Google Maps SEO is the process of optimizing your business’s listing in Google Maps to improve its rankings in local search results.
When people enter a search query for a specified locale, Google often displays a map along with a list of relevant businesses. Google will also do this if it believes the search intent is local.
For example, the query “food near me” returns results as a local pack with three business listings and a map.
Ranking in Google Maps is important if your business relies on local customers.
Here’s an example of a Google Business Profile with key business information:
Google’s local search results are determined by three main factors: relevance, distance, and prominence.
Relevance refers to how well your business listing matches the user’s search intent. Google wants to show listings that are most relevant to what the user is looking for.
Complete your GBP with detailed information about your business, products, and services.
For example, a landscaping business could update the following:
Distance refers to how far your business is from the location indicated in a search.
For example, assume you own a Thai restaurant in Boston. When a person searches “Thai in Boston,” Google calculates the distance between the user’s location. And your business’s physical location.
There isn’t much you can do about this factor. Only change your listing’s location if you move the business.
Prominence refers to how well-known your business is. Google considers factors such as ratings, number of reviews, and online business information.
For example, Thai Basil ranks first in the local pack for “Thai in Boston.”
The restaurant has over 800 reviews, which is more than twice the number of reviews than the second listing. And a 4.0 average rating. Google clearly sees it as well-known.
If you open a competing Thai restaurant in the same area, you likely won’t rank in the local pack until you’ve reached a similar level of prominence.
Here are a few things you can do to improve your local prominence:
Ranking higher in Google Maps improves your business’s search visibility. And can help you attract more local customers.
To improve your Google Map SEO, create your GBP. Or claim the unverified profile Google created.
Search Google for your business name to see if a profile exists. If it does, you’ll see it on the right-hand side of the search engine results page (SERP).
In the profile, you can update important information about your business, including your:
You can also upload images and schedule posts.
To start the process, go to the GBP page and click “Manage now.”
Further reading: How to Add Your Business to Google
Once you’ve completed the claiming process, it’s time to optimize your GBP.
While you can do this directly in your profile, our Listing Management tool makes the process faster and easier.
Add your business information to the tool. And it will automatically update your GBP and many other directory listings at the same time. Including Bing, Facebook, Yelp, Alexa, and more.
To start, open Listing Management and enter your business name. Once you’ve found your business, click on it.
Next, you’ll see some data about your listings across all directories—not just Google Maps.
Scroll to the section called “Fix these to improve and expand your coverage.” You’ll see “Google Business Profile” listed in the directory column if there are any issues.
Click the “Continue setup” button. This includes connecting your GBP to Listing Management.
When you’ve finished the configuration, you’ll arrive at the dashboard to manage your GBP.
Update and optimize your profile by doing the following:
Use the Posts feature in GBP to keep your profile fresh. And attract more customers.
For example, here’s how a local bookstore could leverage the content feature:
As another example, Dunkin’ uses posts to highlight deals for customers:
Managing and responding to negative and positive reviews on your GBP helps you maintain your online reputation.
Here’s an example of what a review looks like on your profile:
Best practices for managing and responding to Google reviews include:
Since reviews are a Google Maps ranking factor, it’s important to get more of them. Encourage your satisfied customers to leave reviews by asking them in person. Or including a link in your emails or on receipts.
Find the link that will take people directly to your Google Maps listing in your GBP dashboard.
Click “Ask for reviews.”
A box will appear with a unique link just for your listing. Copy it and share it with your customers.
Optimizing your website for local search is essential for attracting customers in your area.
Use the Semrush Site Audit tool to identify issues affecting your site’s crawlability. Find and address problems preventing your site from ranking for local searches.
Open the tool, enter your domain, and click “Start Audit.”
Enter a project name (optional). Then, click “Create project.”
To set up your audit, choose how many pages you want to check.
For example, you can audit up to 100 pages per month with a free account. And up to 20,000 with a Semrush Pro or Guru subscription.
Next, select a crawl source. “Website” is the default.
Then, click the “Start Site Audit” button.
When the audit is finished, you’ll see an overview of your site’s health.
To see issues with crawling and indexing, click “View details” in the box labeled “Crawlability.”
Now, you’ll see a report of issues affecting crawlability and indexability. Like 5xx errors. Or slow pages.
Clicking on the orange horizontal bars next to each issue will show you the pages that need attention. Fix these issues to optimize your site for local search.
Core Web Vitals metrics, which measure load time, interactivity, and visual stability, are also important to monitor.
Check your site’s performance by clicking “View details” in the box labeled “Core Web Vitals.”
This tells you the status of your pages and provides historical data.
The “Metrics” section is where you’ll see various performance scores. And recommendations to improve them. Like eliminating render-blocking resources. And reducing the impact of third-party code.
Since Google may use your NAP citations to verify your business information, ensure consistency across the web.
If you aren’t using a tool like Listing Management, you’ll need to do this manually across platforms.
If you haven’t already, create an account on all relevant directories. Then, check that your name, address, and phone number are correct across platforms.
Examples include:
If you’re using Listing Management, you’ll only need to update your NAP and business information once. It then automatically updates or adds it to all available listings on your behalf.
Further reading: 9 Local Business Listing Management Tools to Boost Foot Traffic
Backlinks are links on other websites that point back to yours.
A Semrush study confirmed that the more relevant sites that link to you, the more likely your site is to rank higher overall.
Backlinks are important for SEO because Google treats them similarly to votes of confidence. In general, the more backlinks your site has, the more Google sees it as trustworthy.
That’s why it’s essential to add link building to your Google Maps SEO strategy.
Use the Semrush Backlink Audit tool to track and analyze backlinks to your site.
When the audit is done, you’ll see an overview dashboard that looks like this:
Within the tool, you can:
Schema is a type of structured data you can use to give Google additional context about your business. You place the data in the HTML source of your homepage.
LocalBusiness Schema allows you to mark up helpful business information. Like your NAP, website, and opening hours. Your business may then appear more prominently or with rich snippets in search results.
Long-tail keywords are highly specific phrases that tend to have lower search volume. Compared to shorter, broader keywords (also known as “head terms”).
For example, “landscaper” is a head term. And “landscaper that plants fescue grass” is a long-tail keyword.
Long-tail keywords also tend to have higher conversion rates because searchers are more likely to be interested in a specific product or service.
Targeting long-tail keywords is beneficial for map SEO for several reasons:
Find long-tail, relevant keywords to target by using our Keyword Magic Tool.
Enter a head term to start. Then, select the country your business operates in, and click “Search.”
You’ll then see an overview of related keywords. And different ways to filter and narrow your focus.
To filter for long-tail keywords, click the “Advanced filters” drop-down.
Enter “3” as the minimum number of words and leave the maximum empty. Three words isn’t a rule, but it’s a good starting point for finding highly specific keywords.
Click “Apply.”
Then, click the “Include keywords” drop-down to filter those long-tail keywords to only include your geographic area.
Enter the city, state, neighborhood, and any other local indicator in the box. Click “Apply.”
You’ll now see a list of local, long-tail keywords to consider targeting for your business.
To narrow your focus even further, you may decide to filter by other variables. Like keyword difficulty and intent.
Embedding a Google Map on your site—such as your location or contact page—can help people find your business and improve the user experience.
It can also help Google understand the geographical context of your business.
As an example, Molly Maid embeds a Google Map on their Northwest Seattle location page to show what area they serve:
Google Local Services Ads help your business attract customers. And collect leads via bookings and phone calls.
These ads appear at the top of the Google SERP. They can display your business name, ratings, number of reviews, opening hours, and more.
A few best practices for creating these ads include:
For example, these paid ads appear when searching “HVAC Boston”:
Further reading: Google Local Services Ads: What They Are & How to Set Them Up
Google Maps can be a competitive space for local businesses, so it’s essential to have the right SEO tools on hand.
With Semrush’s suite of tools, you’ll have access to a variety of tools and features that can help you optimize your website for local search.
Manage your GBP, research local keywords, monitor your site’s health, and more—all in one place. Get started today.
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