Why Local Maps SEO is Important
Are you wondering how to increase the number of local phone calls and in-person visits to your local business? If you have not realized it yet… showing up high in Google Maps with your Google Business Profile is crucial for increasing local traffic. Some studies show that nearly 40-50% of local searches click on the top 3 results in the Google Maps listing. It is, without a doubt, where you want to show up online as a local business.
The Benefits of Ranking in The Top 3
There is an upward trend of people clicking on Google Maps listing more than the traditional blue link website listings in Google’s search results. Pull out your phone right now, open up a new tab, and do a local search for “personal injury lawyer near me.” You will see that the search results typically consist of paid ads at the top, followed by the top 3 Google Maps profiles and then the organic website listings (blue links). More and more people are choosing the map pack results.
What is powerful about being there is that on mobile devices, people can simply click a call button next to your profile without visiting your website. Showing up in the top 3 of Google Maps listings will, without a doubt, increase the # of local phone calls and in-person visits to your local business. The big question is, how do you show up there?
Factors That Determine Your Google Business Profile Ranking
Google Business Profile SEO is a lot like traditional website SEO; there are a lot of factors that determine rank position. Here are a few crucial ranking factors:
Google Business Profile Name: Having a keyword in your Google Business Profile name is arguably one of the biggest advantages of ranking higher. But before you go and change your name from “ABC” to “ABC Roofing,” assuming that roofing is your main service, go read Google’s policies and guidelines for Google Business Profiles. They typically want you to be listed as the legal business name that you registered your business with.
So, if you do not have that keyword in your legal business name, we do not recommend changing it unless you register a DBA name. Changing your Google Business Profile name in an unethical way could lead to your profile being suspended. It is not the end of the world if you can’t get your keyword in your business name; just focus on the other areas that matter.
Business Address and Location of Searcher: Google loves to show users businesses closest to them that are relevant. This means that the Google Maps result is sometimes different in different locations. For example, if I am standing in a dentist’s office in downtown Huntsville and I search on Google for “dentist near me,” it is very likely that the dentist’s office that I am standing in will show up first on the map pack as long as they have established enough relevancy. However, if I do the same search but on the other side of town, the results may not show them in the top 3 because there might be more relevant Dentists closer to where I am searching. By doing local SEO, you can improve your rankings further from your GBP address.
Google Reviews: Having a good number of 5-star Google reviews is crucial to your Google Business Profile Ranking. It is very hard to rank your profile if you only have 4 reviews, and all your competitors have 20+. A pro tip is to get reviews consistently and also ask people who leave you a review to include a keyword like “roofing in Huntsville” in the review.
CTR / Google Business Profile Interactions: The more often people click on your Google Business Profile and either call you, go to your website, click on directions so they can drive there, etc., the more Google can trust your business profile.
Website SEO: Your Google Business Profile and your website are best friends when it comes to local SEO. You want to pay attention to your website SEO. You want your website to appear higher in Google search results and reflect what your Google Business Profile says about your business. You should ideally perform SEO on your Google Business Profile and website for best results.
Why Choose Zellus for GBP SEO
When investing in local SEO, you want to ensure you are doing the right activities that lead to results. At Zellus, we have tested several strategies for ranking a Google Business Profile higher in search results. We will make sure to perform all of the optimizations to your Google Business Profile that matter and use a transparent third-party reporting software so you know we aren’t lying about where your profile ranks.
If you are looking to increase local traffic and phone calls to your local business, contact us for a FREE consultation where we can analyze your current online presence and give you an honest recommendation on what you should be doing with your marketing budget.
