Finding ways to increase the effectiveness and success of marketing strategies is an ongoing challenge for businesses today.
With this in mind, Google Maps marketing is a powerful tool for generating leads and increasing business visibility online.
The main reason is that it helps customers find you, especially when they are looking for local products. That’s why you should focus on optimizing your marketing efforts on Google Maps.
By optimizing your business listing on Google Maps, you can:
- Stand in front of your potential clients.
- Provide a business location and contact information.
- Get a better ranking in search results pages.
Today’s article covers the essentials you need to know about Google Maps marketing, including how to get started and how to optimize it to grow your business.
What Is The Google Map Pack?
Also called “3-pack” or “local pack,” Google Map Pack is a section of Google search results. This section displays a map and a list of three local businesses that match the user’s search.
Where can you find it?
It appears on the search results page, at the top, and above the organic search results.
This article might interest you: How to Do SEO for Local Business: Local Search Marketing
As you can see, Google Map Pack is essential for businesses since it helps consumers determine where and what to buy during online searches. That’s why your business should be listed in the Google Map Pack and thus increase the chances of attracting more customers.
How To Claim Your Google Maps Location
Before you start, you must claim your business location on Google Maps. The process is simple and includes five steps:
- Open Google Maps on your computer.
- Enter your company name in the search bar.
- Click on the company name and select the correct one.
- Click Claim this business.
- Select the verification option and follow the instructions on the screen.
Now, here is how to add your business through Google Maps. Follow these steps:
- Sign in to Google Maps.
- Enter your company address in the search bar.
- Click Add company on the left.
- Select Add Business.
- Go to the top left of the screen and click the menu icon.
- Select Add your company.
Follow all the instructions to complete your registration.
How To Optimize Your Google Maps Marketing
Appearing in the Google Maps Pack can be highly beneficial as it provides increased visibility and exposure to your potential customers searching for products or services in their local area.
That requires focusing on local search engine optimization (SEO) and other strategies to increase the business’s visibility and relevance to local search.
Follow at least some of these seven strategies to optimize your Google Maps marketing and get a higher chance of attracting more potential clients.
Use An Approved Address
To optimize your Google My Business profile, ensure your business has an accurate USPS-approved address.
Make sure you use this exact address information in your profile. Include all relevant address information. Check for any spacing or formatting errors, as they can affect your ranking on Google Maps.
Also, check the GMB (Google My Business) settings checkbox to display address information.
Pro Tip: The more data Google has about your company, the more likely it is to rank in the Local Google Maps Pack.
Get Verified
Now that your address has been approved, you will receive a notification to verify it’s you.
This verification process is done directly through Google, most often through email. Check your email, as Google will send you a unique PIN to the address specified in your profile.
To ensure verification and a better search, include the following information in your GMB profile:
- Official company name.
- Modify the primary category and additional categories.
- Business hours.
- Local phone number.
- Link to website.
- List products or services.
Expect the verification process to take at least two weeks.
Accurately Pick Service Areas
If your business has many locations, we suggest adding the address of your primary location and the specific service areas where you do business.
Don’t forget to include your business’ city name, region, or a specified number of kilometers from the physical address location. Defining this performance range is very important for optimization.
Use Relevant Categories
The category option in your Google My Business profile is an important component that you want to get right.
Essentially, categories accurately describe your business and the type of services offered. In other words, it shows how many customers found your company in a local search.
Start by choosing key categories that accurately represent your business as a whole. Then add categories related to your specific business. Use them to quickly tell your potential customers more about you and what your business offers.
This categorization is especially important if your business offers multiple related services.
Optimize Your Content
In addition to location and business categories, you can also add exclusive content to your Google My Business profile list, giving you even more opportunities to optimize your digital marketing strategy.
Two content areas to make the most of are business description and Google My Business posts, events.
Learn More: How to write a GMB post
Respond To Reviews
Reviews are another form of user-generated content that can help your business. Encourage new and returning customers to leave a review on their profile.
Positive customer reviews build social proof. This allows you to attract customers who value reading positive feedback from others and are more likely to purchase from your business.
When viewers click on your business, those reviews will appear at the bottom of the panel for everyone to access and read. However, you must have at least five customer reviews to see one customer review.
We suggest you develop a strategy for facilitating customer reviews and decide how to respond to positive and negative reviews.
Here is a guide for some ideas on how to reply to Google reviews, both positive and negative.
Also, be careful to follow all Google policies for responding to your customer reviews.
Use Your Photos
Also, customers can add photos to their Google My Business profile, especially when adding a review.
High-quality photos capture your customers’ attention and provide a more visually appealing experience to help you stand out from the crowd.
Some tips:
- Make sure the photos you add are of high quality.
- Add photos of the inside and outside of your physical store.
- Provide images of products and services.
- Add metadata to each image. This may include location tags (city, country, geographic location), relevant keywords, and mention of relevant services you provide.
Read More: Schedule Google My Business Posts: Events and Offers
Key Takeaways
By following these key takeaways and implementing an effective Google Maps Marketing strategy, you can reach a wider audience and grow your business.
- Google Map Packs is a key factor in determining where and what to buy when consumers search online.
- To optimize your Google Maps marketing strategy, use an approved address.
- Complete the verification process.
- Respond to reviews, both positive and negative.
- Use high quality pictures.
- Add more relevant content to your business description and GMB posts.
Be the first to comment! What do you think of today’s article?
Is your Google My Business optimized? Have you added your products and services as explained above?
Either way, let us know!
Denisa Lamaj
