In this blog post outline, we will cover six essential steps to help you rank higher on Google Maps in 2024. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting, these strategies can significantly boost your online presence.
Overview:
Verify your Google Listing Detailed guide on the importance of claiming and verifying your Google My Business listing.
Include Target Keywords in Your Google My Business Profile Step-by-step instructions on how to research and include relevant keywords to optimize your profile.
Build Local Relevance and Get Citations Discuss the significance of local citations and how they impact your ranking on Google Maps.
Add Relevant Images Showcase the power of visuals and how they can enhance your business profile on Google Maps.
Optimize Your Website's Homepage Tips on aligning your website with your Google My Business profile to improve visibility.
Get More Reviews Strategies to encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews and improve your ranking.
In this blog post outline, we've explored key strategies to help you climb the ranks on Google Maps in 2024. By following these steps, you can enhance your online presence, attract more customers, and outshine your competitors.
1) Verify your Google Listing
A study conducted by the Local Marketing Institute revealed that fewer than 44% of local businesses have claimed their Google My Business listing. If you have already added your business to Google Maps, it is recommended that you claim its listing, as a Google Maps business listing showcases the name, location, and category of the business.
The best way to claim or verify such a listing is to provide accurate and comprehensive details. The more accurate and detailed the information is, the higher your chances of getting a top ranking.
Write a good description of your business such that it gives a vivid representation of what you are offering. This is the best opportunity for you to attract your target audience. You want to engage them from the word go hence you shouldn’t overload them with excess details.
Make your business profile fun and engaging by offering additional information such as working hours, official website as well as questions and answers. Remember that local SEO can be highly competitive and if there are multiple businesses within your region with the same type of business, then you need to put extra effort to clinch the top spot when it comes to Google Listing based on your location.
2) Include Target Keywords in Your Google My Business Profile
Including your target keywords in your Google My Business profile is one of the best ways to ensure that you rank higher on Google Maps. Its 2024 and SEO is critical in creating a high-ranking business on Google Maps.
It’s worth noting that the best way to implement SEO is by using different chains of keywords by including them in a post, picture, business description, and in the services/products area of Google My Business.
Well, why is this important? When clients are searching for a business and location, they are more likely to use specific keywords. For instance, if a customer wants to buy sushi near them, then they can type something like “Where to buy sushi near me [location]”.
The basic keyword here can be “Sushi” and “Sushi in [Location]. So your listing MUST have the word “Sushi” in the description and in every possible place if you want to rank higher on Google Maps in your area for the word “Sushi”.
Generally, you have to make sure that you utilize the primary keyword in as many places as possible in Google My Business without looking spammy. This helps to reduce the complex uphill battle that your business would have otherwise faced against its competitors.
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3) Build Local Relevance and Get Citations
Depending on the specific industry of your business, establishing local relevance and obtaining citations are crucial elements of both on-page and off-page SEO. Remember that a citation is just a reference to your business on another website. While some business owners may opt for clickable backlinks, citations do not necessarily have to be linked back to your business profile every time.
There are two types of citations that you can use for your business: structured and unstructured. Using structured citations means that your business will get mentioned by business directors that usually hold a wide range of businesses within your locality.
So, when a person performs a local search in such directories using specific keywords that complement your business, then the Google search engine will first look at the local citations and provide the relevant results based on the best fit.
An unstructured citation is when your business is mentioned on other platforms such as blogs and online news platforms. The reference may have your business’s partial or full contact. The best and simplified form of unstructured citation are links
But regardless of the citation you choose, understand that there is a direct correlation between Google Local rankings and citations. They have also proved to be beneficial to businesses that want to rank higher on Google Maps.
Importance of Citations
For starters, you will get a major visibility boost. Online directories, for instance, usually allow users to filter their search results by using specific categories such as business category, location, and services, etc. This means a structured type of citation can quickly give you’re the visibility boost that your business needs.
Secondly, citations help to improve your business’ reputation by eliminating doubts. It shows that your business isn’t questionable and is in fact customer-oriented.
There is also a good chance that citations can attract potential business partners and other clients. Your local listings aren’t just designed to solely benefit your current clients in a business-to-consumer model. Investors who might be scouting for business opportunities may stumble on your business’s name on other online sites or directories and make contact.
However, if you are want to know how to rank higher on Google Maps in 2024 and beyond then you must consider citation distribution and alignment. These two factors can take your business further than your hand initially anticipated.
So, what happens when you have built quite a number of quality citations? Do you continue to build more until you reach a point of saturation? Well, continuing to build more saturation can have a significant negative impact on your business’s ranking. In fact, its marginal impact on your business’s overall authority locally will diminish.
So, you must do a citation audit to ensure that everything is balanced. This can be best done with a local New York SEO company or a reputable SEO company that has knowledge in local SEO. You should consider doing a clean-up of the existing citations and then do a balanced distribution to ensure that you reinforce your top local in Google Maps.
Besides that, once you have attained a higher ranking on Google Maps and your business location has been solidified, then there is no need to build more citations.
What to Focus On:
Going back to the backlink as a form of unstructured citation, you still have to consider the quality. There are three main things that you need to focus on:
• The type of content where your business is mentioned is highly authoritative and is likely to attract good traffic.• Ensure that you use more natural backlinks within the authoritative content.• The context in which the backlink is used should be relevant to the anchor text.
Generally, high-authority citations lead to higher rankings on Google Maps in 2024.
4) Add Relevant Images
It is crucial to include appropriate images on your Google My Business profile in order to improve your ranking on Google Maps in 2024.
By doing this, you indicate that your listing is genuine and regularly updated, giving you a greater opportunity to achieve a higher ranking in Google Maps search results. Additionally, it's important to note that Google utilizes photo-recognition technology, which can be enhanced to display images relevant to local search results.
Finally, there is a common SEO guideline suggesting that Google tends to favor content that is popular with consumers. It is a fact that consumers are fond of images as they provide a strong visual appeal. Therefore, it is advisable to incorporate top-notch and visually appealing images that are likely to influence customers positively.
Typically, business listings without photos tend to have lower rankings because they are less attractive to consumers. To include photos, just access your GMB dashboard and choose the “Photos” tab. Click on the circle with the white plus sign to effortlessly upload multiple photos.
In addition, you have the option to include videos. According to several SEO studies, optimal outcomes are typically achieved by incorporating at least one photo per day. Examples of beneficial photos and videos to include are:
• Display the front section of your business
• Your business logo
• Within the office premises
• Products
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Mach Ten Management
New York SEO Company
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