There are many concerns facing businesses every single day. With the constant changing and improving digital marketing techniques, this is a constant concern. One of the biggest concerns for modern businesses is the rankings in various parts of the internet. This includes search engines and Google Maps. When you are trying to get your search engine ratings up, your employee an SEO (search engine optimization) marketing campaign. That being said, what do you do to raise your rankings in the local section of Google Maps. There is no specific method to turn to the way there is with search engines. So, where to even start? In this article you will find information, detailing the best and most successful ways to boost your local map ranking on Google Maps.
The first thing you will need to do is access your Google My Business page. Every business listed on a Google map has a My Business page where the business owner can claim the business as their own and edit details listed. Many times a business listing does not have enough or any details about the business because the page is unclaimed and the public does not have the answers to fill in. You must “claim” your business to have the ability to boost your rankings. Claiming a business is incredibly easy. One of the simplest methods is to open Google Maps, find your business, pull up information, and scroll through the listed information. Within this list, you will see a section that says “claim this business”. Simply click this and you will see screen prompts to get you set up. Claiming your business is vital to every other tip, technique, and a piece of advice, do not skip this step. If you have not claimed your business, you will not have access to the tools you will need for the rest of the steps and tips detailed here. It simply cannot be stressed enough, claim your business before moving on. It can be done on any device that has the ability to access Google Maps.
Once you have claimed your business, you will begin making changes and improvements to begin the process of bringing up your rankings. The first thing you need to do is go over all of the information that is already listed. There may be quite a bit or there may not be anything other than your business name. Either way, go over what is there and make sure it is entirely accurate. Also, be sure to fill out every available field for information. The more information listed, the better Google will be able to categorize your business into appropriate searches. One of the best steps you can take to boost your rankings is to ensure that potential customers have access to any and all information they may need before shopping for your establishment. Aside from filling out all the information, one of the most vital aspects of boosting rankings is ensuring that you are listed under the correct category. For your business to pop up in relevant searches, it must be categorized correctly.
Another key aspect of boosting your local ranking is photographs. You need to add an abundance of photos to your business page. It is best to include photos of the outside of the building, the various areas of the interior, products, price boards, decorations, flyers and signs, and any other relevant photos. This will not only provide customers a literal inside look at your business, it will also give Google a way to analyze your business page and determine relevance. Anytime something changes, be sure to add more photographs.
The next thing you need to do is verify the location of your business. Occasionally, the pin on the map itself is not placed correctly which makes it difficult for people to find your business. This not only hurts your ratings but you customer flow as well. If someone cannot find your business, they cannot become a patron of your business. Once you access your Google My Business page, you will be able to verify your location and make corrections when necessary.
Another important aspect that must not be ignored or skipped is reviews. Reviews are the life of any business and when people write them through Google, it gives an undeniable boost to your business’s relevance in the ranking system. From your My Business page, you can manage and respond to reviews left for your business. The more you interact and respond to reviews, the better your ranking will become. It is vital to have as many reviews as possible to raise and maintain your rankings. It is a wise idea to add a link to your website and social media accounts where customers can leave a review on Google. Do not hesitate to ask your social media followers to leave a review. Be sure to add a link they can use to do so when making your request.
The final tip to be discussed is to engage with your business page on a regular basis. Not only should you keep all information up to date and respond to reviews, you should also post regular updates. There are quite options available to be utilized including the ability to post updates much in the same way you do on social media. There are tools to post special sales and pricing as well as other important information. The more engaged you remain with your page, the better your rankings will be.
This has been a crash course in increasing your local ratings on Google Maps. There is always more to learn, but this information covers the majority of the most effective methods and techniques that you can employ. If you follow all of these steps and follow the information exactly, you will most assuredly see an increase in your rankings. Keep in mind that you cannot consider this a one-time effort. You must continually keep all of your information up to date and keep an engagement to keep raising your rankings and maintain the ranking that you have.
