How to Setup Google Maps

Google Maps makes it easier for potential customers to both locate and interact with your local business online, via their computer or smartphone, by providing important details about your company, including your address, phone number, and business hours. It also provides directions to your location to help ensure new customers can find you. 

However, just like with any online search engine, the higher your business ranks in Google Maps, the more likely it is to be found by potential customers. Some ways to increase your ranking in Google Maps include:

About Google Maps

When conducting a Google search of businesses in your area, Google will automatically return a Google Map of the establishments nearest you.

For instance, if you were to key the word "pizza" into the Google search box, the service will return a map with a list of pinned locations of pizzerias in your area. It will also include a short profile of each establishment as well as a link to their Google My Business listing. Businesses can also include additional information, such as photos, to give you a better idea of their products or service.

The most popular pizzerias will appear as one of the top three listed in the search results.

If you are a small business, having a Google My Business Listing, which includes Google Maps, is important because it enables you to appear in local-based searches, which gives you a better chance of being seen against larger competitors. And since it is a free service, it's also a great way to gain free online marketing for your business.

The service is also beneficial for physical businesses because it provides new customers with directions to your location.

How Google Maps Obtains Your Business Information

Google is pretty intelligent when it comes to why and when we perform certain searches.
Therefore, when you key a word into the search box, the service takes a number of considerations into account, including location data points, when delivering results to provide users with the most useful search results.

As a result, when you add your business information to Google My Business when a person conducts a search related to your business, Google's algorithm knows they are probably searching for offerings in their area. Therefore, Google Map results will return all the information customers need to make a local purchase, including the hours, location, customer reviews, and busy times of your business as well as other businesses near you.

Why You Need a Google Maps Listing

Google Maps allows users to find your business for relevant searches in your business category without using your website, which is something your social media platform does not provide. In other words, it gives your customers a direct link to your business through Google Maps, which eliminates the intercessor between their searches and makes it easier for customers to connect with your business.

As opposed to going to your website to learn more about your business, customers can simply click on your Google Maps to be directed to your site. Customers can also simply click to get your business hours, to read customer reviews, and to contact you by phone.

Having your business listed on Google Maps also helps you be more competitive because it is highly likely that your competitors are listed on Google Maps as well.

Claiming your Google My Business also allows you to manage your Google Maps profile, which gives you more control over your business information online. Otherwise, Users, or even Google, could create a profile for you, which may not as beneficial for your business.

How to Use Google My Business to Appear on Google Maps

It's fairly simple to utilize Google Maps to connect with potential customers. In fact, all it takes is just a few steps to get started. To begin, simply create a business profile on Google My Business.

Next, double check to be sure your business information is correct and the same, including your business name, company address, phone number, hours of operation, and your explanatory information, for your offerings on your website as well as any other online listings where details about your business are displayed. Varied information on your Google My Business Profile and your other online listings signals to Google that your business information is unreliable, which will negatively affect your search engine ranking.

It is also best to use a local number for your business as opposed to an 800 number because it signals to Google that you are a local business.

Finally, add a logo and photos and encourage satisfied customers to write you a Google review on your Google My Business profile by providing a direct link to make it easy for them, which also helps strengthen your standing with Google.

Improving Your Google Maps Ranking

Once you have successfully created your Google My Business profile, the next step is to increase your ranking in Google Map results.

To increase your chances of appearing in the top three local results of Google's search results page, also known as the Local Three Pack, a business should have a profile that includes lots of photos of both the inside and the outside their business. In fact, photos go a long way towards attracting new customers so the more photos you include, the better. You can also have your customers upload photos. Some other other ways to optimize your profile and increase your Google ranking include:

• Your website's URL
• Local phone number
• Hours of operation 
• Business category
• Company logo

Listing Sites also Help Improve Your Google Maps Ranking

Adding your business's information to other listing sites and directories also helps increase your Google Maps ranking, a method also known as authority optimization. This method of optimization helps Google Maps algorithm view your business as the most reliable and useful for certain searches, so when a person keys in related search terms, it causes your business to rank high for these terms.

The key to ranking well on Google Maps is your online reputation. One way to strengthen your reputation with Google is to be sure all of your business information is the same across all sites. Having a good variety of reviews from different platforms can also help strengthen your reputation.

Getting good reviews from satisfied customers also helps your business gain more visibility because it encourages potential customers to read about your business, which helps you stand out from competitors who have no reviews.

In fact, one struggling business credited with getting more Google Reviews from satisfied customers as one of the tools that increased their traffic.

Using Reviews to Help Improve Your Ranking on Google Maps

When your business ranks high on Google Maps, it increases your chance of being included in the top three local searches for your product or service, which is good for your business.

Positive customer reviews, such as Google reviews and Yelp reviews, on your business profile help improve your reputation, which helps your business rank higher in Google.

Beyond that, replying to both positive and negative reviews helps show your respect for your customers and your willingness to address their issues even when they are negative, which helps create satisfied customers and builds a positive online reputation. It also helps push you ahead on Google Maps.

Getting happy customers to post photos of your product or service also helps increase your ranking in Google Maps. 

Optimizing Your Google Maps Listing

Optimizing your Google Maps listing helps boost your Google ranking even higher. To optimize your Google Maps listing, simply be as detailed and in-depth as possible when filling out your information, including use detailed keywords to describe your products and services.

In fact, one of the best ways to increase your Google Maps presences is to carefully fill out the contact information. The more spaces you complete, including your business location and times of operation, the more likely you are to rank high on Google Maps. Some other steps you can take to optimize your profile and increase your rankings include:

• Include 10 photos, no less, of your business in operation, including both the interior and the exterior of your establishment as well your staff. Once you have at least 10 photos on your profile, it greatly increases your ranking. 

• You should also include at least 10 reviews, which also helps boost your ranking in Google Maps. To build your reviews, simply solicit your customers after they have completed their purchase, while the experience is still fresh in their mind.

• Use the allotted 10 categories on your business profile, including the main category, because they will be used to pair local searches with neighboring establishments. 

Utilizing all of these steps for each of your sites will help increase your traffic as well as your rankings on all search engines, including Maps.

About the Author

Craig Corbel is the Vice President of Marketing at Solution Web Designs, a leading SEO, online marketing agency, and Long Island Website Designers serving small and mid-sized companies nationwide.