Google Maps SEO Services: Here’s What They Do for Rankings

When customers decide to try a new restaurant, they often check the restaurant’s Google Maps profile. But have you ever wondered how businesses manage and maintain their Google Maps profile? It may surprise you that most businesses outsource the management of these profiles to professional third-party Google Maps SEO services.

These services help businesses appear among the top results on both Google Maps and search engines. 

But what exactly is Google Maps SEO, and what can these services do in this regard? Let’s find out in our detailed blog!

What Is Google Maps SEO?

A local search on Google, say coffee near me, returns a map with the top three business listings. This name common for this section is Google 3-Pack, and appearing here isn’t just luck. 

It’s the result of a well-rounded, ongoing process, which we refer to as Google Maps SEO. Google Maps SEO is just one part of the larger Local SEO checklist.

The process involves setting up and continuously optimizing your Google Business Profile with local SEO strategies in mind. It doesn’t include just filling in your basic business details and calling it a day. Rather, you must ensure every element of your profile helps you stand out in local search results. 

For example, selecting the right categories that best match your business helps Google understand what you offer. Moreover, uploading high-quality photos gives potential customers a feel for what they can expect.

A promising SEO campaign for Google Maps also includes gathering positive customer reviews. Reviews play a huge role in convincing both Google and potential customers to choose you over a competitor. The more high-quality reviews you collect, the more prominent you become, directly boosting your chances of ranking in the 3-Pack.

But that’s just scratching the surface. The process is long and technical and typically outside the expertise of most business owners. They’ll eventually need to hire Google Maps SEO services to handle the process professionally. 

These services put your business in front of people actively searching for what you offer.

But what exactly is a Google Maps SEO service, and what does it do for businesses? Let’s find out.

What Does a Good Google Maps SEO Service Offer?

The local SEO service providers factor in many things to ensure you grab that top spot. Here’s what most Google Maps SEO services can handle for you.

GBP Optimization and Management

Optimizing and managing a Google Business Profile (GBP) involves ensuring your business looks its best online. 

You can think of GBP as your storefront on Google Maps. It shows potential customers your location, contact details, hours, and what your business looks like in photos/videos. 

Google Maps SEO services set up your GBP and keep it up to date to make it stand out in local searches. They take care of things such as:

• Your business’s NAP (name, address, and phone number) is accurate and consistent across the web, not just on Google.
• Select the most relevant category for your business so Google knows exactly what you do and matches you with the right searches.
• Adding high-quality images and videos of your store, products, or services, possibly with geo tags
• Write a keyword-rich business description with a natural incorporation of important keywords.
• Keep your business hours updated.
• Regularly make Google Posts to engage your customers and signal to Google that you’re an active business.
• Adding special attributes to your profile relevant to your products, services, or the place
• Make a list of FAQ about your business and write answers to them.

Reputation Management

Positive reviews, or just reviews in general, make your business look authentic and trustworthy. Barely anybody trusts a business with no customer reviews on their Google Maps profile. But simply getting reviews isn’t enough; responding to them is equally important.

Google likes to see businesses engaging with their audience, and it also helps with building trust with future customers.

Google Maps SEO Services monitor your reviews 24/7 and promptly respond to them. Some experts can also detect inappropriate reviews and request their removal from Google.

Building Citations in Local Directories

Local directories are websites where businesses can list their basic information. These directories, like Yelp, YellowPages, and FourSquare, are key to boosting a business’s visibility in local searches. 

Submitting your business details to these directories helps create consistent citations across the web. Google uses these citations to validate the authenticity of your business. If your details are inconsistent, it can hurt your local SEO rankings.

A Google Maps SEO service submits your business information to multiple high-authority directories. The number of directories depends on the service and the package you choose. 

Some Google Map SEO services ensure that every listing is accurate and matches your GBP, in addition to simply submitting information. 

Google Sponsored Ads

Google Sponsored Ads allow you to show up prominently in search results for businesses like yours. Unlike organic rankings, these ads work on a pay-per-click model, which means you only pay when someone clicks on your ad.

The best part about these ads is that you can target them specifically at the locality of your choice. 

Google Maps SEO services can set up these sponsored ads for your business and optimize them for the best results. They’ll select the right keywords for your ad, refine the location targeting, and monitor the ad’s performance. 

On-Page Optimization

Some SEO experts also offer on-page SEO services. On-page SEO optimizes the content of your landing pages to help search engines understand and rank them better. Having a well-optimized website complements your Google Maps SEO, as Google then deems you an organized business.

Here are a few things that Google Maps SEO services do as part of on-page optimization:

• Strategically place location-specific keywords on your website’s pages
• Optimize meta titles and descriptions with relevant local keywords
• Write blog posts and landing page copy to target specific areas you serve
• Internally link pages of your website and reach out to other influential bloggers to feature your links on their websites.

These were the offerings, but what steps does a Google local map SEO service take to rank your business? Let’s learn it in the next section.

What Is the Action Plan of a Google Local Map SEO Service?

Before you hire an SEO agency to get the job done, you need to know how they will operate. Usually, this is how the SEO service you hire will take things forward.

Comprehensive Profile Audit

The first step any reliable Google Maps SEO service will take is conducting a thorough audit of your current GBP. 

Are all your business details accurate? Is your NAP consistent across the web? Are you using all GBP features for local ranking? If you’re getting reviews, are you regularly responding to complaints and appreciating positive reviews?

The audit will look for gaps, inconsistencies, or outdated information that could hurt your visibility.

The SEO service may also check your presence on online business listings.

Tailored Optimization Plan

No two businesses are the same, and a cookie-cutter approach won’t cut it in a competitive local market. That’s why once the audit is complete, the next step is creating a tailored optimization plan based on the findings. 

The plan typically outlines the technical details of the steps the SEO service will take to improve your profile. This can include completing your GBP, updating business hours, adding keyword-rich descriptions, uploading high-res images, and more. 

Aside from the GBP, the plan may also focus on adding your business to high-traffic sites and local directories. It may also have a strategy for gathering more reviews and responding to them.

Plan Execution

Now the Google Maps SEO services get to work. They’ll execute the plan both on your GBP and your website. 

If you haven’t yet claimed your GBP, they’ll do that for you. Then, they’ll set up and complete the profile with correct details, categories, high-quality photos, business descriptions, and more. 

After completing your GBP, they’ll work on secondary tasks such as listing you on business directories and improving your website’s SEO. 

Monitoring and Reporting

Google Maps SEO Services will continually monitor your profile to ensure that the plan is delivering the desired results. 

They’ll test whether your business ranks for the keywords they selected and whether you’re getting increased foot traffic as a result. If, for instance, a keyword isn’t generating much traffic, they might replace it or write new content.

To keep you in the loop, they’ll provide regular reports that clearly show your progress. These reports often include key metrics like search visibility, customer actions (calls, clicks, directions), and review activity. You may also learn how well your business ranks against local competitors.

Ongoing Adjustments

Nothing stays static for long in SEO. Search algorithms change and new GBP features launch. Even your business itself might evolve over time. You might move to a new physical location, expand, or open new branches. This is why continuous optimization is a must. 

Google Maps SEO Services will make ongoing adjustments to ensure your business stays competitive. They might need to tweak business hours, add new services, or change the focus of their local keywords to match customer search behavior. 

Continuous adjustments maintain your business’s ranking and strengthen it over time.

5 Benefits of Expert Google Maps SEO Services

When you hire Google Maps SEO Services, the benefits you get are multi-dimensional and long-lasting. Here are some key ways expert SEO services can benefit your business:

1. Increased Local Visibility

Proper SEO makes your business more prominent in local search results, especially in the coveted 3-pack.

You will get more traffic and leads for your business.

Image: https://pixabay.com/photos/girl-shop-souvenirs-woman-shelf-4181395/ 

Alt text: Image showing customers shopping at a local store.

2. More Foot Traffic

As your business ranks higher, more people will see your profile, click on your website, or visit your physical location. 

Improved visibility translates to more real-world interactions.

3. More Happy Customers

By managing your reviews with composure, even unhappy customers can turn into loyal patrons. 

Professionalism and offering solutions can encourage people to give your business another chance. 

Over time, this builds stronger customer relationships and increases positive reviews.

4. Higher Search Rankings

With experts handling your SEO, you’ll rank higher on Google Maps and search engines.

But it’s important to keep in mind that SEO takes time to kick in. 

5. Improved Online Reputation

A well-planned SEO strategy can differentiate between winning or losing a customer. 

It makes your business look more appealing, which leads to more conversions.

FAQ

Monitor Site Traffic With the Help of geoPlugin!

It goes without saying that Google Maps SEO services are the way forward to improve your search rankings. However, they can be an expensive investment, especially for new businesses.

These businesses have to make do with whatever skills they have. Thanks to Google, which provides easy instructions throughout the GBP set-up and gets half the job done. 

As for monitoring whether you’re attracting the right traffic, free geolocation services like geoPlugin services are here to help.

You’ll get details about their physical location by simply looking up the visitors’ IPs on geoPlugin. Information like the visitor’s country, city, and zip code will help you track the success of your SEO strategy. If you see that you’re getting more traffic from a specific region, you can target them with personalized offers.

So try GeoPlugin today and track your SEO campaign’s success for free!