Every business, small or big, wants to rank high on Google Maps as many consider this the “Holy Grail” in search marketing. There are things to do to help you achieve a high ranking and even rank you number 1. It should be your goal to get an organic, first-page ranking, especially if you have a small enterprise with limited reach.
If you want to get all of the benefits of your Google Maps listing, you have to make sure that you aren’t just on Google Maps – you need the top ranking. Here are some underused techniques to consider that really work
(1.) Add metadata to the images in your site
As the LA SEO experts suggest, image metadata is text information relating to and embedded in an image. Image metadata includes relevant keywords on the image file or the product file posted.
Although this technique isn’t used frequently, embedding the best keyword tags on your images is an extremely effective strategy to help boost your ranking. To do this, you first select an appropriate file name – something that relates to what the image shows and related to what your customer might search.
Then you add a description or caption under the image. This is for situations wherein the images aren’t loading on your customer’s web browser. In such a case, captions make up for the deficiency.
(2.) Upload content regularly
Make a habit of posting content regularly. It’s easy to do, it doesn’t take too much time, and the benefits outweigh all of the negatives. It’s recommended to upload a minimum of 1 to 2 posts each week.
More than 90% of Google Maps Listings do this. By doing the same thing, a lot of positive effects follow. Uploading regularly allows you to:
Target your business’ long-tail keywords.
Mention the name of your brand to promote brand prominence.
Get a chance to include the GMB categories of your business.
Uploading regularly is one of the best ways of generating organic traffic to your Google Maps listing which consequently, increases your rank. Moreover, you also need to monitor your ranking regularly. If you find that your rank went down, consider citing the name of your business more.
(3.) When you get reviews – respond to them
About 88% of consumers today put their trust in online reviews. Reviews affect the success of businesses more than a lot of business owners realize. If 97% of your customers believe that reviews should affect their decisions to purchase, review management should be your top priority.
When you respond to reviews of your customers, it means that you value them and their feedback. Positive, high-quality reviews from your clientele improve your business’s visibility and increase the possibility that potential customers return to your location for more business.
Aside from building a relationship of trust when you respond to your customers’ reviews, doing this also establishes trust with Google itself. Google only recommends the best and most credible businesses to its consumers.
As per Danny Star, local SEO Expert in Los Angeles, there is no better way to accomplish this for your business than to go above and beyond by responding publicly to complaints and thanking customers for their praises? Responding to customer reviews improves your rank on Google Maps so it’s time to give this technique a try.