There are numerous ways on how to market your business online. Mostly your potential leads still use Google to find local businesses near them and most of them are businesses that can be found nearby. Statistically, there are 80% of searches with “local intent” that result in a conversion and the majority of their potential customers can be found on Google Maps.

Here are the 10 Ways To Rank Higher On Google Maps

1. Add your business to Google Maps

2. Enter your business’ name and address into the search bar and select “Add your business” (assuming it isn’t already listed, in which case you’ll need to claim it as yours).

2. Embed a Google Map to Your Website

Businesses often place an image of a map on their website’s contact page. If embedding the Map, it tells Google that your business is located where you say it is on your GMB listing. It adds another layer of trustworthiness, from Google’s perspective, which can help you drive more customers to your site.

Embedding takes just a couple of minutes. Search for your business on Google Maps, then click on the three lines next to the company name and click “Share or Embed Map.” Copy the link and paste it on the contact page or wherever you would like it to show on your site.

3. Make sure your website responsive

The first is to make sure that your website is responsive, which means that it functions consistently across any device or screen size. Google Maps business listings contain a link to your website, and nearly 60% of Google searches occur on mobile devices. So if your listing takes searchers to a website that requires pinching and zooming, has broken links, or is slow to load, your Google Maps ranking will suffer.

4. Add local keywords to your website

The second way to use your website to boost your Google Maps ranking is to target local search. Of course, this will help your website to rank higher in Google Search, but may also influence how high your Google Maps business listing ranks. So be sure to incorporate location-based keywords to the main pages of your site, such as the homepage, about us page, contact us page, products, and services page, and even blog posts—and not just to the title of the pages, but also to the headings, body text, image tags, captions, and URLs.

5. Post regularly to your Google Maps business listing

Like Facebook, you can publish posts that appear right on your Google Maps business listing. Regularly posting like this sends signals to Google that you proactively manage your listing, which it considers when ranking. Also, when consumers are on search engines, they have high intent, so through Google posts, you can get your offers in front of a ready-to-engage audience.

6. Consolidate your Google Maps listings

Google will discredit businesses with multiple phone numbers or locations listed for one actual business. Weed out duplicate listings and superfluous information to ensure your one true listing will rank.

7. Complete A Google My Business Profile

First and foremost, you’ll need to make sure you claim your business and complete a Google My business profile. If you haven’t claimed your business yet, you should do this immediately – this will allow you to update its description, add photos, change its hours, and much more. Visit the Google My Business page and sign up, then follow a few simple instructions to find and claim your local business on Google Maps.

8. Add photos to your Google Maps business listing

Google loves it when you upload photos to your listing. First, because it signals that you are an active listing worthy of ranking higher in results. Second, because Google’s photo-recognition technology is advancing and Google is starting to show images in local search results. And third, because the SEO rule of thumb is that Google loves what consumers love, and consumers love photos. Plus, if you don’t add photos to your listing, it will show a generic map image like this:

9. Get Reviews From Customers

Getting reviews from customers helps improve your overall ranking in Google Maps. Google prioritizes high-quality, trustworthy businesses – and reviews (even if you get a few negative ones) can help boost your rankings. If you’re mostly getting positive reviews, you’re sure to bring in more customers.

To get more reviews from customers, you can share a link to your Google My Business page directly with customers when they shop with you, or put it on your website and encourage them to talk about their experience.

If you provide great products and high-quality services, reviews are sure to start rolling in quickly – but it’s not a bad idea to ask your best customers to leave an honest review of their experience to get started on the right foot.

10. Optimize For SEO In Your Business Description

You need to use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to add keywords to your business description. For example, you could add “Delicious BBQ in Dallas” to your description to advertise a BBQ food truck in Dallas – using location-based, local keywords like this is a good way to help boost your rankings in Google Maps.

10 Ways To Rank Higher On Google Maps