Do you operate locally? Don't forget to improve your positioning on Google Maps! Create a business card and get noticed by potential clients! Also, check out how your Google Maps positioning works...
Why do local businesses need to be on Google Maps?
Are you a small player but still want to be visible to your local community? A presence on Google Maps is key to effective local SEO. A well-designed business card will help potential customers easily find your business and learn the quickest route to it. If you carefully present your business on the map, they'll also learn about your services and products, view photos, and check reviews from other customers. Google Maps will also make it easier for them to quickly contact your business – simply add your contact number and website address to your business card.
What else makes Google Maps worth it? A quarter of Polish internet users use Google Maps on their websites – screenshot from trends.builtwith.com:
When analyzing the arguments for being present in Google Maps, it is also worth paying attention to what the search results look like:
DESKTOP
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MOBILE:
Both on desktop and mobile devices, the map attracts significant attention and, in many cases, provides the answer to a user's question. Being present on the map, properly optimizing your listing, and regularly maintaining it are effective ways to appear in search results and engage users with your services. Therefore, positioning on Google Maps makes significant business sense.
Business card on Google Maps – how to set it up?
Creating a listing on Google Maps is simple – no technical skills required! You will, however, need a Google account – if you don't already use Google services, you can find all the necessary information here. It's also a good idea to connect your Google Search Console and Google Analytics to the same email address.
- Go to Google My Business, log in, and start creating your business card. This is where your business listing should appear. your company nameMake sure your name aligns with your social media brand and how you describe your business on your website – if customers are looking for your services there, they'll find your location more easily on the map.
The name should not contain an excessive number of keywords and locations – there will be room for this in the subsequent stages of creating a profile on the map.
- After the name, it's time to define category your business.
Focus on the main aspects of your company, what your customers identify you by. You select a category from the list of available categories. What if there isn't one that fully describes your business? Choose a more general category. In the next steps, you can also add an additional category. After creating your business card, you can change your business categories in the "SERVICES" tab.
The main category is displayed at the top of the business card – in the desktop version under the name, links related to the activity and ratings, and in the mobile version – under the name and stars with the Internet users' rating.
- Specify the location of your company and add it to her address:
In the next step, it is also necessary to indicate the location of the company on the map.
Location isn't everything – in the next step, you can define the scope of your business if you also serve clients outside your headquarters. You'll define the area in which you can provide services in the next step.
- The next part of creating a business card is adding a phone number and websiteMake sure to include a phone number here, so customers can get details about your offer or schedule an appointment.
If you don't have a website, the business card creator also allows you to create a simple website that will contain all the information you've shared. Your website will be available the moment you finish creating your Google My Business profile. You can edit your one-page by selecting the "WEBSITE" tab in the left-hand menu and customizing the appearance to suit your needs. You can find the finished website at name-of-business.business.site.
- Click finish – your business card is ready!
Creating a business listing on Google My Business also requires verification, i.e. confirmation of presence at a given address and rights to manage the listing.
Google My Business verification can be done in several ways:
- Postcard – a postcard is sent to the address provided in the profile with a code, which must be entered in the appropriate field on the website. Google stipulates that the verification period may be extended to up to 15 days – this largely depends on, among other things, the operation of postal services in a given country. For most new businesses, a postcard is the only possible method of verifying a business card. The code on the postcard is valid for 30 days.
When editing existing business cards, much faster verification is possible:
- by phone – the code necessary to verify the ownership of the business card is provided during the telephone call;
- by e-mail – the verification code is included in the automatically sent e-mail message;
- via Google Search Console – some categories of businesses can use instant verification. To use this option, you must create a listing using the same email address linked to the Google Search Console of the website associated with the listing;
- bulk verification, dedicated to businesses with more than 10 locations.
Before verification, you can only edit your business card – you won't be able to change anything, including your company name. While you're waiting for the code, you can still add information about your business's opening hours, a description (note the 750-character limit!), and photos.
As high as possible – positioning in Google Maps
Once your business card has been created and properly verified, it's time to work on optimizing and improving the quality of the information it contains. It's important to ensure that all the information shared here is current and accurate – potential clients can quickly verify it.
In many cases, Google Maps will be the first place a customer encounters our business. Therefore, it's important to ensure that this initial encounter leaves a positive impression, prompting them to visit our premises, call us, or explore our services on our website.
The term "Google Maps positioning" itself is inaccurate. We can only optimize the listing to make it as attractive as possible to the user and the algorithm that suggests given locations first. However, the range of methods available is so limited that it cannot be compared to the classic process of website positioning in search engines. Nevertheless, you can simply try to appear in Google Maps more often.
The list of things to do around a business card is not that long:
- take care of the graphics – What makes your Google Maps listing attractive? Well-chosen photos that not only help people find your location but also highlight what you do. Make sure your images are high-quality.
You can add photos when creating your company profile, or later – just click the “PHOTOS” link in the Google My Business menu.
When adding photos to your business listing, you can use Google's suggestions. Don't forget to include a graphic of your business logo! Google also encourages you to add a virtual tour of your office – on the website, you'll find Google-recommended specialists who specialize in this type of photography.
- encourage people to leave positive reviews – a positive rating, expressed in a descriptive form or using stars – is the best way to achieve a high position on the map.
How can we encourage customers to rate our business on Google Maps?
Ensure high-quality services – in addition to the offer, customers often evaluate employee etiquette, service delivery time, and phone call frequency. Encourage comments and ratings – both in person and in emails and messages exchanged with the customer. Note: the request for a rating should be made after the service has been completed, for example, in an email thanking them for using our offer. In some cases, you might consider offering the customer a small discount that they can use on future purchases.
Unfortunately, customers can also leave negative reviews (sometimes expressed in a vulgar manner). It's important to respond to negative reviews with a high level of courtesy.
Another type of undesirable opinion is fake—posted by, for example, fake accounts. These types of comments can be deleted. To do this, go to the OPINIONS tab in your account and select the opinion you want to delete. Next to it, you'll find the "Report inappropriate content" button. It may take several days for the post to be removed.
Raise the stakes!
If you have more time and want to make sure your business card is perfect, there are a few more things that will help your company stand out from the competition!
- What's new? Let us know about it right on your business card!
You can create posts in your Google My Business profile. Select the "POSTS" tab from the side menu and add your first post!
Different types of posts have different templates. You can choose from:
– an offer where you can include photos, valid dates, a coupon, a website link and other information;
– new items that consist of a photo and description;
– an event where you can add graphics, dates, details and a button with a link enabling you to take action – e.g., book tickets;
– a product where, in addition to the price and description, you can also add a category and a link to your store. You can learn more about products on Google My Business later in this article.
Note – the text is being created in October 2020 and at that time Google My Business offers one more type of entry, dedicated to information regarding the operation of our business during the pandemic.
- Show off your products!
Does your offer also include various products? It's worth including information about them in your listing. To do this, go to the Google My Business menu again and select the "PRODUCTS" tab. Then click "Get Started" and fill out the form:
Viewers of your listing can view your inventory directly on Google Maps and, with a click, navigate to your website and make a purchase. It's a good idea to include the most popular products on your site on the map. Don't forget to add appropriate graphics and a clear description, which will not only increase interest in the product but also encourage customers to click through to your website.
"Products" are available to small and medium-sized businesses. Google rejects listings that violate company policies, including those covering regulated categories such as gambling, alcohol, or pharmaceuticals.
The MENU option for restaurants also works on similar principles.
How to get ahead of the competition in Google local results?
Can you position your business listing on Google Maps? For Google My Business profiles, positioning and competing for top spots is different than competing on websites.
The idea behind promoting business cards is similar to the algorithm that ranks them in SERPs: to provide the best possible answer to a user's question. In the case of a website, site speed and technical preparation play a significant role, while in the case of a business card on Google Maps, these aspects fall under Google's jurisdiction. Optimizing a business card primarily involves providing a wealth of information that meets the search engine's user expectations.
What does this mean? Information should be provided accurately and accurately, such as a valid phone number where customers can contact our office. This rule also applies to business hours, which can be entered in the INFORMATION tab of your Google My Business profile. For hours, it's worth using Google's suggestions and providing information about holidays, for example.
You may also be reminded of the possibility of changes in this regard in one of the emails sent by Google.
However, it's not just what we say about our business that search engines evaluate – it's also what our customers think of us. Hence the need to collect positive reviews – they help our business listings appear higher. Google promotes businesses that receive positive reviews from their customers and tends to avoid featuring those that haven't earned the sympathy of internet users.
Keywords and the map
The topic of Google Maps positioning also requires a mention of keywords. As with websites, keyword stuffing has long been ineffective. Using this type of solution can actually result in your listing being suspended, making it impossible to promote your business this way.
So how can we incorporate keywords that are important to our business? It's worth including them in our business description so that they naturally complement the overall message. User reviews are also a good place to include a few valuable words – longer (2-3 sentence) statements that include a keyword are particularly effective in improving our ranking.
You also can't forget about your website – it should also include phrases related to your business and the location where you operate. Note – it's not about hard-coding keywords like " dentist Kraków" or "hairdresser Oborniki" ; rather, it's about weaving them naturally into the context. As for the city name, it and the rest of your contact information should also find a suitable place. It's good practice to place it in the footer of the page. As part of website optimization, don't forget to mark the address with appropriate schema tags. This will help Google's robots easily read the data contained there. How do you add a schema to your website? Generate the code using a Google tool and place it in the <head> section of your page. For a WP website, you can also use a plugin.
How do they see you? Check your stats!
Google Maps positioning, like SEO in general, is improved through detailed analyses provided by various search engine tools. In Google My Business, this data is provided by the "STATISTICS" tab. The information includes a wide range of information:
- searches and their type (direct, when searching for a service or category, and by brand);
- a list of terms that customers use to find your company;
- search location, i.e. application or search engine;
- detailing the actions taken by users within your listing (e.g., website visits, directions, and phone calls);
- data on popular hours also appears here – this information is also visible in popular business cards;
- number of photo views and comparison with companies from similar categories.
How can you use this information? Find out what terms users are searching for and implement them in your description. You can also use these phrases as inspiration for creating posts or promoting products on the map. Don't have any photos yet? Time to get started, especially if your competition boasts a large gallery – maps with images are more popular!
Consistently up…!
Ranking high on Google is all about building a valuable business listing. This is quite simple in itself – all the necessary tools are available in Google My Business. The listing owner/manager's job is to ensure current information is provided and the posts are of high quality. Regularly publishing them is also a good idea. We've also prepared a pretty helpful guide on how to set up a Google listing , which will walk you through the process from start to finish and help you set everything up correctly right away! 🙂
Don't forget to stay up to date – Google Maps (like most Google products) is constantly evolving. It's worth following the latest news and taking advantage of new features.
Summary
The above article covers the following topics:
- The importance of having local businesses on Google Maps
- Methods of optimizing your company profile for better visibility on Google Maps
