How to Rank in Google Maps | Vicinus.ai

Being found on Google Maps is crucial to any local marketing campaign. From maximising keyword rankings in Google maps and Map Packs, to optimising business listings, your business must continually nurture its business data, local landing pages, off-page visibility as well as online reputation too. 

How does Google Maps work?

For businesses, ranking in the Map Pack in Google Maps is crucial to creating a presence online for offline sales. 

The manifest even suggests that there is a:

‘67% market share in mobile app navigation’

There are three main focuses which Google takes into account when ranking your business on Google Maps:

• Relevance
• Distance 
• Prominence

Now, unfortunately, distance can’t be influenced by marketers as this is just based on the proximity of your business to the ‘near me’ search conducted by a customer. However, the other two areas can be optimised to help your business show up in the Map Pack.

How can I Optimise Relevance?

Relevance is simply how well your local business listing matches the search your potential customer is conducting. 

The best way to ensure that your business shows up in relevant local search results is by making sure your business listing is complete and has detailed business information too.

This is where Vicinus can help you! Real-time management of all your locations from one easy-to-use platform. Help customers find only up-to-date and consistent information about your brand.

How can I Optimise Prominence?

Prominence is basically how well-known your business is. However, it is easier to build up your prominence for Google maps than you think.

Google bases its prominence rankings on the information Goog;e has about a business. These can be anything including, but certainly not limited, to:

• Links
• Articles
• Directories 
• And more!

This means that the more information your business has on Google, the better! However, make sure it’s updated and accurate or Google will lower these rankings.

So, what are the Main Points I need to know about Ranking in Google Maps?

Below are our top four ways to improve your Google Maps ranking:

1. Only provide accurate business data online. This means that you will have to frequently update your business listing information as well as any other business information online. This will not only help your customers find updated information about your business, but will also help google rank your business higher in Google maps too.
2. Optimise local landing pages for every location your business has. This is necessary again for your customers to be able to find your individual locations (and is very important if you have a multi-location business), however it also provides accurate information to Google too.
3. Improve your off-page visibility. This includes everything from your visibility in search engines, navigation engines, local-social, industry and even regional directories too.
4. Improve your online reputation. This means that you will have to ensure that your ratings and reviews are optimised. The easiest way to do this is to respond to your reviews- whether negative or positive- in order to build a trustworthy connection between your business and customers (as well as potential customers too). 

Vicinus can help with responding to reviews with our machine learning-led sentiment analysis gathers location-specific consumer insights and assists with review auto-respond to build customer trust in business.