Want to attract more locals to your business? Showing up on Google Maps can help you reach a wider audience in your area. In fact, a lot of businesses with brick-and-mortar locations use Google Maps marketing to boost their visibility.
What is Google Maps Marketing?
Have you ever tried searching for “coffee shops near me”? Google’s first results present you with a list of establishments in your area with their corresponding location on Google Maps. When someone makes a Google search for a certain business or establishment in their area, Google shows Google Maps for those queries implying the need for local results.
Google Maps marketing is the optimization of your already existing Google My Business profile so your store shows up in those local results called a “map pack.” Think of it as your digital sign that tells potential customers you’re nearby. Even to a lot of local customers, their customer journey begins with discovering the establishment online as opposed to finding out about the business through traditional means like passing by the store in the street.
According to Google, businesses can expect more store visits and even phone calls from customers when they show up on the local searches. Being more visible online also helps customers learn more about the business, and with a few clicks, they could access information such as store hours, the address, photos of the establishment, and even customer reviews.
Showing up on Google Maps is one of the main components of a business’s local search engine optimization (SEO). The better you can rank locally in Google Maps and improve your marketing metrics, the more you gain local visibility from old and new customers. And since those Google Maps results show up first over any other results that may be relevant to the searcher, you want to be one of the first, if not the top, results that they see.
How to Use Google Maps Marketing for Your Business
Google My Business
To show up in the map pack or that list of top establishments first shown in the search results on Google, you first need a Google My Business listing. Your verified Business Profile on Google should contain your complete and accurate information such as your legal business name, the address of your establishment, contact numbers, operation hours, website, your business category, and other applicable details that make it easier for Google to pull up your business when the search is relevant to your business.
For a lot of your future customers, your Google My Business listing is the first impression they will have of your business. Give your establishment a search and if your listing is verified, it will be displayed in the right-hand panel of the results page with all the information you have provided.
Also Read: Google Services
Listing Photos and Videos
Photos are a great way for the customers to get a sense of what your business offers, this is especially helpful for restaurants because customers can check out the photos of the food served and the ambiance even before they step into the shop. The same goes for retail establishments since customers can get a feel for the type of merchandise being sold. Hotels and inns can also show guests the kinds of rooms and amenities they have available.
Photos and videos can be uploaded by the business owner but Google users can also contribute to the listing’s photos by directly uploading the files or including them in their review of the business.
Increasing Your Ranking on Google Maps Through Questions
Google loves when you provide as much information about your business as possible. It shows credibility and legitimacy.
One of the easiest ways to increase your ranking on Google Maps is by answering questions on your Google My Business listing. Oftentimes, users will send in their inquiries through your listing instead of reaching out to you on your email or social media. Check your listing often to see if you have any unanswered questions and make sure to answer them using your business profile.
If there aren’t user-generated questions, you can and should pre-populate them. Go ahead and think of five frequently asked questions about your business or your products and services and ask those questions using a separate Gmail account. After those questions are published, answer them using your business profile. Questions that receive at least five likes show up on the listing panel.
Reviews
Another strategy to increase your business’ ranking on Google Maps is by having customers review your listing on Google Maps.
Getting good reviews on your listing is important as it increases the percentage of the conversion of potential customers. Like your listing’s photos and videos, reviews help potential customers get to know more about your business through other customers’ experiences. It also builds your online reputation which also builds credibility and legitimacy.
Google Maps Ads
While the previous strategies mentioned are free ways to optimize your Google My Business Listing for Google Maps marketing, investing in local search ads on Google Maps is also a great way to boost your business to the top of the results. With Google Ads, you can be more precise with your ads, targeting a specific location and setting bids by location. Keyword optimization also makes it easier for your business to pop up in more searches relevant to your campaigns.
Google Ads also makes it easy for you to access your analytics to optimize your ads. You can also track how effective your ads are using a marketing ROI dashboard.
Google Maps for Your Local Business
Making sure your business is visible on Google Maps is vital in this day and age to bring in nearby customers, build trust, and develop a loyal customer base within the business’ neighborhood. It also takes time, management, and engagement so it stays up to date, accurate, and relevant. It requires a bit of effort but the results are worth it.