How to appear on Google Maps and leverage local SEO?

Appearing on Google Maps means making your business more visible to your audience and potential customers. A company that has a good ranking on this tool will have a better chance of significantly increasing visits to its local address. The customer will have better visibility of the business, which will encourage interested parties to make phone calls, sign up, or any other desirable conversions. The listing accessible on the Google My Business platform indicates everything that needs to be known about your establishment. 

Indeed, if your site’s name appears on Google Maps, at the top of the ranking, users will be able to locate where you conduct your business. They will then get step-by-step directions to reach you. This is very important, as currently, almost everyone uses this type of tool to find what they are looking for: site, restaurant, merchant, shop, or any other location or place sought. 

All of this represents a great interest for the visibility of young businesses looking to attract new customers. Appearing on the Internet is an essential step for those aspiring to a thriving business in 2024. Thus, creating a profile on the establishment listing on Google is very important. So, what are the steps to register and what are the best tips for optimizing your presence on this tool? Are the benefits we gain from this visibility so convincing? Let’s see what Google Maps can bring to your brand.

Why is it crucial for your business to appear on Google Maps?

As we have understood, having a visible profile on Google Maps is important, but what else? In fact, it is a significant lever that ensures better engagement from potential new customers. Firstly, being present in Google Maps search results will help users find your location. It then becomes easier to start conversations with the target audience. All of this should lead to more traffic to your website. Indeed, by going to the search engine, visitors will be able to view a business with images. Additionally, your profile will present opening and closing hours, which will increase the foot traffic to your place. Last but not least, being present on Google Maps allows you to build a reputation through reviews.

From the moment a customer types in the name of a business or merchant (e.g., charcuterie Lyon), the search engine can display the Google Business profiles at the top of the results. The internet user will then have access to all the information about the establishment (photos, business hours, reviews, menus, etc.). A well-detailed listing could help the customer decide to visit the concerned seller or not. To do this, the user will check the company’s position on Google Maps. They can orient themselves by selecting a “Route” to find your company. In simple terms, Google Maps and Google My Business allow local companies to be more visible and provide customers with the information they need to locate and choose the place of interest. 

Step-by-Step Guide to Register and Appear on Google Maps

How to create a Google My Business account?

• On google.com/business, start by signing in with a Google account or create one if you don’t have one on google.com/accounts. It’s free. 
• Once logged in, enter the name of your business. Be sure to get it right as it is the first impression the customer will have.
• This done, the next step is to add the company address so that Google can verify its existence. 
• Afterward, Google asks whether you are a product vendor or a service provider. It’s up to us to clarify whether we want customers to come to our location or not. 
• Then, you must mention the category of your main activity. This is crucial because it is this detail that Google will use to place you in the search results for a given query. 
• Next, add your phone number and the website. Keep in mind that Google Business Profile tracks phone calls and clicks, hence the importance of providing accurate information. 
• Then, verify your local listing. To manage your company’s information in Google Search, Google Maps, and other Google properties, you must validate your establishment listing. The validation process allows Google to ensure that the information regarding your company is accurate and that you, the owner or manager, have access to it.

How to add my business on Google Maps?

Your registration on Google Maps is advantageous if you have a physical establishment. With your Google My Business account, in the Google Maps search bar, you have the option to select the listing you have completed as mentioned above. In this way, you will be able to claim ownership by searching for the name of your business. Once the profile has been reclaimed, it needs to be approved. To do this, there are several methods that Google offers (by phone or SMS, email, video recording, video call, postal mail). Be aware that the mail method requires you to be able to receive a postcard that will contain a verification code. It will be sent to the provided address. You will then need to enter the code in the designated space on your Google My Business account to validate your listing.

The information to provide for better visibility on Google Maps

In some cases, claiming the establishment listing is not enough to appear in local search results. Therefore, some optimizations are needed to increase the chances of being visible in Google and Google Maps search results. One of the most effective methods is to make updates. In the Google My Business listing, it is possible to make modifications or provide more precision about your activity (categories, hours, etc.). Above all, be sure to add keywords to the establishment listing, but without using them in the name of your business. It is against Google’s rules.

How to Optimize Your Presence on Google Maps?

How to use images to attract attention to your company?

When we talk about Google Maps, there is nothing more compelling than reviews and images. Photos give a good overview of what the customer can expect when choosing a destination. This is accessible to all brands on their establishment listing. It is noteworthy that businesses using images receive over 40% more route requests compared to others. Missing out on this opportunity would be a waste. Moreover, you just need to upload them to the profile and they will automatically appear in the establishment listing when users conduct a relevant search.

The impact of customer reviews on your visibility on Google Maps

The importance of customer reviews comes from the fact that a positive rating reassures and encourages the interested party to choose you among the other results on the list. By providing replies, you build loyalty and interact with consumers to get new prospects. On Google Maps, the best-rated establishments attract the most traffic to their site. And even if the reviews are negative, they still provide valuable feedback on potential areas for improvement. Furthermore, responding to negative reviews professionally gives other internet users a good impression of your professionalism. 

How to use Google posts to showcase your news?

To make the most out of Google posts, the first thing to do is to add titles in a natural way to your Posts (not all in uppercase).  This allows you to get twice as many clicks and conversions. Be sure to optimize posts for SEO with good semantic and quality content. Avoid spelling mistakes and overly generic texts. And finally, don’t forget to use original images. 

Measure and Analyze Your Performance on Google Maps

How to access your Google My Business statistics?

It’s always essential to have a good idea of areas for improvement in a local SEO strategy, regardless of the field of activity. Accessing Google My Business statistics provides an excellent overview of the points that need work. To view them, visit the relevant establishment on Google. Once on the dashboard and on the listing, select the “Performance” section. In this part are the new statistics reports on “View the new performance report”. The keywords and queries used to find your brand will then appear. 

Key Indicators to Monitor

To achieve maximum results with a Google My Business profile, regular tracking and analysis of performance are essential. As we have understood above, Google provides a set of tools and statistics that help in understanding customer interactions with a profile. This thus gives a good idea of aspects that require optimization. On Google My Business, in the Insights tab, you can gather much information on how users find our profile (the search terms used, the number of calls generated by the profile…). 

If there are several other indicators, keep an eye on the ratings that specify how many times your profile has been viewed. There is also the clicks section that shows the number of clicks made by the user on a profile including clicks to visit the website. It also displays the clicks that users made to get directions to your business or to contact you directly. Don’t forget to look at the search terms. This section shows the keywords that users employ to reach your listing. And while you’re at it, check the interactions to see the number of actions taken by the internet user on the profile (click on call to action, save the business, share the profile with others). 

Takeaways

Google Maps plays a very important role in the online visibility of the company. It provides valuable data for customers to find an establishment effortlessly, especially thanks to its geographical position, contact information, and customer opinions. Having a Google My Business account seems therefore natural for a business that wants to grow properly in 2024. It offers numerous opportunities for optimizing your presence on Google Maps. 

To this end, certain practices should be prioritized such as using photos, managing customer reviews, posting updates, etc. To maintain good results and identify improvement areas in your local SEO strategy, it is also important to monitor your performance through analyses of Google My Business statistics. The ultimate goal is, of course, to attract as many consumers as possible to your business.