With the rapid increase in the number of searches on the Internet, every company strives to be among the top results for certain keywords, but one particularly important tool is often overlooked – Google Maps. More and more people are using this resource to find information about nearby businesses. So, in essence, this is another way to increase your company's visibility and advertise your products or services. Google Maps marketing will help you achieve better results in this area. And if your business is not yet among those that are successfully exploiting this opportunity, you should consider why your company is not on Google Maps. We have identified four main reasons for this:
1. Your Google My Business (GMB) account has not been verified;
2. Location authority;
3. Suspended GMB account;
4. Change of business location.
Let's take a closer look at each of these reasons and how they affect your business's visibility and chances of appearing at the top of Google search results.
1. Unverified GMB account
In order for your business to appear among the companies marked on Google Maps, you first need to create a Google My Business (GMB) account and wait for it to be verified. GMB is a free platform where you can create your own account, which is visible in various Google tools. In order for your business to meet GMB requirements, you must have a physical customer service location where business is conducted during the specified hours. Such an account allows you to provide basic information such as:
• Name;
• Description;
• Reviews;
• Phone numbers;
• Address;
• Website address;
• Business sector or activity;
• Areas served (locations);
• Business hours;
• Products and services;
• Photos;
• And much more information, depending on the business sector.
The benefits of a Google My Business account for your brand are improved search rankings, increased visitor traffic, and, of course, increased revenue.
If you don't do this, it doesn't mean you won't appear in search results, as a lot depends on the field of business and competition. However, if we are talking about a fairly competitive field with many players, the probability of appearing in the results is practically zero if Google has not verified your GMB account. This process is not complicated, and the search engine leader provides various options for how to do it, so all you have to do is follow the instructions or contact your SEO partners, who will take care of everything for you. If you have already taken all the necessary steps and received GMB verification, but still do not see yourself on Google Maps, you need to understand that this is all you need to achieve results. It is simply time to move on to the next steps.
2. Location authority
As we have already mentioned, GMB account verification is not the key to success. Although it may sometimes be enough to get among the first search results, you may also find yourself only on the 2nd or 3rd search page. This is especially true for larger cities and districts where there are many companies engaged in similar activities. So what is the recipe for success? The answer is simple: location authority. This is not an official term with a clear definition. However, it is used in SEO to describe the ranking of a business on maps. Essentially, it is a factor that influences the position of a local business in Google Local or Google Maps searches. In other words, the higher your location authority, the higher you are in Google Local searches. This indicator is highly dependent on the information you post about your business online. Data such as the company name, address, phone number, and website, sometimes referred to as business "citations," should be the same as what you have entered in Google My Business. So if you register your company on a specialized portal or social network, make sure that the data you enter is identical to that entered in GMB. This information works similarly to backlinks, so it is important not only how you present it, but also where. The more influential and highly rated the websites are, the better your chances of strengthening your position.
3. Suspended GMB account
This is one of the worst things that can happen to business owners. In this case, Google will indicate the reason for taking such action, and you will have to take care of restoring everything. Here are a few things that can lead to a GMB suspension:
• You have updated your business information on your Google My Business account, and it is being reviewed before approval.
• Google has doubts about the validity of the address you provided and wants you to upload a photo of your office;
• Instead of a link to your website, you added a redirect link;
• The name of your GMB account contains too many keywords;
• You are using virtual office services.
• You do not have an office, but you forgot to hide the address from the map.
4. Change of business location
The first thing you should do after moving is to update your GMB account. If Google finds out that your business has moved without informing them, they will simply block your account, which means you will simply disappear from the search results. However, keep in mind that when you specify a new address, Google may ask you to go through the verification process again, although sometimes an email or phone call is enough.
If you have managed to do everything as required by Google, it is time to take advantage of the maximum opportunities created by appearing on maps. As we have already mentioned, this is another place where your company can advertise and attract new customers. More and more potential buyers are using local business searches, and almost 80% of such searches lead to transactions. A natural question arises: what is the best way to reach those buyers? Google Maps Marketing will help answer this question. This is a process that allows you to optimize your brand's visibility on Google Maps with the aim of increasing your business's visibility.
When we search Google to find something in a specific location, the results often include a map with three businesses marked on it. Below you can find information about these businesses from their Google My Business accounts. Google Maps marketing helps you implement several strategies to become one of the three businesses listed on the map during such searches.
In order to increase the visibility of your business and brand, it is essential to take care of your position on Google Maps. Although Google undoubtedly remains the primary search tool, Google Maps is also becoming increasingly popular, especially among smart device users. Therefore, any business that wants to be found should take advantage of Google Maps marketing opportunities in conjunction with improving organic search results. However, in order to expect high search result positions, it is necessary to have a good understanding of the factors that influence Google Maps rankings. Once you understand how they work, it is much easier to manage the entire process. In short, there are eight main factors that contribute to rankings on Google Maps:
1. Google My Business signals;
2. Links;
3. Reviews;
4. Page signals;
5. Citations;
6. Behavior;
7. Personalization;
8. Social signals.
It is important to understand that this algorithm works differently from the regular Google search algorithm. The Google Local algorithm analyzes all of the above signals and compiles a list based on the following criteria:
• Proximity – how close is the business to the person searching?
• Uniqueness – how popular and authoritative is the business in that area?
• Relevance – how accurately do the selected businesses match the search?
Knowing how the algorithm works and the specifics of ranking, you can review ways to optimize your Google My Business account to improve your position on Google Maps. First, you should double-check that all business information is entered correctly. Be sure to list all the services you provide and their descriptions. The next step is to get more reviews. This is one of the most important factors in Google Maps rankings, but their benefits go far beyond SEO. Reviews can help improve the customer experience because they become social proof of your business, allow you to respond to customer expectations, and can essentially sell your goods or services before you even start communicating directly with customers. The power of reviews should not be underestimated, especially now that they are read by approximately 82% of buyers. Google understands this, and reviews are one of the most important factors in ranking companies. However, it is important to remember that it is not worth asking for reviews too early. Many companies expect reviews before customers have had a chance to properly familiarize themselves with the product or service being offered. It is best to do this when customers have successfully solved their problems using the services or products offered by your business.
The next step is to create local links. Links are still one of the main ranking factors, regardless of the Google product. However, in order to improve your position on the map, it is especially important to pay attention to local links. One way to create such links is to leverage relationships with neighboring businesses. It is worth considering partners or supported organizations. The easiest way to do this is with companies with which you already have business relationships. Ideally, think about businesses that you do not compete with, but rather complement, and consider how you can include them in your content.
Another important step, which is not so much related to optimization but is tactically necessary in order to compete for higher positions, is the fight against GMB spam (junk) on the map. What does this mean? Among the map results that Google displays in its search results, there are often fake results, or spam. It is not difficult to identify them if you know your market well. Sometimes it only takes a few minutes to evaluate the visible results and determine which of the businesses listed are real and which are not. This could be an excess of keywords, non-existent addresses, no website, or redirection to a completely different company. Unfortunately, Google still misses such cases from time to time, but the good news is that you can fight it yourself. So you can try to suggest changes to the information provided, or recommend deleting the business (specifying the reason from the list). Although these actions do not guarantee that this will happen, they can draw Google's attention and at least encourage them to check the data that you believe to be inaccurate.
In conclusion, we would like to emphasize once again how important it is to manage your Google My Business account and ensure that your business is not only found in organic search results, but also ranks high on the map. If you manage to direct local searches to your business, it will significantly help both with business awareness and increasing turnover.
Sources:
https://moz.com/blog/beginner-guide-google-maps-ranking
https://bippermedia.com/business-not-showing-on-google-maps/
