How to Increase Your Business’s Google Maps Ranking

At my marketing agency, there are a lot of things we are testing and collecting data on regarding SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and how to improve the ranking and exposure of businesses to their ideal clients.

There are dozens of things we work on, and some make a bigger difference than others, but today I wanted to highlight 3 specific things that any small business can do for free to start improving their rankings within days.

This will work for any small local business that has a verified Google Business Profile set up and hasn’t been actively optimizing or updating it.

Related: This One Google Feature Is Eating Away at Your Online Traffic — Here’s How to Fight Back

Your Google Business Profile (GBP) and how Google uses signals from it

Google’s algorithm has one main goal, and that’s to show searchers the best and most relevant sources and information available. Hundreds of signals go into how Google’s algorithm determines “the most relevant” sources and information, and Google doesn’t disclose what those are.

That makes improving your rankings and exposure nothing but a guessing game. They do disclose “best practices” and the ways they encourage webmasters and business owners to behave, but again, there are no concrete steps or actions here.

This is because if they shared the different factors affecting search engine rankings and which ones matter the most, marketers and SEO agencies would manipulate the rankings for their clients.

This would result in situations where the “better business/source” doesn’t get the exposure it deserves, because a marketing agency working for a competitor manipulated the signals the algorithm uses and got their client to the top spot.

That’s not a great system, and Google keeps things secret for a reason.

Using the data and testing from reputable marketing agencies or marketers

One thing you can do is follow and listen to reputable marketing agencies and marketers, who are able to test different ways of doing things and get an idea for what causes improvements in the search rankings versus not.

Because they have dozens, or maybe hundreds of businesses they are working with, they have a huge data source and ability to test strategies and get an idea for what works better.

At my marketing agency, we often spot strategies that are working well, and sometimes really well. Our goal is not to manipulate the search results in an unethical way; our goal is to understand what strategies work well so that we can help our clients focus on these and improve their exposure for the great services they offer.

Now, let’s get into the 3 things you can do starting today to improve your results.

1. Fully optimize your GBP

How long has it been since you checked all our business info in your listing? Whether it’s been a while or not, our data has shown that Google prefers businesses that utilize their listing to the maximum and provide as much info as possible.

• Log in to your GBP
• Go to “edit business info.”
• Take a look at the available sections, like about, services, your hours and even any reviews you haven’t responded to.
• Update any sections with minimal info and fill out any empty ones with good information that mentions your services and location to boost for local relevancy.
• Respond to any unanswered reviews. Google prefers active profiles that are engaging with their clients and customers. Responding quickly to new reviews is a great way to show you are active.

2. Add or update your business photos

• Check your pictures and make sure you have the basics like your logo, photos of the office or location, and team pictures if you can (you should).
• Whether you have all those photos or not, it’s time for an update. Like we’ve mentioned, Google prefers active businesses, and when you are adding photos consistently, this is another signal that you are active, and it helps potential clients see more about your business.
• You can post any pictures here, like team members, the office, your services on-the-job or your product. Grab a recent picture and post it. Do that once a week.

Related: How to Use Personal Brand Photos to Stand Out on Social Media (and Be Remembered)

3. Ask a recent client for a review

Reviews are not only a great way to build trust and show that your clients are happy, resulting in more eyeballs on your business, but they are also a great signal to show Google you are actively providing great service to happy clients.

• Think of a recent client or customer who was happy with your business
• Take the link from Google where it says “ask for reviews” and copy it
• Send a personalized text or email to the client and let them know a written review of their experience would mean a lot to you and your team. Paste the link, hit send. They’ll likely agree and leave a review, but sometimes people forget, so after a few days, send a follow-up if needed.

Congrats! You’ve just tapped into the algorithm

With those actions, you’ve made a few powerful zaps to Google’s algorithm, and they will notice. Now, if you want them to really notice, do this weekly or twice a week for 3-4 months, then come back and tell me how much more traffic you’re getting.

At my marketing agency, there are a lot of things we are testing and collecting data on regarding SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and how to improve the ranking and exposure of businesses to their ideal clients.

There are dozens of things we work on, and some make a bigger difference than others, but today I wanted to highlight 3 specific things that any small business can do for free to start improving their rankings within days.