The Ultimate Local SEO Guide: How To Rank In Google Maps

If you run a brick-and-mortar business, it’s crucial to get your location ranking for relevant Google Maps searches. 

Why is that?

There are two primary reasons, which are:

1. The local 3-pack search feature appears for most local searches and integrates Google Maps (42% of local searches end with local pack clicks).
2. 67% of users choose Google Maps as their go-to navigation app. 

So, if you want to generate a ton of foot traffic for your business, ranking high on Google Maps is the way to do it. 

How do you appear in Google Maps searches?

By creating and optimizing a Google Business Profile listing.

It’s the starting point for how your business data is displayed on Google Maps and other search features, like knowledge bars and snippets. 

In this guide, we will explain how you can start appearing on Google Maps to give yourself an edge over competitors, so don’t go anywhere! 

Quick Note: This article is part of a series on local SEO. Past chapters include: How to Get Google Reviews Using Google Posts to Boost Customer Engagement and Traffic What is Google Business Profile?

Why Would You Want to Rank Higher on Google Maps?

89% of ALL buying experiences start on search engines, including local searches. 

In fact, 76% of consumers who search for a ‘near me’ keyword will visit the business they look up within a day. 

However, if you want to capitalize on these searches, you need to rank well on Google (we’re talking top 3 here, with position #1 preferred). 

That’s because users rarely scroll past the first few results on search engines. 

Also, research shows that 84% of people use ‘discovery’ searches to find businesses, meaning they use keywords (like ‘gardeners near me’) instead of searching for specific business names. 

This reinforces the need to rank in the top 3 for local keywords relevant to your business (like ‘gardeners near me’ for gardening services). 

As stated in the intro, Google’s local 3-pack appears for many local searches, and the businesses featured in it tend to generate the most traffic. 

Here’s a quick example of what a 3-pack looks like using our example keyword:

As you can see, three businesses get featured in the local 3-pack, along with:

• An average rating out of 5 stars 
• Hyperlinks to their website and navigation directions 
• Hours of operation 
• How long they’ve been in business 
• Address and phone number 

Since so much helpful information is jammed into the 3-pack, it’s no wonder why the majority of users wind up choosing one of the businesses featured in it. 

So, why were these three businesses chosen to appear in the local pack?

Sites that show up in local packs will have these features in common:

• A high average rating out of 5 stars (typically 4.5 and above) 
• A complete and fully optimized Google Business Profile 
• Strong on-page SEO signals (fast loading speed, proper keyword usage, etc.) 

As you probably imagined, these are the optimizations you’ll need to make to your site in order to rank higher on Google Maps.

How to Get Your Business Listing to Rank Higher on Google Maps

Okay, now it’s time to learn how to make ranking on Google Maps a reality, and it all starts with creating and optimizing a Google Business Profile. 

Without a GBP listing, your business will not appear in the local 3-pack, and your visibility on Google Maps and in local organic searches will be very limited. 

Besides optimizing your Google Business Profile, you should also:

• Generate lots of positive Google Reviews (and respond to any negative ones) 
• Build relevant local backlinks to boost your website’s authority 
• Get your business listed in local business directories 

There’s a lot to learn, so let’s get to it. 

Step #1: Create a Google Business Profile

Since an optimized GBP listing is pretty much mandatory to rank on Google Maps, let’s start by creating a new Google Business Profile. 

First, log into your Google account and head to the Create a profile page. Next, enter your business’s name:

An important reminder: For a more professional touch, use your business domain email as your login (for example, not @gmail.com, @yahoo.com, or any other general email client).

After that, enter your business’s name and category to start building your profile.

Listing the correct category, which lets customers (and Google’s crawlers) know precisely what your business does, is crucial for displaying your business for the right local searches. 

Google allows you to use multiple categories, so choose each one that’s relevant to your business, and be as specific as possible.

Next, to make any further edits to your account, you need to verify it.

There are a few ways to make this happen:

1. By postcard: Google will mail the verification code to your business’s listed address.
2. By phone: Google sends the verification code to your phone through an automated message.
3. By email: An instant verification option, which is only available if you use the same login credentials for both Google Search Console and your GBP account.
4. By video: You record a video of your business location, including all interiors and exteriors. Along the way, you should showcase signage, equipment, and other identifying features. This proves that you actually own the business and are present at the listed address. 

Some options may not be available, like if you don’t share login credentials across GSC and GBP. For this reason, the most popular way is to receive a postcard in the mail. Your eligibility to verify using any of the other options will depend on your type of business.

Google provides more detailed instructions for every process on its support page here.

Step #2: Complete Every Section of Your Profile

Once you’re verified, it’s time to optimize your profile to give it peak ranking power on Google Maps and in the organic search. 

For context, here’s what our completed GBP listing looks like on the search results:

Here are the main sections you’ll need to fill out:

• Business Name: Use the business name that matches your storefront and website.
• Address and Location: It’s extremely important to provide an accurate, up-to-date address for your business. If you serve customers at their locations instead, specify your service areas (for example, neighborhoods in the Highland Park area).
• Contact Information: Add a local phone number and a valid website URL. It’s crucial to use a local phone number because Google doesn’t care for toll-free numbers (like 1-800 numbers) since they’re commonly used for spam. Using a local phone number will A) help you rank higher on Google Maps and B) let your customers know that your business is actually located in their area. 
• Hours of Operation: Include regular hours and update them for holidays or special events. You should regularly audit this section by frequently returning to ensure they’re accurate. This will help you avoid mistakes like forgetting that you changed your hours for a special event. Also, keeping your hours updated signals to Google that your business is active and trustworthy. 
• Categories and Attributes:
  • Primary Category: Choose the most accurate category for your business.
  • Additional Categories: Add secondary categories that describe your services.
  • Attributes: Highlight specific features (e.g., ‘Free Wi-Fi,’ ‘Wheelchair Accessible’).

Write a Compelling Business Description

The next step is to provide a brief yet engaging description of your business and the products/services you provide. 

Here’s ours as an example:

These are the main components you should include in your description:

• Overview: Summarize what your business offers, your mission, and what makes you stand out from your competitors.
• Keywords: Incorporate relevant keywords naturally, but avoid keyword stuffing.
• Length: Aim for 750 characters in length, and add the most important information (why customers should care) in the first 250 characters.

Add high-quality photos and videos

Lastly, you should add intrigue by uploading photos and videos of your business’s location. 

You should include things like:

• Profile and Cover Photos: Use clear, high-resolution images that represent what your brand stands for.
• Interior and Exterior Photos: Showcase your premises to build trust and generate intrigue.
• Product and Team Photos: Highlight your products, services, and staff.
• Videos: Include short videos (up to 30 seconds) to engage viewers and entice them to visit your location.

Step #3: Get more Google Reviews

95% of customers read online reviews before buying a product, and 49% of customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends and family members. 

Those two statistics alone should be enough to make you want lots of positive reviews for your business. 

Here’s the kicker, though. 

73% of all online reviews are hosted by Google. 

That means a strong presence on Google Reviews is essential for any local business. They build trust and credibility with potential customers and significantly influence how high your business ranks in Google Maps and the organic local results.

Here’s how to start generating lots of glowing reviews.

Make it easy for customers to leave reviews

First, no one wants to leave a review if it involves a lot of effort. The average person is very busy, so you should provide ways to make leaving a review as quick and easy as possible, like:

• Sharing your Google Review link: Find your unique GBP link and share it on your website, social media, email signatures, and receipts. Also, consider creating a QR code to provide even easier access.
• Providing clear instructions: Explain to customers how to leave a review in simple steps. You can even offer a visual guide or a short video tutorial.

Actively encourage reviews

Don’t be afraid to actively encourage satisfied customers to share their experiences.  A simple, polite request in person often works wonders.  

Timing matters too, so aim to ask for reviews shortly after a positive interaction while the experience is still fresh in their minds.  

Utilize various communication channels to reach customers like email blasts, post-purchase follow-ups, and social media promotions.

Respond to all reviews

Responding to reviews is crucial for building customer relationships and managing your online reputation.  

Always express gratitude for the feedback, whether positive or negative. Address negative reviews with professionalism and empathy, offering solutions and demonstrating your commitment to customer satisfaction.  

Also, engage with positive reviews by personalizing your responses and highlighting specific aspects mentioned in the review.

Pro-tip: What NOT to do when it comes to Google Reviews Never offer incentives for reviews. This violates Google’s policy and can harm your business’s reputation. Don’t buy fake reviews. This is unethical and can lead to penalties from Google. Don’t leave reviews for your own business or ask employees to do so.

Step #4: Build local backlinks

Backlinks are one of the top ranking factors on Google, as they’re the #1 way to build trust and grow your website’s authority. The more high-quality backlinks to your website, the better your chances of ranking higher and getting on Google Maps local listings. 

So, what exactly are backlinks? 

It’s a pretty simple concept. A backlink is simply a hyperlink on a different website that ‘links back’ (hence the name) to one of your web pages. 

Here are two of our favorite ways to generate local backlinks for websites: 

• Conduct local outreach. First, you should reach out to and build relationships with relevant local news sites and media outlets. Try to find articles where it would make sense to link to one of your landing pages or blog posts. For example, if you offer gardening services, a local news story talking about gardening in your town is a great target for a link insertion. You could reach out to the site owner and let them know that adding a link to your gardening service landing page would be a helpful resource to their readers. 
• Create high-quality content that attracts links. Another great way to generate backlinks is to create lots of helpful, high-quality content. If your content is truly valuable, it will attract links without you having to reach out to anyone. Content types that attract the most shares include infographics containing statistics, videos, and helpful tutorial posts.  

To learn more link-building tactics, check out our Learning Hub chapter on the importance of link-building. 

Step #5: Build niche local business citations

Local citations are mentions of your business name, address, and phone number on any platform, including social media. While most NAP citations have basic information, some contain extra information about the business, which can provide additional authority to your website. 

Niche citations are built on platforms that are specific to your niche. For example, if you run a restaurant, your Grubhub profile can be considered a niche citation because it’s placed on a platform that is all about food. Niche citations can help search engine crawlers associate your business with niche industries. 

Using a high-authority website to help you build your citations can also increase your overall online presence and boost your brand awareness.

Step #6: Optimize your website’s homepage

Your homepage is the face of your business online. It should communicate who you are, what you do, and why customers should choose you. 

But it’s not just about appealing to visitors—your homepage should also be optimized for Google for better crawling and indexing. If Google can’t understand your business, it won’t be able to recommend your website to users searching for your services.

To ensure your homepage is optimized for visitors and search engines, it’s important to focus on key SEO elements that boost your local search rankings.

Include local keywords

Incorporating local keywords into your homepage content is crucial for ranking in location-based searches. 

Be specific—include your city, neighborhood, or service area in strategic places like your page titles, meta descriptions, and throughout the copy. 

For example, instead of just saying “plumbing services,” try “plumbing services in [City Name].” This signals to Google that your business is relevant to local searchers and helps your site appear in local results.

To generate ideas and vet keyword opportunities, you can use our free keyword planner tool.

Here’s what happens when we enter ‘plumbing in Dayton Ohio’ as a seed keyword (primary keyword):

As you can see, the tool spits out some relevant phrase match options for us, one of which has an upward search trend (evidenced by the line graph next to it) which means it’s gaining popularity. 

This tool is free to use and will provide real Google keyword data. 

Embed a Google Map

Another effective way to optimize your homepage for local SEO is by embedding a Google Map. This makes it easier for customers to find your physical location and signals to Google that your business is tied to a specific geographic area. 

Embedding a Google Map adds credibility and improves your chances of ranking in the local 3-Pack on Google Maps.

Optimize On-Page SEO elements

On-page SEO is key to how Google understands and ranks your website. Think of it as fine-tuning your website to make it more attractive to search engines and users. This includes things like:

• Using relevant (local) keywords: Strategically incorporating words and phrases people use when searching for information related to your content.
• Optimizing title tags and meta descriptions: Crafting compelling and informative summaries on search results pages.
• Improving content quality: Creating valuable, well-structured, easy-to-read content that satisfies user intent.
• Using header tags: Structuring your content with headings (H1, H2, etc.) to improve readability and highlight key topics.
• Optimizing images: Using descriptive alt text for images to help search engines understand their content.

Pro-tip: If you’re using WordPress, tools like the Yoast SEO plugin can help you optimize these elements, ensuring your website is easily crawlable and meets Google’s ranking criteria.

Focusing on these elements increases the likelihood of your website being included in Google’s local search results, driving more traffic to your business.

Audit and Update NAP Citations

It’s important to keep your business information consistent online. Your business’s name, address, and phone number (NAP) should be identical across all websites and platforms. This builds trust with Google and boosts your search rankings, and it ensures customers don’t dial the wrong number or show up at the wrong address. 

Regularly check for NAP errors on major platforms like Yelp, Yellow Pages, Tripadvisor, and local directories specific to your area. Accurate listings improve your visibility and help customers find you easily.

Several tools, including Moz Local, Whitespark, and BrightLocal, are available to help audit and manage NAP citations across the web. 

Add schema markup to your website

Structured data, or schema markup, helps Google understand your website’s content more effectively. 

For local businesses, schema markup can be applied to key details like your address, opening hours, and social media profiles. 

Using structured data makes it easier for Google’s crawlers to quickly access vital business information, improving your chances of ranking on Google Maps.

If you’re running a WordPress site, adding schema markup is simple with tools like the AIOSEO plugin. After implementing the schema, always verify your structured data using Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to ensure everything is working correctly. 

This extra step helps reinforce your local SEO efforts and provides Google with the data it needs to display your business more prominently.

Now You Know How to Rank in Google Maps!

Okay, we’ve covered a lot so far, so let’s go over the main points:

1. It’s crucial for local businesses to appear in Google Maps searches. 
2. Creating and optimizing a Google Business Profile listing is mandatory for appearing on Google Maps. 
3. You should also build local backlinks, create local business citations, and upload your NAP to local directories. 

Local businesses already have to manage a huge variety of SEO strategies, and Google Maps is no exception. 

This is especially true if you haven’t verified your Google Business Profile yet. Not only do you need to hire someone who knows how to do local SEO, but you also need to make sure that your website is all set for traditional SEO as well.

If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed, that’s totally okay, you have us!

Check out HOTH X, our fully managed SEO service, to completely take the process off your hands.  Also, feel free to book a call with one of our digital marketing experts for advice and consultation.

If you’re eager to learn more about local SEO, check out some of the other chapters in our Ultimate Local SEO Guide.    

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