When you open a new business, often the first thing you do is to add your location to Google Maps. But here's the thing, most small business owners don’t think as Google Maps as an important marketing channel for your business.
Did you know: 70% of local searches on Google Maps lead to a visit to a physical store
Brick and mortar stores launching a Tiktok on Instagram channel that really drives sales is not realistic. But having a high ranking Google My Business account can create a flow of customers to your store that is organic, relatively cheap and dependable. When our customer Ben and Bred opened their 24h Supermarket in Munich, they had people from the Octoberfest walking through the door as if they were led by a magic string. Ben told us, "I saw the tourists with their head in the phone walking the street and I knew they were looking for our store".
Why Google Maps is undervalued as a marketing channel in 2023
In this article, we will go over 12 things you can do today to increase the flow of people from the street to your store.
Some Proven Techniques to Skyrocket Your Google Maps Ranking
Maintain Citation Consistency:
The first thing you want to do is make sure that your account details and names are consistent across platforms. This means that search engines can match your business account to your Facebook and your social media accounts. That consistency is important to rank high. You don’t want your name or addresses to differ.
Accurately Categorize Your Business:
The business category is also very important. We've seen many supermarkets being missed because they are mislabeled as delis or other non-relevant categories. Actually, Google lets you select a number of categories, which is also going to help get you new customers.
Encourage Google Reviews:
Encouraging Google reviews is really important for your online presence on the map. You should encourage satisfied customers to give you great reviews with lots of details and even pictures. Don't be afraid of negative reviews. They can be seen as opportunities to learn. Also, if you're asking actively for reviews, the chances are higher that they will be diluted out by the inflow of high quality 5 Star reviews. Answering review is another way to interact with customers online. Replying to a review means a lot to customers, and so it should mean a lot to you too.
Elevate Your Google My Business (GMB) Listing:
Make sure your Google my business listing is up-to-date and that every section has the relevant information. Having all information Fields filled and up to date including opening hours and great pictures is going to show customers that you're servicing them well online and in the real world. This is your digital storefront, so if it looks better than the competition, you’ll get more customers. Easy.
The Key to Google Maps Ranking:
Google Maps wants to provide a great service to the customers of Google. Therefore, it will serve people searching for the best businesses based on the relevance, the distance and prominence. If your business can offer customers what they're looking for, Google will reward you with views that then translate to customers coming to your store by means of navigation. Google has been saying that it wants to blend the online experience with the real world using AI. Map search is going to be much more like Google search, so now is the time to get ahead. So it's time to add products and have detailed pictures of your services to your account.
Stay Attuned to SERPs and Long-Tail Keywords:
The search engine result page and keywords that are relevant to your business are like Secret free weapons you can use. If your social posts and content can answer people's specific questions, they will convert to customers in your store. So sometimes you want to give transactional information to your customers, but sometimes you want to inform them on what's going on. Finding a ride to balance to actually give value is key. And as we said, social posts is not only Facebook and co: it can also be Google updates. Let's say you have a Protein store like our customer (Protein Club) - enter some keywords and see what google suggests. It's the world's most easy Keyword search tool everyone can use.
Optimize Your Website for Local Organic Search:
Your digital presence should be optimized for search engines, therefore your location should be accurate and your separate website mobile friendly. Also make sure that the Google Maps snippet is embedded on your website. Google really likes that.
Keep Your Info Consistent in Local Listings/Citations:
Your name, address and other location info needs to be updated up to date. If you've relocated or moved address, make sure your address is updated on various map sites to prevent potential customers from getting lost. This means updating information on Waze, Apple Maps, Bing maps as well!
Establish Local Backlinks:
Your links on other pages on the web, such as pages of other small businesses in your area, are important for local SEO. Reaching out to other business owners will not only help get you ranked higher on Google Maps, it will also build relationships that might benefit you in the future. It is worthwhile to ask a favor from other business owners near you. Offer to share a link to your website. This is the power of networking. But there are even easier places to start. How about making sure you're on yellow pages or other local directories like Yelp and co. It is super easy, and it counts as a backlink! Top Listings:
Google My Business
Tripadvisor
Bing Places for Business
Apple Maps
Microsoft Cortana
Facebook
Put Your Business on the Map(s):
Have your business not only on Google Maps but also on ways being an Apple Maps and Waze. All of these map providers are important for people to find you. Have a local agency help you with signing up, or try yourself. But you must get verified, that is really important.
Engage with people in your community and your customers. Asking how they're doing goes a long way, but actually you will be surprised how happy people will be to help you with your business listing on Google by giving you a good review if you just ask. Is there an event in the area? How about putting up some posters asking for reviews!
Share Linked Content and Photos:
Creating informative content is not only going to satisfy your customers, but it's also going to create roads that lead to your website. Also, having good pictures around the web of your business can attract more customers online that will call you or click on your website.
One of the best ways to collect photos is from reviews! It's great for the ranking. Did you know that profiles with more than 100 photos rank much higher?
Embed Google Maps on Your Contact Us Page:
We mentioned it before, but having a Google Maps code snippet on your website is a must. Having a map on your website helps Google tie all these loose strings together and make sure that you are being seen. At the end of the day the more people see your profile the more people will maybe click or call you and navigate to your store.
How can you integrate Google Maps in your website? Google makes it easy. Just click the "Add map to your website" and follow the instructions. Especially easy it is when you're working with Wix or Squarespace. Its literally copy and paste!
Conclusion:
And this guide will give you a lot of tools for a successful Google Map strategy. Being a star online doesn't have to mean that you're uploading videos on TikTok or Instagram. It can be as easy as having a great Google business profile. Building a strong presence online will only become more important, as AI will eventually close the gap between online and offline experiences. Investing sometime and following this checklist can pay off big time! As Voice also gets more important in 2024, Google Maps results will be preferred to users that want to buy something now. These users have high intent and therefore will be delighted to see your store nearby. Check out our other articles on how the map business is changing in 2024