Google Maps Marketing: How To Grow Your Local Business

What Is Google Maps Marketing?

Google Maps trading is nan process of improving your business’s visibility successful Google Maps. You do this chiefly by optimizing your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) to make it overmuch apt that your business will look for applicable conception searches. 

When your business shows up successful conception searches, you can:

• Build spot pinch imaginable customers
• Gain a competitory edge
• Drive overmuch sales

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is simply a free listing that lets you negociate really your business appears successful Google Search and Google Maps.

Here’s an illustration of an optimized GBP listing, pinch photos, opening hours, relationship information, and more:

Your GBP listing tin show up successful 3 locations:

• Google Maps (web and app versions)
• Local pack/map pack
• Local Finder

In Google Maps, your business tin look erstwhile users hunt for circumstantial businesses, products, aliases services.

The local pack (sometimes called nan practice pack) appears successful hunt results for applicable terms. It shows akin specifications to those connected Google Maps.

Like this:

And erstwhile users turn nan conception pack, they tin find overmuch listings successful nan Local Finder (while akin to Google Maps, nan interface is somewhat different). 

Why Is Marketing pinch Google Maps Beneficial?

Google Maps trading tin thief you:

• Build spot and credibility: When your GBP listing appears successful conception searches (especially astatine nan top), imaginable customers whitethorn spot your business arsenic reliable and trustworthy
• Tell your customers overmuch astir your business: A well-optimized listing shows that your business is progressive and reputable, and it provides customers pinch cardinal accusation for illustration your location, opening hours, and relationship details
• Increase conception visibility: Google Maps trading makes it easier for adjacent customers to find your business
• Gain a competitory edge: Appearing higher connected Google Maps and successful hunt results makes it overmuch apt that customers will return your business complete your competitors
• Make it easy for customers to scope you: Google Maps trading allows customers to quickly call, get directions, aliases sojourn your website
• Appear successful sound searches: Many group hunt for conception businesses connected their phones done sound assistants, which often propulsion results from Google Maps 

How Does Google Rank Local Search and Map Results?

It’s clear that appearing successful Google Maps and conception hunt results tin positively effect your business.

But why do you petition trading to make that happen?

Because Google uses a wide scope of ranking factors to find wherever to rank websites. And knowing what these factors are tin thief you pinpoint your Google Maps trading efforts for amended results.

Google ranks conception business listings by considering 3 cardinal factors:

• Relevance: Google looks astatine really intimately your business matches nan searcher’s intent. The overmuch applicable your business is to what nan personification is searching for, nan amended your chances of ranking higher.
• Distance: Google factors successful really adjacent your business is to nan searcher’s location aliases nan area specified successful nan search. The personification you are, nan overmuch apt you are to look successful apical results for conception searches.
• Prominence: Prominence measures really well-known your business is, and it’s influenced by factors for illustration online reviews, ratings, and backlinks. The overmuch established and celebrated your business appears, nan amended it tin rank.

Next, we’ll locomotion you done nan steps to optimize your business’s online beingness for these 3 factors.

How to Start Marketing pinch Google Maps

1. Optimize Your GBP Listing

The overmuch optimized your GBP listing is, nan higher it tin rank for applicable conception queries.

How?

Because it helps Google amended understand your business. Meaning its algorithms will beryllium amended tin to lucifer you up pinch applicable conception hunt results. 

Optimizing your Business Profile involves filling retired important specifications for illustration your business name, category, location, activity areas, hours of operation, website, and relationship details. 

Beyond these essentials, you tin also:

• Add photos aliases videos: Post high-quality photos aliases videos of your space, products, aliases services. This makes your listing overmuch inviting and gives imaginable customers a amended consciousness for your business earlier deciding to shop pinch you.
• Write an engaging, keyword-optimized business description: Create a compelling business mentation that intelligibly explains what your business offers. Include applicable keywords truthful Google tin amended nexus your business to conception searches (but don’t keyword stuff).
• Post regularly: Keep your level scheme progressive by sharing updates, offers, and news. This tin show customers you’re still successful business, of course, but offers tin further beforehand them to shop pinch you.
• Submit questions and answers: Your GBP listing includes a “Questions & Answers” section, wherever users (and you) tin inquire and reply questions astir your business. Use this abstraction to proviso further accusation and assistance imaginable customers pinch circumstantial needs.
• Keep your GBP listing up to date: Regularly update your opening hours, relationship details, and services truthful customers ever personification meticulous information.

For example, Junoon has provided each nan cardinal accusation a quiet patron mightiness need:

Use Semrush’s GBP Optimization instrumentality to negociate and optimize your Google Business Profile. 

You tin too measurement really often your level scheme appears successful conception searches and connected Google Maps. 

Access nan GBP Optimization instrumentality pinch a Semrush Local subscription.

2. Get More Reviews

The overmuch affirmative reviews your GBP listing has, nan higher it tin look for applicable conception queries. 

Why?

Because it affects nan “prominence” facet we mentioned earlier.

According to Google:

Google reappraisal count and reappraisal group facet into conception hunt ranking. More reviews and affirmative ratings tin amended your business’ conception ranking.

Aim to summation your reappraisal count by encouraging happy customers to clip disconnected feedback. Beyond improving your rankings, this tin too build spot pinch imaginable customers. Which tin lead to overmuch sales.

Keep these 2 cardinal principles successful mind erstwhile encouraging customers to clip disconnected reviews:

• Ask astatine nan correct time. Request reviews erstwhile a customer has had a affirmative experience, for illustration aft a acquisition aliases successful service.
• Make it easy. Share a nonstop nexus to your Google Business Profile successful follow-up emails, connected receipts, aliases done SMS, truthful customers tin clip disconnected a reappraisal pinch conscionable a less clicks.

Get a nexus to nonstop to customers done nan “Ask for reviews” conception of your Business Profile:

This will springiness you a nexus you tin banal pinch your customers.

You should too respond to customer reviews, immoderate affirmative and negative. This shows your customers that their feedback matters to you. 

Follow these champion practices:

• Use nan reviewer’s punishment successful your reply to make it consciousness personal
• Keep responses respectful and professional, moreover if nan reappraisal is harsh
• Respond incorrect a week if possible
• Provide a applicable solution, specified arsenic a discount aliases refund, erstwhile imaginable (At a minimum, guarantee nan reviewer that you’re addressing nan guidelines root of nan problem.)

Use Semrush’s Review Management instrumentality to negociate and respond to customer reviews from aggregate sites—including Google.

With filtering and sorting options, you tin easy prioritize reviews. 

For example, by focusing connected reviews you haven’t replied to yet.

This way, you tin enactment connected apical of each your reviews pinch ease, each successful 1 place.

3. Clean Up Your Local Listings

Local listings (or citations) are references to your business’s name, address, and telephone number (NAP). Typically featured successful online directories for illustration Yelp. 

Google looks astatine conception listings crossed nan web to cheque if its ain business listings are accurate. If it’s not assured successful your profile, it whitethorn beryllium small apt to show it to users.

(Plus, it could confuse your imaginable customers if they don’t cognize really to scope you.)

So, it’s important that your conception listings are consistent. Especially erstwhile it comes to your name, address, and telephone number—key accusation for conception customers.

To verify your listings, usage Semrush’s Listing Management tool. 

Simply participate your business punishment arsenic it appears connected your GBP and premier nan correct 1 from suggestions.

Then, scroll down to spot if your business is listed successful apical directories and whether your specifications are correct.

These results show that Corky’s Ribs & BBQ is missing retired connected valuable exposure: 

And that nan edifice has NAP issues successful immoderate of its listings:

If your business has akin issues, scope retired to each directory to get your accusation added aliases corrected. 

Or usage nan Listing Management instrumentality to spread everything successful 1 step. 

Click nan “Try it now” fastener and recreation nan instructions to acquisition your subscription.

Then nexus your GBP to get overmuch circumstantial insights into your conception listing’s performance.

The instrumentality will too automatically taxable your business’s specifications to nan apical directories successful your country. Which tin thief amended your Google Maps rankings. 

4. Make Your Website SEO-Friendly

Having a overmuch SEO-friendly website tin lead to amended rankings successful practice results. If Google believes your website is applicable to searchers, it whitethorn judge your Business Profile is, too. 

For example, look astatine nan SERP for “memphis bbq.” Memphis Barbecue Company’s website ranks top.

This business too ranks highly successful nan conception battalion (and, therefore, nan Local Finder).

Memphis Barbecue Company ranks highly for this hunt query successful Google Maps, too.

You tin usage each kinds of section SEO techniques to amended your website’s rankings. And truthful boost your Google Maps trading efforts successful nan process. 

Here are immoderate of nan champion ways to amended your website’s SEO:

• Build backlinks. Links from respected conception sources awesome to Google that your business is trusted, which tin thief amended your website’s hunt rankings. Connect pinch conception directories, news sites, and blogs to build worth backlinks to your site.
• Optimize for conception keywords. Research conception keywords that are applicable to your business and incorporated them group into your site’s content, headers, title tags, meta descriptions, and image alt text.
• Publish localized content. Write applicable contented tailored to conception interests, specified arsenic statement events, vicinity guides, aliases topics circumstantial to your area. This tin thief you fortify your site’s relevance successful conception searches.
• Fix method issues. Address immoderate method SEO issues connected your site, for illustration slow loading times, room links, aliases mediocre mobile usability. Beyond improving your SEO, a well-optimized, user-friendly tract too enhances nan personification experience. 
• Add location pages. If you work aggregate areas, create abstracted pages for each location pinch circumstantial details. Including your address, relationship info, and services you relationship successful that circumstantial area.

5. Run Google Maps Ads

Google Maps ads are conception hunt ads that show erstwhile users look for businesses aliases services incorrect a circumstantial area. They rank astatine nan apical of nan conception pack, Local Finder, aliases Google Maps results. Which tin amended your business’s visibility for applicable searches—at a cost.

By moving these ads, your business tin look astatine nan apical of applicable conception searches pinch a “Sponsored" label. Like this:

Google Maps advertizing useful connected a cost-per-click (CPC) basis. You net each clip personification does 1 of nan following:

• Clicks to get location details
• Clicks to get directions
• Clicks to telephone (on mobile)
• Clicks done to your website

The CPC depends connected various factors. Including really overmuch you (and immoderate competitors) “bid” for circumstantial hunt terms. (You tin group an mean regular money to forestall overspending.)

To get started, create a Google Ads relationship utilizing nan aforesaid email reside you usage for your GBP.

Next, nexus your GBP to Google Ads. Then you’re caller to create campaigns. To beryllium eligible for Google Maps ads, you must do nan following:

• Target conception keywords
• Target a circumstantial location
• Set bids by location

Google too offers Local Services Ads, which look astatine nan apical of nan SERP erstwhile personification enters a applicable conception keyword. These tin activity alongside your Google Maps ads.

Track Your Google Maps Ranking

Make it a wont to measurement your Google Maps trading capacity to understand really bully your strategy is moving and spot areas for improvement. 

An easy measurement to do this is pinch Semrush’s Map Rank Tracker. 

The instrumentality shows precisely wherever your business ranks connected Google Maps by keyword and location crossed your activity area. And really that compares to your competitors.

Start monitoring your Google Maps rankings pinch nan Map Rank Tracker.