The Google Map Pack is more significant than ever in a time when the coronavirus has altered our marketplace to emerge almost entirely online. Even if you didn’t realize it, you’ve used it in your car, on your phone, and on your laptop.
Brand loyalty is at an all-time low, with convenience reigning dominance. As a result, Google Search and the Map Pack are important factors in determining where and what to buy.
We’ve looked at local search ranking. That’s why our SEO efforts have been focused on ensuring that potential customers see our businesses first in the Google Map Pack.
Continue reading to find out more about:
- Google Map Packs
- How to rank for them
- How to keep your top-notch spot
WHAT IS THE GOOGLE MAP PACK AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
The Google Map Pack, often known as the “Local 3-Pack,” is a SERP feature that allows consumers to rapidly locate the most suitable businesses that match what they’re looking for. You’ve probably seen it before in Google listings, and it looks something like this.
In most cases, you’ll see three top firms that can help you with your search, along with:
- Customer reviews
- Website link
- Phone number
- Business hours
- Business location and directions
- Other general business information
The Google Map Pack is far more aesthetically appealing than the blue links that occupy the majority of page one real estate. It catches your attention. It will most likely appear above the blue links in mobile searches, making Google Map Pack the new number one.
That is why ranking first for blue links is insufficient. You need to think about how people engage with the search engine results page more strategically.
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Google Map Pack: Quick Facts
- It has never been more competitive. Prior to 2014, there were seven instead of three places.
- The hospitality industry is a little different. You’ll find accommodation rates in Map Packs for hotels.
- It’s trackable. You can track your position in the Google Map Pack rankings with tools like SEMrush.
RANKING FOR THE GOOGLE MAP PACK
It is not expected to all be the same when it comes to SEO. Before you get started, you need to conduct a competitive analysis for your company. Start this checklist to rank for the Google Map Pack once you have a clear sense of your competitive SEO landscape.
Step 1: Create a Google My Business Listing
The first step to appear in a Google Map Pack is simple. Establish a Google My Business listing. This is where you’ll submit all of your company’s fundamental information. Complete as many fields as you can!
Pro tip: If you’re overwhelmed and don’t know where to begin, this Google My Business certification course is a good place to start. It just takes around an hour, so you can do it during your lunch break if you need to.
Step 2: Get Your Listing Verified
You won’t be able to change any parts of your Google My Business listing until you verify your address. This is a really crucial phase. You won’t be able to rank in the Google Map Pack for your chosen city unless you have a physical location validated at an address in that city.
But don’t worry—verification is a straightforward procedure. Your listing will urge you to validate your business address when you enter it.
- Google will send your business a postcard with a verification code.
- You should receive the postcard within five business days and enter the code into your listing.
- Voila! You have been validated or officially verified.
If you’re having trouble with verification, we recommend visiting Google’s support page. If you request a second verification postcard, you may find that the procedure takes longer. Try to be patient and read through the Google FAQ.
Step 3: Optimize Your Google My Business Listing
You’ll be able to add images, videos, and more information to your Google My Company listing once your business address has been verified. It’s here that the magic happens.
Remember to optimize your listing’s on the following items below:
- Business Category: Don’t jam as many possibilities as possible into the business category. Selecting 1-2 accurate categories is actually better for SEO than trying to keyword stuff. It’s easier to search this list of categories first before determining which ones to select from the dropdown, in our experience.
- Photos and video: To select what users see first, provide a high-quality logo, images, and video in your listing. Through reviews, anyone can submit their own images to your listing, so now is your time to make a strong first impression.
- Reviews: Speaking of reviews, you’ll want to get some. There are a lot of them. 5-star ratings have been shown to improve your Google results.
- NAP: Your company name, address, and phone number (NAP). These three elements should be as same as feasible across the internet. Fix any other listings that have inconsistent information as soon as possible. To examine your position, you may run a free NAP audit here.
- Description: This is where you may be a little more unique with your keywords. Make sure you include a city-specific keyword in your description if you’re attempting to rank for Fishing Charters in Tampa. Don’t overuse keywords. Simply incorporate it into your writing in a unique way.
- Services/Products: Google My Business has a new section called Services/Products. You can now easily add products and services to your listing. Take advantage of this opportunity! This could be an excellent area to start adding in your goal keywords, similar to your description.
Step 4: Optimize Your Website
The optimization of the Google Map Pack listing does not end there. Google considers your website when deciding who to display first. If you wish to rank for a specific city in the Map Pack, include that city in the content and metadata of your website.
If you wish to scale and have several target cities and locales, this might get tricky. If this describes your company, have a look at this course to discover how to optimize for numerous locations.
Step 5: When All Else Fails, Place an Ad or Advertise
You may have noticed that the example Google Map Pack image above contains an advertisement. You can always buy your way to the top of everything else fails. We recommend reading up on Google Ads if you want to take a shortcut. Organic Map Pack ranks offer higher clickthrough rates than bought ads, but getting your name out there is never a bad idea.
You can’t seem to get past Google’s first page? We can assist you.
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