How to Rank on Google Maps in 2024: 19 Proven Techniques

When it comes to local SEO, Google Maps is a crucial factor to consider. Every company looks forward to having their business on Google Maps Search Results. Having your business on Google Maps means that your business listing has a better chance at Google’s local ranking.

Google Maps marketing will ensure that you rank for local search results. Optimizing your GBP listing may ensure that you rank on Google Maps, but the question you should be asking here is how to rank higher on Google Maps. 

You might be well aware of the fierce competition between local businesses to appear in Google’s local pack. This is because the business listings in the local 3-pack get the most exposure and, hence, more website traffic and conversion. 

This post will discuss how your business can show up in local search results and the factors that help to rank your business on Google Maps.

How to Improve GBP Ranking?

The primary reason for getting your business listed on Google Business Profile (GBP), formerly Google My Business, is to create awareness about your business. There are a plethora of tactics you can employ so that Google places the business on top of the local listings.

Google Places shows all the nearby businesses on a map when users do a relevant search. It appears on the right side of the local search results/local listing when browsing through a desktop and on the top of the local listing when browsing through mobile. 

Optimizing your Google Business Profile and ranking on Google Maps is the way forward for local businesses to increase their footfalls. 

Search Engine Optimization helps websites rank their content on top of Google SERP. As you already know, any position outside of Google’s first page is usually considered an abandoned graveyard. 

If you are a local business owner, the same rules apply to ranking on GBP and the coveted Google Maps Pack. If your business is top-ranked, these are massive traffic drivers to your websites/store/shop.

The Google local business listing optimization is so robust that it drives you umpteen customers without you necessarily knowing a great deal about SEO. 

The better you rank in the business listing, the more trustworthy you become. The more trust you gain, the stronger your business’s impact on the target audience. 

As I already mentioned, a simple website is not a prerequisite to creating a Google Business Profile account or adding your business to Google Maps. However, it is always beneficial to have a business website in the long run. 

So, if you are wondering how to appear in Google Maps, understanding Google Business Profile SEO and Google Places ranking factors is essential. Keep reading this post to learn how to get your business on Google Maps to rank higher and improve rankings through Google local business listing optimization. 

Why Rank Higher on Google Maps Pack?

If you own a business that sells products and services to the local audience, securing one of the top 3 spots on Google Maps listings, also known as Google Maps Pack, is immensely important.

Appearing among the top 3 positions of the Maps Pack will not only give your business a large online exposure but also improve sign-ups, site visits, phone calls, and other desirable conversions significantly.

 For example, if you own a restaurant in Broadway, New York, then you have more footfalls if you rank in the top 3 spots in the Google local search results for that area.

The reason is when the local people in Broadway search for ‘restaurants near me,’ your business listing will appear right on top even before the first organic listing as a part of Google’s local pack. 

Earlier, Google featured the top 7 local listings in the Google Maps Pack. However, now it picks only three that best fit the related search query. If you want to see more results, you must click on the ‘More Places’ option. 

So, to obtain maximum exposure, better credibility, more relevancy, and high traffic inflow, your business must appear in the top 3 spots in Google local searches.

Although there are several Google Maps ranking factors to consider, certain factors can directly affect your Google Maps rankings.

Some of the Google Ranking factors crucial for Local SEO are:

• GBP (Google Business Profile)
• Quality Backlinks
• Reviews
• On-Page Relevance
• NAPs (Name Address and Phone Number) and Citations

Since most people now use ‘near me’ queries on Google Maps to find local businesses, appearing in the first 3 spots on the Google Pack Page can help you ace the local SEO game.

Listed below are some of the key benefits of getting ranked in the top 3 positions of Google Maps. 

Key Benefits of Getting Ranked in the Google Maps Pack

• Over 85% of consumers who search for any local business on Google Maps visit that business within 24 to 48 hours. 
• As per Google’s report, around 28% of these Google Maps local searches usually result in a purchase. 
• It has been observed that people are now making quick purchase decisions based on the customer reviews, credibility scores, and online reputation of any business. And Google Maps Listings easily help customers find these crucial pieces of information.
• Since Google Maps results are interactive, consumers can take direct actions from the listing itself in a few clicks. They can make direct phone calls or book reservations instantly. Therefore, ranking on Google’s local listing will ensure better conversions.

Determining the Google Maps Ranking

As we all know, Google Maps results are primarily based on the searcher’s location. Therefore, two key factors may potentially influence your business ranking on Google Maps listings. These two factors include:

1. Credibility & Visibility

The higher your business’s credibility, the more likely it will appear on top search results in the Google Maps Pack. 

 Certain factors can influence your business’s local visibility on Google Maps’ local search results page. These may include mentions on social media, other websites, and social media tags from influencers. 

In addition to this, having citations on local directories can also play a major role in enhancing your business rankings on Google Maps Pack listings. 

2. Positive Reviews

Google takes proper account of the positive reviews to determine your business’s ranking on Google’s local pack. Positive online reviews will add up to the credibility of your business and lead to more conversions and high ROIs. 

How to Rank on Google Maps? 

It is a well-known fact that getting your business to appear on the first page of the search engine results page can potentially increase web traffic inflow to your website.

Similarly, getting your business ranked on the top-3 positions of Google Maps listing will eventually increase customer traffic to your business store and enhance your conversions. Putting your business on Google Maps paves the way for better online reach for your business.

Since the Google Maps listings include directions to your store, getting top-listed on Google can drive more visitors to your business store besides boosting your organic reach and conversions. 

So, if you’re wondering how to rank higher on Google Maps or how to get listed on Google, then you need to follow three necessary steps to get your business featured among the top 3 positions. 

How does Google Business Profile work?

Opening a GBP account and claiming your business on Google Maps is the first step to doing local SEO for your business.

Once you’ve filled in all your information alongside selecting the right business category, Google will verify your business by sending you a postcard to the address added in the Google Maps listing.

The postcard you get contains a secret verification PIN, which must be entered to complete the Google Business Profile verification process.

You can also opt for options like email verification, phone verification, or instant verification to complete your business verification process if available.

Completing the verification process will help you claim ownership of your business. You can make as many changes as you want in the business listing once your account is verified. You must look into your account regularly to check the total clicks, subscribers, and impressions received for your business listing.

Frequent interactions and activities on your Google Business Profile listing signal that your business is worth displaying on the Google Maps Pack. However, listing a business in Google Business Profile is not the only thing that’s necessary for local SEO. You have to superintend on-page and off-page SEO as well.

What Determines Google Maps Rankings?

Google Maps rankings are often influenced by three broad attributes as follows.

Relevance

In Google Maps ranking, relevance denotes how closely your business aligns with a particular user query. This includes the accuracy of your business information, the keywords included in your listing and the relevance of your products or services to the search query made. 

Google prioritizes businesses that offer what the user is looking for based on their search terms and ranks relevant results higher.

Distance 

Distance signals how close your business or store is to the user in terms of location. This attribute plays a critical role in Google Maps ranking, as location-based searches are the prime focus.

When it comes to Google Maps, Google naturally aims to provide users with results that are in close proximity to the user’s location. This way, the user receives relevant results that are easily accessible based on their current location. Now, this opens doors to a positive user experience.

Prominence 

Prominence signals the reputation and popularity of your business among online users. It reflects the reliability and trustworthiness of your brand in the digital space.

Google takes into account the reviews, ratings, backlinks and online mentions you have earned to evaluate the prominence of your business. 

Businesses with a robust online presence, more positive reviews and increased user engagement end up being more prominent and are likely to rank higher in Google Maps. 

Factors Driving Your Google Maps Ranking

In the previous section, we discussed Google Maps ranking dynamics on a broader spectrum. So, what exactly are the factors that fuel your Google Maps rankings? Check them out below.

Google Business Profile

A well-optimized Google Business Profile with accurate business information, photos, and reviews can send strong relevancy signals to Google and help boost your rankings in Google Maps.

Your Website’s On-Page Optimization

Creating helpful website content for your local audience, optimizing your content with location-based keywords, and including relevant local search meta tags can help match user queries and improve your visibility in Google Maps.

Backlinks 

High-quality backlinks from authoritative websites whose content resonates with the local audience can complement your Google Maps ranking by improving your authority and credibility.

Behavioral Signals

User interactions such as click-through rates, dwell time and other user behavioral patterns influence your Google Maps rankings by indicating relevance and user experience.

Citation Signals 

Showcasing consistent NAP citations in online directories and other platforms can vouch for the credibility of your business and impact your Google Maps rankings positively.

User Reviews

Positive reviews and high ratings are a green flag for the search engine and users alike. They will enhance your business’s online discoverability and ranking in Google Maps.

Personalization

Other nuances like user search history, location and preferences make way for customized local search results. Invest in improving your brand’s relevance for local searches to improve your chances of appearing in personalized results.

How Do I Rank Higher in Google Maps?

It is proven that getting into the top 3 positions on Google Maps can actually benefit your business and prove highly profitable for you and your prospective clients.

In addition to this, the top GBP ranking of your business also acts as a key performance indicator for your clients as well as other online visitors who come to search for local SEO services. 

Tips to Rank Business on Google Maps

Earlier, it was relevance, proximity, prominence, and industry domains that used to be the basis for Google Maps ranking. Google, however, has started considering several other aspects of Google Maps rankings.

 It has helped many small and medium-sized industries giddy-up in Google Business Profile listings. Otherwise, they may have been dominated by well-established big-budget companies.

1. Verify Google Business Profile Listing

It is cardinal to verify your business listing in Google because it won’t show your business on Google Maps until it’s verified.

 Verify every category you have mentioned in Google. The more authority, the better the Google Business Profile ranking in the SERPs.

 Make sure you update everything about your business in the Google Business Profile listing; also, add the below features:

A. Business Operation Timings

Updating your business hours correctly in your Google Business Profile can fetch valuable potential customers your way. The operation timings information mentioned in your GBP will help the customers track your working hours before they visit you.

B. Update Contact and Website Address

Google boosts businesses that provide complete information and verify with them. Hence, it is important to update your information, like telephone number, address, and website address, so Google can assist users by providing accurate information on Google Maps.

C. Avoid Inept and Matching Business Information

Google is strictly against businesses providing duplicate information or having multiple listings for a single location business. Make sure to put aside redundant information and update the precise data in Google Maps to get considered for the ranking.

D. Include Keywords

Google Maps uses different algorithms to provide search results, just like traditional SEO. Similarly, it emphasizes search phrases and keywords to rank a business listing.

Since your business is already listed in Google Business Profile, the results will be incredible if you optimize it with primary and secondary keywords. LSI keyword usage also helps you in getting ranked in local search.

Sometimes, Google shows a business name for a high-ticket-money keyword and shares the company’s information with the customers. So, utilizing this method of including target keywords in your GBP name will help your business win an uphill battle against its competitors. 

E. Include Photos

The photos on Google Business Profile perform way better than business owners and marketers can think. Google reported that businesses with photos on Google Business Profile got 35 percent clicks through to the websites and 42 percent more driving direction requests than businesses without photos. Therefore, you must add photos of your business to your GBP listing.

2. Invite for Google Reviews

Customer reviews are very important for any website. The first thing people see on any website is customer reviews. Hence, it is essential to get reviews to appear on the Google Maps listing. Moreover, Google reviews considerably raise conversion rates compared to other local SEO strategies. 

 Positive reviews can significantly help your website to rank higher on Google Maps. So, if you want to obtain some quality reviews for your business, consider putting up your Google Maps review link on your invoices, business cards, and email signatures.

Although it is technically inappropriate for any business to ask for reviews, you can try making it simple by encouraging your customers to leave feedback on your product or service.

3. Respond to User Reviews

As I mentioned, it is crucial to get reviews to get featured on Google Maps listings. But then, it also matters how you react to them.

Getting positive Google reviews is great. However, some negative reviews are inevitable. In any case, it is essential that you respond to them and address issues effectively.

Engaging with user reviews tells both your customers and the search engine that your business values feedback and is committed to providing great customer service. 

By addressing problems and expressing gratitude for positive feedback, you can foster a positive relationship with your audience, attract more reviews and improve your online reputation. 

Google also considers review responses as a signal of continual business activity and relevance. This will, in turn, boost your ranking on Google Maps.

4. Include a Q&A Section in GBP

Adding a Q&A section to your Google Business Profile allows you to answer frequently asked questions about your business.

By providing responses that your potential customers will find helpful, you can make a good first impression and move a step closer to earning their trust. Using the Q&A section, you can also let the users get a sneak peek into your services and crisply highlight what sets your business apart from other players in the market.

Again, this showcases how responsive your business is and sends user engagement signals to Google to bolster your Google Maps rankings.

5. Promote Your Events and Offers through your Google Business Profile

Creates posts and updates to highlight special events, promotions, and offers related to your business using your Google Business Profile account.

Apart from keeping your profile updated and sending signals of frequent activity to Google to gear up your position in Google Maps listings, this feature helps you to keep your existing and potential customers posted about what you have in store for them at the given moment.

This will allow you to improve user engagement and magnetize more new local business opportunities to boost your ROI.

6. Insert the Google Map on Your Website

One of the ways to get a better rank on Google Maps is to insert your Google Maps location on the website. You may have seen such maps on other websites before.

Inserting Google Maps on the website confirms that you are in the location mentioned on your Google Business Profile. Add the name of your business to the location, and it outreaches the audience.

Inserting Google Maps on a website is easy. Get your physical location on Google map, click on the three-lined button beside your venture name, and right-click on ‘share map.’ Then, you get a link that you should copy and paste on the business contact page.

7. Categorize Your Business Accurately

Google provides you with five categories to leverage in GBP. Don’t miss out on using these categories. You can use these categories while claiming a Google Maps listing. 

 It is possible that the listed GBP categories do not perfectly fit your business. Therefore, to rank higher on the Google Maps listing, you need to ensure that your primary business categories are correctly matched with the main keywords.

The best way to do this is by typing in your main keywords in the category box and maxing out your second business category with the relevant options. This way, you can enhance your impressions for other business category keywords and achieve high rankings on Google Business Profile listings. 

 Most business owners are not aware of this option. Therefore, ensure that you utilize it proficiently. Add your business classification as the primary category, for example, fashion or restaurant, and include local SEO keyword descriptions such as “Dallas fashion” or “Paradise restaurant” that act as additional classifications.

8. Consistently Evaluate Business Ranking

Once you have updated the business info on the Google Business Profile listing, you need to track your ranking regularly.

You should consider citing your business more if your rank is low. You can do it in the following ways.

• Inspect the citations of businesses that rank above you. Surf through the various directories to find where their businesses are listed and add your listing there.
• Avail link building services from authoritative websites to your Google Business Profile.
• Make sure your business listing is accurate in Google Maps.
• Build strong online tenure and list business on third-party sites like Foursquare, Yelp, and YellowPages.
• If you are new, get citations building services from GBP-savvy companies.

9. Provide a Local Contact Number

If you crave the topmost rank on Google Maps, add a local number in the Google Business Profile listing. A local number with the precise area code builds trust with Google as it matches your right location. You can put a toll-free number on your website if you wish to.

10. Do Your Site Optimization

It looks like we are never going to break up with SEO, right? Yes, of course not. The motto of optimizing your website is to improve the chances of appearing in Google Business Profile listings.

In the screenshot above, the top-ranked local site turns out to be in the top organic listing as well. So, keep optimizing your website for SEO.

Make sure your website is well-optimized for local SEO. Optimizing your website for local search includes incorporating location-specific keywords, creating relevant and informative local content and ensuring that your site is mobile-friendly and easy to navigate. 

By leveraging local SEO best practices, you can improve your local search appearance while getting highly ranked in Google Maps.

Follow the strategies discussed above, keep aiming for more customer reviews on GBP, list your business in relevant directories, add images and videos, and employ other optimization strategies.

Feel free to discuss more GBP optimization tips to rank businesses on Google in the comments section. 

11. Have Citation Consistency

Citation consistency is one of the local search ranking factors that often gets overlooked. Citation volatility can drop your ranking in Google local search results. You create volatility with NAP citations when you have multiple variations of your business name, address, or phone number across the web. 

Let’s say your business is listed in 5 different directories where some part of your address is abbreviated, such as Rd. instead of road or St. instead of street in some of these directories. This slight variation may seem unharmful, but it can cause a lot of volatility and suppress your local ranking. 

To avoid this, you need to check your NAP citations on the web. Use a local citation finder to type your business address on Google and find where your business is listed; go to every site and check whether the NAP is consistent.

In low and mid-competition markets, NAP volatility might not affect your business as much, but for hyper-competitive markets, slight volatility can make a lot of difference to your ranking in the Google local search results. 

12. Build Strong Citations & Backlinks

Citation link building is when you include your website URL as a part of your citation. It is a powerful way to build a good amount of authority for your website. 

For example, you will do citation link building on law firm directories if you have a law firm. Law firm directories with high authority that list your business will naturally bring you contextual backlinks and a ton of authority.

Google uses citation analysis when determining your business ranking for local search results. It’s important to remember that Google will consider several factors in their citation analysis, such as:

• The relevance and authority of the citation source.
• The volume of citations for your business.
• NAP consistency in your citations.

13. Use Local Business Schema Markup

Implementing local business structured data provides search engines with precise information about your business and helps them better understand its context and relevance to local searches. 

You can add schema markup specific to local businesses, such as name, address, phone number, business hours, customer reviews and more to gear up the visibility of your business in Google Maps and other local search results.

As structured data makes it easier for search engines to display relevant information about your business, it will improve your click-through rates and local search rankings considerably.

14. Focus on User Interface(UI)/User Experience(UX)

Ensure that your business website is mobile-friendly and has its SSL certificate installed to allow your website to rank higher on Google Maps and the organic search results page. 

Choosing a mobile-friendly design and having an SSL certificate installed will offer direct ranking benefits to your business website, build trust, increase conversions, and lower potential bounce rates. 

15. Get Social Signals

Social Signals are becoming immensely important in Google Maps as well as online organic searches. They are actually based on your site’s likes, shares, and overall social media appearance. 

You can acquire these social signals by running social ads or various social media marketing strategies. It will bring more web traffic and help it reach its potential customers. 

16. Consider Investing in PPC

You can target and rank for specific local search keywords relevant to your business by running PPC (Pay-Per-Click) campaigns that drive targeted traffic to your website or Google Business Profile.

While PPC ads do not directly impact organic rankings, they can complement your organic efforts by increasing your discoverability in Google Maps through sponsored listings. 

However, unlike SEO which is pretty much an economic option, PPC requires you to allocate a significant ad spend. The good news is it is worth it.

That said, by investing in PPC campaigns based on your marketing budget, you can attract more customers, increase conversions and get actionable insights to strengthen your local SEO strategy in the long run.

17. Keep Your Data Feeds Updated

Data feeds are more important than you think. That’s why it is essential to keep them updated, especially if you are aiming to achieve top Google Maps rankings.

Suppose you are running a chain of restaurants. With your restaurants operating at multiple locations, you need to ensure that your data feeds are always up-to-date with relevant information, including menus, breakfast and lunch specials, seasonal dishes, accurate pictures and more.

Remember, the data feeds should be carefully personalized to match the preferences of your potential customers in specific locations. That’s how you will be able to attract location-based traffic effectively.

18. Manage Business Assets Properly

Creating and managing local assets depends on whether you own your store locations directly or sell products and services in stores you don’t own directly. Here’s how to set up your local assets.

Verify location-specific contact numbers and enable call reporting to monitor your business performance and tweak your local SEO strategy accordingly.

If you have goals and KPIs specific to a particular location, you should include location assets as an ad extension in your Google Ads account at the campaign level. If not, you can add them at the account level so that they are applicable to all your campaigns.

Also, ensure that your brand name and logo assets are incorporated at the account level to help boost brand recognition among your potential customers.

19. Leverage AI Features

AI is revolutionizing online search like never before and Google Maps is no exception. 

AI-powered features, like Performance Max in Google Ads, are stepping into the limelight and are more likely to dominate Search when the AI shift goes ahead in full swing.

In fact, Google Maps results are showing above the ads in the Search Generative Experience (SGE) version. 

That said, make sure you stay updated with the latest AI enhancements in Google Ads and use them to your advantage in order to boost the discoverability of your business on Google Maps.

If you follow the tactics mentioned in this article, obtaining the top position for local search shouldn’t be an uphill task. If you know any other tactics you have used to rank your business on Google Maps, feel free to discuss them here in the comments section.