How to rank on Google maps

Ranking factors for Google Maps

Because they are all tied to location, both yours and the searcher’s, Google Maps ranking criteria are also known as local ranking factors. The three key local ranking factors, according to Google’s documentation, are:

• Relevance refers to how closely your company matches the user’s query.
• The distance between you and the search user.
• Prominence refers to how well-known and liked a company is.

The Vicinity Update and Local Ranking Factors

Google announced a major local engine improvement in December 2021. That Vicinity upgrade was the most significant local search algorithm modification in the last five years, significantly shifting the balance of the three key ranking variables. The distance element, in particular, began to play a far larger influence than it had previously. Before the upgrade, for example, better optimised listings might easily surpass those that were physically closer to the searcher.

Google has begun testing the new local pack style in SERPs in conjunction with the Vicinity update. As a result, you may encounter a larger block with its map on the right and three local pack results on the left.

Let’s look at how the Vicinity change affected each local SEO ranking element in more detail.

Relevance factor

The most straightforward factor to discuss is relevance. It refers to how relevant a company is to the enquiry. And, while in many categories, relevance used to boil down to having an exact match keyword in your business name, the current upgrade has lowered the importance of this aspect. For the time being, it appears that your company listing’s category and subcategories are important.

Distance Factor

The only issue you probably have no control over is distance. You’re stuck where you are, and you can’t transfer your business or make users look for it from a specific location.

The value of distance has risen dramatically as a result of the Vicinity upgrade. Google is attempting to display consumers the closest places to their preferred location without requiring them to walk too far. 

Prominence factor

Now comes prominence, the most difficult to quantify but crucial ranking component. The Vicinity upgrade has had an impact in this area as well.

According to Google’s documentation, prominence is determined by how well-known a company is both offline and online. So your company’s organic website rankings, GMB reviews, ratings, and backlinks are all expected to factor into your Google Maps prominence.

When you search for a destination in a different location from your present one (for example, you want to find something in another city you’re planning to visit), the power of prominence is evident.

Let’s go on to the practical aspect now, keeping the three local ranking variables in mind. What are your strategies for improving your Google map rankings?

1. Create a Google Maps account for your company.

You must be present on Google Maps in order to rank on Google Maps. So go to Google Maps and type in your company’s name in the search field.

Use the Add a missing place option if there isn’t any information about your business yet.

A window will appear, asking you to fill out basic business information such as hours of operation, category, and location.

When you’re finished, click Send. Your application will be evaluated and accepted, and an email will be sent to you.

2. Create a Google My Business listing for your company and optimise it.

To rank on Google Maps, you don’t technically need a GMB listing. But you do, because GMB is one of the most important local ranking factors:

When you add your business to Google Maps, you can automatically establish a GMB listing. To do so, go to the Maps pop-up and select Claim this company.

This action will lead you to the Google Business Profile page, where you can complete your listing by giving information and facts about your business.

When it comes to optimising your GMB listing, the key is simple: fill out every line and section that you see.

3. Get more reviews

As I previously stated, reviews have an impact on your ranking on Google Maps and in the local pack. Of course, I’m referring to positive reviews. What’s the best way to get them? To begin, you might encourage your customers to leave reviews. You can run a social media campaign, provide a discount, or just email them and ask for their feedback on your company and a rating.

By the way, reviews have their own ranking factors (you’ve probably noticed how some of them are pushed to the Most Relevant area by Google):

• Review score. And, on occasion, Google goes above and beyond the star rating. 
• Review quantity. It’s preferable if you have a lot of reviews.
• Keywords in the review text. If your reviews include relevant terms, they will be given a higher rating.

With this in mind, you must ensure that your company’s reviews are numerous and include keywords. Consider asking for reviews of certain items or services to encourage your consumers to utilise the required keywords.

4. Make your website more user-friendly

Although, like a GMB listing, you don’t need a website to appear on Google Maps, disregarding organic SEO can hurt your Google Maps performance, as there’s a strong correlation between organic traffic and rising rankings in the local pack.

Add local keywords

Enhance your website using local keywords to improve your local rankings. These are the keywords that Google uses to determine your proximity to a specific area.

In most circumstances, your landing pages might just include the name of the place where you operate. Use Newcastle’s best coffee instead of just best coffee, for example.

If you have multiple locations, consider establishing different local landing pages and optimising each one for important local keywords, such as the names of surrounding attractions and places, cities, and so on.

Add a Google map to your website.

Another approach to allow Google to associate your business with the location is to include Google Maps directly on your website. You can highlight directions to your area from the most popular neighbouring locations, such as an airport, railway station, local attractions, and so on.

Make your website mobile-friendly.

Website responsiveness refers to how well a website works on any device or screen size. Because Google Maps business listings include a link to your website and approximately 60% of Google searches are conducted on mobile devices, having a mobile-friendly website is a must.

5. Increase the number of relevant backlinks

Backlinks have always been crucial for SEO, and local search is no different.

When attempting to boost your visibility in local search, keep in mind that not only thematically related backlinks, but also locally relevant backlinks are important.

I recommend simply walking outside and looking around while looking for link-building chances. Begin with your immediate surroundings. Then, call your company contacts, which could include your partners, providers, clients, and so on.

Even if a company has nothing in common with you except for its location, a backlink from their website will indicate a “relationship” to that place, which will help your local rankings.

6. Review and update your NAP citations.

Your NAP (Name, Address, and Phone Number) refers to your most important business information. The more consistent these details are throughout all of your online business mentions, the more confident Google is in your company.

As a result, it’s a good idea to check your NAP citations for any inconsistencies and update them.

Despite the fact that some experts claim that the importance of citations as a ranking signal is decreasing every year. I’d still recommend paying attention to how your business appears on large platforms (such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, or Tripadvisor) and local directories in your area (like a city-wide review platform or an aggregate marketplace).

7. Include Schema Markup on your site.

Structured data assists Google in better understanding information regarding your company. Local business schemas can be applied to the address, hours of operation, and social media accounts, among other things. When Google crawlers arrive at your website, they will be able to quickly gather important information, increasing their trust in you and pushing your ranking higher in Google Maps.

To ensure that everything works properly, use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to examine and validate your schema.

8. Use Google Maps Ads to improve your ranking.

Although Google Maps Ads is not an organic form of promotion, you may still utilise it to drive visitors to your site.

Ads, like any other PPC campaign, appear above the organic results on a Google Maps SERP, usually one or two at a time. To run a Google Maps ad for your business, you must first claim it through your Google Business Profile account and then create a Google Ads account.

Finally, just like any other CPC campaign, advertising on Google Maps has the apparent benefit of appearing above other results; the difference is that the ad leads to your GMB listing instead of your website.

Your PPC results can be shown in Google Maps in a few different ways.

Search Results Ads

When you search for a business or service in your region on Google Maps with your mobile device, it will return the closest businesses based on your actual location and their ratings.

Google Maps offers paid local search listings if you want to be at the top of these maps results in a certain location.

This type of result boosts any company’s CTR among its competitors and generates a slew of new clicks.

Promoted Pins

Promoted pins are a form of sponsored ad placement that can help you stand out when people are browsing locations on the Maps app. These bolded pins appear on the map without the user needing to search for anything, unlike the search results advertising.

The colour and design of the icons will be determined by the sort of business being promoted. Furthermore, instead of a conventional icon, you can upload a logo to be displayed.

Promotions in-store

In-store promos are displayed directly on a business’s listing and inform users of any current promotions. These promos might range from buy-one-get-one-free deals to specific product reductions.

To summarise

Optimising for Google Maps isn’t the most obvious place to focus your SEO efforts. Still, with the rise of local business features in the SERP, your business does need them to get more views, clicks, and paying customers. As you can see, the procedure is not as difficult as it may have appeared before reading this article.