How to Rank in Google Maps

With years of experience in both SEO and digital marketing, Steve Wiideman is a trusted pro in his field. In this article, he explains how you can rank in Google Maps – one of the most powerful platforms in local search.�

To maximize keyword rankings in Google Maps and Map Packs, a business must set up and continuously nurture four primary local SEO focus areas that include: business data, local landing pages, off-page visibility, and online reputation. 

Contents
  1. How the Google Maps Ranking Algorithm Works
  2. Managing the Accuracy of Business Data
  3. Optimizing Local Landing Pages
  4. Improving Off-page Visibility
  5. Improving Online Reputation
  6. Scaling Local SEO for Multiple Locations
  7. Final Thoughts
How the Google Maps Ranking Algorithm Works

It’s important to address that not all users of Google Maps are looking for a business. Some users are looking for a quick route home — for example, a park or landmark, or any non-commercial location for directions or general information. 

For businesses, holding a position in the search results within Google Maps or the Google Maps App is paramount to business sustainability and growth. Based on an estimated 67% market share in mobile app navigation according to a study by The Manifest, to not be listed in Google Maps is to be in the dark ages as it relates to marketing in general.

Google claims to use three focus areas in its Google Maps rankings for businesses, known as the Google Local Algorithm:

  1. Relevance
  2. Distance (Proximity)
  3. Prominence
Relevance

Relevance refers to how well a local listing matches what someone is searching for. Adding complete and detailed business information can help Google better understand your business and match your listing to relevant searches.

Distance or proximity

This is just what it says on the tin – how far is each potential search result from the location term used in a search? If a user doesn’t specify a location in their search, Google will calculate distance based on what’s known about the user’s location (this is visible at the bottom of SERPs and is not always 100% accurate).

Google search location

Prominence

Prominence refers to how well-known a business is. Some places are more prominent in the offline world, and search results try to reflect this in local rankings. For example, famous museums, landmark hotels, or well-known store brands that are familiar to many people are also likely to be prominent in local search results.

Prominence is also based on information that Google has about a business from across the web (like links, articles, and directories). Google review counts and ratings are factored into local search ranking: more reviews and positive ratings will probably improve a business’s local ranking. Your position in organic search results is also a factor, so general SEO best practices also apply to local search optimization.

The somewhat obvious signal Google Maps will start with before displaying search results is the distance from the searcher’s location. After all, why would Google show you a business listing 10 miles away, when there is a business offering the same product or service only 1 mile away? 

The distance focus point is thought to be based on the algorithm created by a computer scientist named Edsger Dijkstra, known simply as Dijkstra’s Algorithm, which finds the shortest paths between nodes in a graph, such as road networks.

The remaining ranking signals for businesses can be influenced by the local search engine optimization specialist. These attributes include:

  1. Managing the accuracy of business data
  2. Optimizing local landing pages (if you’re dealing with more than one location)
  3. Improving off-page visibility in search engines, navigation engines, local-social, industry, and regional directories
  4. Improving online reputation as it relates to ratings, reviews, and perhaps even sentiment

We will be talking about each of these areas herein, but it’s critical to the success of a local SEO strategy to have the mindset of treating these factors like a needy plant, with constant sunlight and water. Many businesses lose traffic by simply deciding to rest on their laurels, resulting in a competitor earning more reviews, business listings, or having a better landing page.

Managing the Accuracy of Business Data

Anyone can create a Google My Business profile with a valid phone number and address, even if they are not conducting business from either (although this is against Google’s guidelines), just so long as Google can verify through a phone call or postcard. This might explain why there is so much spam in the search results, something Google has continuously said they are working to address.

To authenticate whether a business is real or not (and to improve location accuracy), search engines use a number of data sources. The most well-known are listed below, but it’s likely Google is using a number of other sources as well.

Managing business data, be it for one location or thousands, for multi-location brands or franchises can be challenging. Thankfully, there are platforms and services available (such as BrightLocal) that have direct connections with these data sources, often called data aggregators, who receive bulk rates and pass the discounts down to their clients.

Data aggregators in BrightLocal

BrightLocal’s Citation Tracker

Optimizing Local Landing Pages

In the Google My Business guide mentioned above, Google states that “Your position in web results is also a factor, so SEO best practices also apply to local search optimization.†To rank in web results, a corresponding page must exist, and on-page search engine optimization best practices should be used for that page.

Many of these optimizations are discussed in Google’s SEO Starter Guide, including basic SEO focal points, such as:

  • Web Security
  • User Privacy
  • Accessibility
  • Browser and Device Compatibility
  • Unique Content
  • Mobile Usability

The kinds of on-site optimizations you perform will be impacted by the industry you’re in. A 2020 study of multiple locations by my company, Wiideman, revealed several common attributes of pages used by food and dining franchises, for example. Several of those factors are listed below, in order of percentage used across 100 pages analyzed.

Note: single-location businesses may use many of the attributes discussed in this section within the lower portion (“footerâ€) of the website across all pages, versus using a single Contact Us page. 

Most-used Local Landing Page Attributes in Food & Dining

Local Landing Page Attribute % Utilized
Hours of Operation Listed 100%
Directions Link Available 78%
Geo-Meta Tags Used 55%
Google Map Embedded on Page 40%
Location Social Links/Buttons (Yelp, Foursquare, etc) 37%
Open Now Status Available 31%
Custom Location Images (Unique to Each Location) 20%
Full Menu Listed on the Page 17%
Hyperlocal Content Present (Unique to Each Location) 12%
Custom Video Embedded (Unique to Each Location) 5%
Native Ratings and Reviews Specific to the Location 4%
360 Virtual Tour Embedded on Page 0%
Printable or Mobile QR Coupons Offered 0%
hCard Used 0%
Page Performance

Beyond attributes, the Wiideman study revealed specific performance averages for speed and the number of external requests a page makes (for scripts, style sheets, etc). Below is a table of averages to consider using as key performance indicators when coding the local landing page. These are..



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