how to rank in google maps
TRANSCRIPT
HOW TO RANK IN GOOGLE MAPS
A presentation by Jill Sullivan at Infront Webworks
WHY RANKING IN MAPS MATTERS
THE LANDSCAPE OF GOOGLE SERPS
GOOGLE MY BUSINESS
Claiming your listing
Verifying your listing
Optimizing your listing
STEP 1: SEARCH FOR YOUR BUSINESS
www.gybo.com/business
IS YOUR BUSINESS INFORMATION COMPLETE?
SIGN INTO YOUR GOOGLE ACCOUNT
Sign in to the Google Account you use for your business.
Don’t have a Google Account? Click “Create an account” to get started.
SELECT YOUR BUSINESS OR ADD IT
See your business in the list? Click to continue.
Don’t see your business? Click “Let me enter the full business details.”
ENTER YOUR BUSINESS DETAILS
Can’t find the perfect category? Pick something close.
CONFIRM YOUR BUSINESS
Agree to the Terms of Service. Then, click “Continue.”
REQUEST A PIN (OR LET US VERIFY FOR YOU)
Click “Send postcard.”
Let us help you get verified!
Infront Webworks
719-577-4404
Ask for:
Jill, Mike, Rory or Stephanie
OPTIMIZING YOUR GMB PAGE Business Name – Make sure this is your correct business name. Some businesses try to add
keywords to their business name to rank higher in maps. This is a HUGE NO-NO! Doing this could cause your listing to get removed completely.
Address – Be sure your address matches the address on the website, exactly. Sometimes Google will change certain elements of the address (like changing Boulevard to Blvd), if this happens, change the address to match the address as it appears on your Google My Business Listing.
Category – You can add up to 5 services. Choose the ones that are the most relevant to your business
Business Hours – Fill this out completely & make sure the information matches what’s on your website
Photos – Try to add up to 10 photos. You can use pictures of the inside of your store, staff pictures and so on.
Introduction – Write unique content that is completely different than anything you have on your website. Be sure to list the services you offer and link those services to the proper services pages on your website.
DISTANCE & PROMINENCE MATTER
Distance: Just like it sounds -- how far is each potential search result from the location term used in a search? If you don't specify a location in your search, Google calculates distance based on what it knows about the searcher’s location.
Prominence: This describes how well-known or prominent a business is. This is based on information Google finds about a business from across the web (like links, articles, and directories).
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOUR WEBSITE AND GMB
ON SITE FACTORS
Title Tags H1s & H2s Content Alt image tags Branded Map Link to GMB page Local Schema
TITLE TAGS
Title Tags are one of THE most important factors when it comes to on-page optimization
Should be between 60-70 characters long
Should contain the target keyword for the page
Should contain the city and state
HEADERS (H1, H2)
Use only one H1 per page
Use city/state in H1
Use city in one H2
CONTENT
500+ words is optimal
Use city/state in content
Talk about the surrounding area
Move beyond the single keyword model and work with long-tail keyword strings, incorporate keyword synonyms
IMAGES
Image name should contain city/state
Alt Image tag should contain city/state
Use a unique tag on each image on the page<img src="smiley.gif" alt="Smiley face">
BRANDED MAPS / LINKING TO GMB
Establish a better relationship between your website and GMB by using a branded map and linking to your
GMB page.
BUILDING A BRANDED MAPStep 1: Search for your business on Google.com/maps
BUILDING A BRANDED MAPStep 2: Click the “Share” button
BUILDING A BRANDED MAP
Step 3: Click “Embed Map”
Step 4: Choose your size
Step 5: Copy the code and add to your website
SCHEMA
Schema Markup, as it allows search engines to display important information, such as hours,
testimonials, reviews, and even menus easily in search results.
LOCAL SCHEMA
<div itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/Attorney”><span itemprop=”name”>ABC Attorneys</span><div itemprop=”address” itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/PostalAddress”><span itemprop=”streetAddress”>123 Main Street</span><span itemprop=”addressLocality”>Malibu</span>,<span itemprop=”addressRegion”>CA</span><span itemprop=”postalCode”>90263</span></div>Phone: <span itemprop=”telephone”>555-423-2352</span><a href=”http://googlemapsurl.com” itemprop=”maps”>URL of Map</a></div>
AGGREGATE RATING SCHEMA
<div itemprop=”review” itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/Review”><span itemprop=”name”>Value purchase</span> –by <span itemprop=”author”>Lucas</span>,<meta itemprop=”datePublished” content=”2011-03-25″>March 25, 2011<div itemprop=”reviewRating” itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/Rating”><meta itemprop=”worstRating” content = “1”/><span itemprop=”ratingValue”>4</span>/<span itemprop=”bestRating”>5</span>stars</div>
OFF SITE FACTORS
Link Building/ Directory Submissions
Social Media
NAP Consistency
LINKBUILDING
Ask for links – Think about friends, relatives, colleagues, partners and clients that have a blog or a website that is relevant to your niche.
Guest posting – There are many blogs & sites that will publish your article. The article should not be a sales pitch. Posts that answer a question relative to your industry are best.
Directory submissions – Find non-spammy, relevant, informative directories in which to place your site. Local, niche directories are best
Add your site to citation sites – https://moz.com/learn/local/citations-by-category
SOCIAL MEDIA
SOCIAL SIGNALSCreate accounts on the following social media channels. (Simply having a presence at each social channel creates inbound links and helps to establish credibility of your brand.)
FacebookGoogle PlusTwitterLinkedIn (Company Page)InstagramPinterest
REVIEWS
WHERE TO GET REVIEWS
Where should you focus on getting reviews?
Google My BusinessYelpYP.comBBBFacebook
NAP CONSISTENCY
MOZ.COM/LOCAL
TOOLS TO HELP YOU SUCCEED
Gybo.com – Claim and verify your Google My Business page
Google.com/business – Manage and edit your GMB page
Moz.com/local – Check your business for NAP consistency/duplicates – submit to directories
https://moz.com/learn/local/citations-by-category - Find relevant directories based on your niche
http://www.microdatagenerator.com/local-business-schema/ - generate local business schema for your website
Infront.com/blog – Get more information on all things SEO
Contact us! Infront.com | 719-577-4400 | [email protected]