If you own a business, it’s natural that you are going to look for a way to increase its visibility to the general public. No matter what type of products you sell, you are going to be utilizing similar marketing techniques to find the right customers. This is likely to include search engine optimization (SEO) techniques, Pay Per Click (PPC) ads, and social media advertising.
“If you are trying to grow your qualified search traffic, you have to combine your content marketing with your SEO efforts.” – Neil Patel
However, if you want your brand to stand out, you should consider figuring out how you can rank highly on Google Maps through local authority. Here is how you can get started.
Why Should You Rank on Google Maps?
Take a look at your business. It’s very likely that you are going to be based in a certain area of your country. Nowadays, most business owners want to rank strongly online for a certain city, village, or country. To do this, they need to incorporate local SEO services into their SEO strategy.
By using relevant keywords combined with your company title or area of business, you may find that you become more visible to people in the area who are searching for your services.
The same mentality can be brought to ranking on Google Maps through location authority. Location authority is what Google uses to select different businesses. So, if you are able to rank highly for a certain location on Google Maps, you will find it easier to bring in the right customers.
Business Citations
Let’s talk more about how you can actually increase your local authority with Google Maps. Before we go into anything that is relatively complicated, we are going to focus on the simple things. When you create a Google Business Profile (the service formerly known as Google My Business), it’s important that you update it with the most current information about your firm.
Of course, this may need to include separate locations if you have several shops spread around different cities, but you should always endeavor to keep your information as relevant as possible. The more relevant it is, the more likely it is that you will rank for specific locations. This is due to the fact that Google and Google Maps will trust your website and brand. Therefore, you will likely be provided with more local authority, sometimes allowing people to find you on Google Maps from several miles away.
Always keep your business information on Google accurate and consistent. The most important information you need to keep updated includes:
- Your business’s brand name
- The street address where your business is located
- The city and postcode of your business
- Your business’s phone number and contact details
- Your website’s URL and domain name
Try and keep the information consistent on all of your platforms, including any mobile apps or social media pages. You can link some of your social media pages to your Google location. So, it’s wise to keep it updated regularly.
Backlinking to Google Maps
If you are thinking about SEO techniques you can use with Google Maps, the first things that you should be thinking about are quality backlinks. Once you have confirmed your location on Google Maps, you may struggle to build up authority to your website. That’s why it may be time for you to focus on backlinking to your Google Maps page/location.
Conduct a thorough citation audit on your website and clean up as many ineffective links as possible. You can then focus on backlinking to your Google Maps page and any additional location pages on your website.
You can also backlink to your Google Maps page by posting links on directories that hold authority on your location. Additionally, you can backlink your Google Maps page by including the link in guest blog posts. Try and aim for a website that has at least a Domain Authority (DA) 50+ level, and create a blog post that is relevant to the location or to your business’s area of expertise.
Verified Google Business Profile
When you try to make any area of your business rank online, you need to endeavour to have Google and your customers take you seriously. That’s why if you want your business to be found by having a strong location authority, it’s crucial that you actually verify your brand. It’s a simple trick that can make it more likely that your business will show up on a search result because it has been proven to be a real company.
JSON Schema Markup
It’s time to think about what you can do to increase your location authority through your own website. You can start off increasing the authority of your Google Maps by creating appropriate blog posts and landing pages that link to the specific locations. This will help you validate your locations and show that you are a real business. However, another way that you could improve your location authority is through the use of Schema language.
Schema language is known as a structural protocol that is used by Bing, Yahoo and Google. It’s a direct data set that is used to enhance specific web pages. That’s why it’s extremely useful for SEO.
If you combine your Name, Address and Phone Number (NAP) in schema, it’s very likely that Google will see it as a quality search result for a location page. This includes ranking for certain letters for specific locations. Try to be as varied as possible when it comes to the search terms. You should rank for relevant location phrases, but there are also smaller terms that may help you in the long run.
Reviews
Did you know that you can use Google Maps in conjunction with your reviews? It can be extremely useful to have reviews that talk about local businesses. In fact, 2020 showed that around 87% of customers read local reviews about different companies to see if they were worth visiting!
Customers trust reviews, therefore if they leave good reviews, you will find that Google will take notice of your location and brand. This means that Google will be more inclined to suggest your company to people looking for a certain product.
Should I use Google Maps to Increase My Visibility?
If you are looking for a unique way to add to the visibility of your company, Google Maps is a good place to start. Some of the methods behind ranking through location authority can seem complicated, but you shouldn’t be intimidated. Start off with the aforementioned simpler techniques and then build upon them. Over time, you may find that they have an impact or that you need to continue to work on the location authority of your website.
It’s understandable that you may feel a little unconfident about applying SEO techniques to your website, just in case you do something wrong. If this is the case, don’t be afraid to reach out for assistance. Osoria Digital can help you understand location authority and how it can improve your website. Our experts can take a look at your website and let you know a range of SEO techniques, combining both internal and external processes, to help ensure you can rank on Google for the right terms.
We help sites get their rankings back every single day here at Osoria Digital. If you’re still having trouble, schedule a consultation with us so that we can help your site stay on Page 1 of Google.
