When you start your own business, or even if you’ve been established for a while, you can get a good chunk of your online persona just from Google Maps alone. If you’ve already got your business listed on Google MyBusiness, then you already know the basics on how to get your business listed on Maps. But how do you get to the top? That’s what we’re going to cover here.

It’s a dog eat dog world, and you can be one of the sharks in the ocean just like your competitors. There are many things that can give you some good rankings, including work you can do yourself to climb the ladder on Google Maps. We teamed up with Perspective Edge, who offers SEO services in Jacksonville, to make sure this was the best possible source of information.

Why Would You Want to Rank Higher?

If you’re providing goods or services in your area (web design for example), and you have five or six other competitors who may get more local business around the area than you, you need to step up your game. Ranking higher means that your service will end up being listed first, and you can eventually jump up and get some more business or steal some of your competitors’ business clients as well.

Not only that, but usually, Google Maps businesses are the first results when you search for your keywords, and people normally see these first and don’t go much further, especially when they’re on their mobile devices (which most people are on when they search in 2019).

How Do I Get on The Map?

First, you need to have a website. As mentioned earlier, Google Maps does also rely somewhat on your website’s SEO just the same, and they kind of go hand in hand together. The higher your website is ranking for a search term; the better chance you get at ranking high on Google Maps for at least your coverage area. First though, you need to search for your business in Maps. If your listing already appears, you can claim it (sometimes users will place an unofficial business listing if they like a place). If your business doesn’t appear, you can add it as a place to Maps and claim your listing. By doing so, you create a free GoogleMyBusiness account and claim it.

How Do I Rank Higher?

In order to rank higher, it’s somewhat similar to a website. The more details you enter, the better rating you’re going to end up getting. Why? Because the map completely and accurately looks at our Google MyBusiness listing and wants to be able to display as much information as possible. See? Just like regular website SEO, it’s all about quality of content. You need to supply the following:

  • Phone Number
  • Business Address
  • Website URL
  • Hours of Operation
  • Description
  • Business Category
  • Additional Business Details
  • Profile Images
  • Verified statuses
  • Reviews
  • Review Replies (always get back to customers as much as possible. Bad or good)
  • Positive vs. Negative ratings
  • Average star of ratings.
  • Posts (Like a GoogleMyBusiness mini-blog)
  • Questions
  • Answers

Conclusion: That’s Not All Folks!

In order to get the most out of your listing, there is important things you want to do. For example, use a local phone service instead of your business’ toll free number if possible. Don’t use a tracked number, as this can hurt your rankings.

Keep your hours updated frequently (Google will ask for each holiday if you’re open), use SEO keyword research and keyword in your description content, categorize your business right, add photos, and get reviews (you can share the review form on Facebook and social media sites. FYI this can also boost your website traffic!). Make your website mobile-friendly, use similar keywords, and embed a map on your website of your business.