Maximizing Map SEO for Local Success!

Like many things Google, Map SEO involves maximizing your Google My Business (GMB) presence. Creating/Claiming your business in GMB is important so that every piece of info about your business in Google is correct and shows up the way you want it to. The reviews from customers and the “near me” feature of Google are also a huge help in boosting Maps and organic rankings. 

Domain Authority is the unofficial search engine ranking score of Google. It takes into account a lot of factors like your website’s numbers of backlinks, how old your site is, how good the quality of the content is, being search engine friendly, and social signals. The higher the Domain Rating, the better authority a website will have, causing links to-and-from that site to appear higher up in Google Search results. You can check a site’s ranking by using services such as ahrefs.

Link Building is yet again an important factor in Map SEO. (Our observation is that some if not most of the tips for SEO also applies for Map SEO.) Google’s algorithm takes into account the number of websites and pages that link to your website and uses it to rank your website in organic listings AND the Map app. Though it is still important to remember that quality stands over quantity since Google values quality websites that link to you more than those that are not. They also consider websites that have the same or related niche of your business. 

Building a strong social media presence to establish your business as a local Google listing is helpful. Both Organic Social Media links, as well as Paid Social Media links build brand likes, shares, and followers. All this lends itself to a great link building strategy and helps to drive leads to your business.

Racking up 5 star/positive reviews can also be beneficial to boosting your visibility in organic search engine results and Google Maps listings.

Putting photos in your GMB profile may also get you boosted numbers.

Build a citation that is consistent and is of quality (your name, address, and phone number or NAP) throughout all of your pages and presence online in directories such as the BBB, Yelp and Bing Local. This is to avoid confusing Google’s algorithm which will lower the chances of you ranking higher in Map 3 Pack.

Staying focused on your local SEO methods and steps is still the way to go. A lot of the things you do to improve your rankings in organic listings will affect, in one way or another, your presence on the Maps app.