so post away!
Reply to all reviews
We get it; bad reviews can sting. Not just emotionally—94% of consumers have steered clear of a company because of a bad review. But, good or bad, you must reply to customer reviews to signal that feedback is appreciated and heard. Replies make a business more prominent in the algorithm. While customers expect a reply to a negative review within a week, it's best practice to reply to all reviews as quickly as possible. Oh, and for those bad reviews? Replying allows you to tell your side of the exchange and perhaps win over one of those customers above whom the review would otherwise deter.
If your business doesn't have many reviews, don't be afraid to ask for them. People will gravitate toward the business with 4.5 stars and 1,000 reviews instead of the company with 5 stars and 3 reviews. Get creative in your ask and consider incentivizing reviews, if necessary. If you're like most businesses, you're probably trying to do good work anyway, so most customers won't have a problem posting a review. Take things a step forward by encouraging good reviews with pictures included. Why? A review with a photo will rank higher than a bad review, even if the bad review is more recent.
Have friends, employees, and family ask questions for GMB to answer
Getting specific questions answered is another benefit users expect from GMB profiles. If your business doesn't have many or any questions, have your friends, employees, or family ask anticipated questions on the profile. Answering those questions on your GMB profile creates a more robust and relevant result for Google to index. Again, your business probably always answers questions, maybe through email or calls. All you're doing is blasting that information out to the community by putting it on your GMB profile.
Establish a weekly posting schedule
In addition to answering specific questions, you can use your GMB profile to inform customers before they realize they have a question. Use your GMB profile to inform potential customers about new products or services, testimonials, new hires, local events, and your business's charity work. These posts increase your business's relevance and can make it appear higher in the results.
Now, GMB posts expire after a week, so timing is everything. Establish and maintain a consistent presence through weekly posts. More posts don't hurt, but avoid being spammy, as this will have a negative impact.
Website
Optimizing your GMB profile alone won't be enough to catapult you to the top of the results page. You will also need to optimize your website to guarantee higher relevance, distance, and prominence rankings. A GMB profile can only convey so much relevance and prominence, especially if your business offers a lot. Let's start with a few ways to optimize your website for local searches.
Accurate Information, Again
As with your Google My Business profile, take the time to review your website and ensure that your information is accurate on every page. You can also embed Google Maps data directly into your website to make it easier for Google and users to determine your business's distance to a searcher. Don't let inaccurate information confuse a bot and keep you hidden from customers.
Determine the Keywords For Your Business
For people to find you online, you first need to know what search terms people use. If you own a cookie shop, people searching for cookies, desserts, or snacks should be able to find you. Once you find the keywords that people in your area use that relate to your business, look for places to include them on your website. There's a natural temptation to start putting those keywords everywhere; don't. Aim for authenticity to reap the rewards.
Create a content plan that incorporates keywords.
Incorporating main keywords into your website at the highest levels will help, but you can go deeper and reach a broader audience with a content plan around keywords. Blogs are a great way to incorporate keywords naturally into your website.
The benefits of blogs can be especially true for secondary keywords that you wouldn't place on your website's main pages. Take the cookie shop example. It wouldn't make sense for them to optimize their entire website around the search term "Christmas gift," but a well-timed blog that makes the case for their cookies as a stocking stuffer could drive up sales.
Optimize your website for mobile
Your website must be mobile-friendly as more and more people rely on smartphones as their primary tool for getting online. Mobile-friendliness is especially true for Local SEO, where someone might search for you while walking to their car. If a local business has a mobile-optimized site, 61% of mobile searchers are more likely to contact them.
Authoritative Links to build Prominence
Building trust on your website is crucial, but your business needs other people talking about you just as much. Google's algorithm ranks more prominent businesses higher in results. Authoritative links from other websites back to you (backlinks) are a great way to boost prominence.
At first, having other websites linking back to you might seem like a monumental task. In reality, there are probably already things your business does that could lead to these backlinks. If your company sponsors a non-profit or charity event or hosts a local event, ensure those nonprofits or events have websites with links back to you. It's a small ask that can lead to more revenue.
Another excellent source for backlinks is local news stations and sites. These news stations are always looking for stories, and a profile on your business is an opportunity for both of you. You can also pitch to local bloggers to have them profile your business, reaching their audience and providing a crucial link back to you.
Are There Services To Help Me Rank Better On Google Local?
If you're like most businesses in the US and have less than five employees, odds are the time it takes to manage your Google My Business profile and overhaul your website is scarce. That's where we at CMG Local Solutions come in.
The algorithms behind search engines like Google are constantly changing. With all your business's other demands, staying up-to-date on SEO best practices is challenging. Taking that extra step to get backlinks or create and implement content strategies can be more than your small business can manage. But so is the cost of ignoring Local SEO.
When did you last go to the second page of Google Search results? The shadows of the second page are no home for your business. At CMG, we're constantly monitoring Google and Local SEO so we can bring your business into the spotlight. While you focus on delivering an unparalleled customer service experience, managing the books, and supervising staff, we'll focus on guaranteeing the world—or at least your corner of it—hears about your business
Not to brag, but you found this page because we're pros at Local SEO.
