Google My Business SEO 2024 (7 Tricks to Rank #1 in Google Maps)

Tim Richard
10 Nov 202306:51

Summary

TLDRThis video script offers a comprehensive guide to optimizing Google Business listings for top map rankings. It covers crucial steps such as selecting the right business category, optimizing business names for search, ensuring business location relevance, crafting keyword-rich descriptions, adding geotagged high-quality photos and videos, encouraging and responding to reviews, and optimizing linked landing pages. The tips aim to enhance local SEO, increase business authority, and improve visibility in Google Maps.

Takeaways

  • 📌 Choose the right primary business category on Google Business to improve relevancy in specific searches.
  • 🔍 Use the gmbb everywhere plugin to spy on competitors and determine the optimal primary category for your business.
  • 🔑 Optimize your business name for search by including the main keyword people are searching for, while adhering to Google's policy for real business names.
  • 📍 Ensure your business location is within the city limits of the area you want to service, or use a co-working or virtual office address.
  • 📝 Create a keyword-rich business description that includes services offered and areas of operation to guide Google's understanding of your business.
  • 📷 Add high-quality, geotagged photos and videos to show Google your business is active and to help it understand where your business operates.
  • 🗳 Encourage and actively seek reviews from customers, as they are a powerful ranking factor, and be sure to respond to both positive and negative feedback.
  • 🌐 Optimize the landing page linked from your Google Business profile with relevant keywords, consistent business information, and an embedded Google map.
  • 🔗 Seek backlinks from local businesses or news outlets to increase your local market relevance and authority, which can improve your Google ranking.
  • 🔄 Link out to other local businesses from your local page to show Google you are affiliated with the local community, enhancing your local SEO.
  • 📈 Follow these actionable SEO steps for your Google Business profile to improve your ranking in the coveted Google Map section.

Q & A

  • What is the significance of ranking a Google Business listing in the map section?

    -Ranking a Google Business listing in the map section is crucial because 46% of Google searches are for local businesses, and over 50% of those local searchers click on the Google Map Pack, which is the first map section that appears in search results.

  • How can I determine the best primary business category for my Google Business listing?

    -To determine the best primary business category, use the gmbb everywhere plugin to spy on competitors and see what category the top-ranking businesses in your desired keywords are using, then choose the same category.

  • Why is optimizing the business name for search important for Google Business rankings?

    -Optimizing the business name for search is important because it helps Google understand the relevance of your business to specific search terms. Including the main keyword people are searching for in your business name can improve your ranking.

  • What is the role of the business location in Google Business rankings?

    -The business location plays a role in rankings because Google presents businesses based on location, often showing those in close proximity to the searcher. If your business location is not within the city limits of the city you're targeting, you should consider using a co-working or virtual office within the city as your business location.

  • How can a keyword-rich business description help with Google Business rankings?

    -A keyword-rich business description helps Google understand what your business is about, what services you offer, and where you operate. This information assists Google in determining the relevance of your listing to specific searches.

  • Why are high-quality, geotagged photos and videos important for a Google Business listing?

    -High-quality, geotagged photos and videos are important because they help Google verify that you are a real and active business in your service area. Geotagging also helps Google understand where your business operates.

  • What is the impact of reviews on Google Business rankings?

    -Reviews are a powerful ranking factor. The more four or five-star reviews you have, the more established and trusted Google sees your business, leading to higher rankings.

  • How should I respond to reviews to improve my Google Business ranking?

    -You should encourage and respond to both positive and negative reviews. This shows that you care about customer feedback and are an active, engaged business, which Google values.

  • Why is optimizing the landing page linked from the Google Business listing important?

    -Optimizing the landing page is important because it should be relevant to the specific service and area listed on your Google Business page. It should contain relevant keywords and consistent business information, which Google values for local SEO.

  • How can backlinks from other local businesses or news outlets improve my Google Business ranking?

    -Backlinks from other local businesses or news outlets can improve your ranking by showing Google your relevance in the local market and increasing your authority, which helps you rank higher in local searches.

  • What is the gmbb everywhere plugin, and how can it help with Google Business optimization?

    -The gmbb everywhere plugin is a free Chrome extension that allows you to spy on competitors' Google Business listings. It can help you identify the primary service category that top-ranking businesses are using, which can inform your own optimization strategy.

Outlines

00:00

📈 Boosting Google Business Rankings

This paragraph discusses strategies for improving the visibility of a Google Business listing in the map section of search results. The speaker shares insights from their experience with a junk removal company that operates in over 40 cities. They emphasize the importance of Google Business listings, given that nearly half of all Google searches are for local businesses, and more than 50% of these searches result in clicks on the Google Map Pack. The speaker promises to share actionable tips for optimizing a Google Business profile, starting with choosing the right business category, which is critical for search relevance. They also mention the use of a Chrome plugin called 'Google My Business Everywhere' to spy on competitors' primary service categories, which can inform one's own category selection for better ranking.

05:01

🔍 Optimizing Google Business Profile for SEO

The second paragraph delves deeper into the specifics of optimizing a Google Business profile for better search engine optimization (SEO). It covers the importance of having a business name that includes the main keyword for the service being offered, which can help in ranking for specific search terms. The paragraph also touches on the significance of having a business location within the target city limits to appear in local search results. The speaker advises using a co-working space or virtual office if necessary. They continue with the recommendation to create a keyword-rich business description that includes services offered and areas of operation, ensuring that the information is clear and concise for Google's algorithms. Additionally, the paragraph highlights the value of adding high-quality, geotagged photos and videos to demonstrate the business's activity and location. Lastly, the importance of reviews for ranking is underscored, with the suggestion to actively seek out customer feedback and to respond to all reviews, both positive and negative.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Google Business listing

Google Business listing refers to a business's profile on Google My Business, which is a free tool that helps businesses manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. The video emphasizes the importance of ranking high in this listing, as it is a critical factor in attracting local customers. For example, the script mentions that 46% of Google searches are for local businesses, highlighting the significance of a good Google Business listing.

💡Google Map Pack

The Google Map Pack is the first section of the search results that shows a map with local business listings. It is crucial for businesses to appear in this section as it is where most users click when searching for local services. The script explains that more than 50% of local searchers click on the Google Map Pack, indicating its importance in local SEO.

💡Business category

A business category is a classification used by Google My Business to categorize businesses and help them appear in relevant searches. The video script stresses the importance of choosing the right primary business category, as it is a key factor in Google's ranking algorithm. For instance, choosing between 'lawn care service' or 'landscaper' can impact how a business is perceived in search results.

💡GMBB Everywhere plugin

The GMBB Everywhere plugin is a Chrome extension that allows users to spy on their competitors' Google My Business listings. It reveals the primary service category of competitors, which can be used to inform one's own business category selection. The script suggests using this tool to see what category top-ranking businesses in a similar field are using.

💡Business name optimization

Optimizing a business name for search involves including relevant keywords that potential customers might use when searching for services. The video explains that including the main keyword in the business name can help improve search rankings. For example, 'Big Mike's Denver Lawn Care' would be more effective than just 'Big Mike's' for a business looking to rank for lawn care services in Denver.

💡Location relevance

Location relevance is the idea that businesses that are physically located in or near the area they serve are more likely to rank higher in local search results. The script advises businesses to ensure their listed location is within the city limits of their target market, suggesting the use of co-working spaces or virtual offices if necessary.

💡Keyword-rich business description

A keyword-rich business description is a detailed and informative description of a business that includes relevant keywords to improve search visibility. The video script emphasizes crafting a compelling description that tells potential customers and Google about the business, its services, and its operational areas, which helps Google understand and rank the business more effectively.

💡Geotagging

Geotagging is the process of adding geographical information to photos or videos, indicating where they were taken. The video suggests using tools like tools.geotagger.com to tag images with specific locations, which can help Google understand where a business operates. This is particularly useful for businesses that want to show their presence in a specific service area.

💡Reviews

Reviews are user-generated feedback on a business, which can significantly influence its online reputation and search ranking. The video script highlights the importance of encouraging and responding to reviews, as they are a powerful ranking factor. It suggests that businesses should actively ask customers for reviews and respond to both positive and negative feedback to show engagement and build trust.

💡Landing page optimization

Landing page optimization involves making a webpage relevant and appealing to both users and search engines. The video script advises linking the Google My Business listing to a relevant page on the business's website that includes relevant keywords, the business's name, address, and phone number, and an embedded Google map. This helps enhance local SEO and increase the chances of appearing in local map searches.

💡Backlinks

Backlinks are links from one website to another. The video script mentions that getting backlinks from other local businesses or news outlets can increase a business's authority and relevance in the local market, which in turn can improve its search ranking. It also suggests linking out to other local businesses from the business's local page to show affiliation and community involvement.

Highlights

Google Business listings are crucial for local businesses, as 46% of Google searches are for local businesses and over 50% of those searchers click on the Google Map Pack.

Choosing the right primary business category is critical for Google Business rankings and can be optimized by using the gmbb everywhere plugin to spy on competitors.

Optimizing your business name for search by including the main keyword can improve your ranking for specific services.

Having the business location within the target city limits can help in ranking, and using a co-working or virtual office within the city can be an alternative.

Creating a keyword-rich business description and choosing the right services can help Google understand your business better and improve your ranking.

Adding high-quality, geotagged photos and videos can assist Google in understanding where your business operates and show that you are an active business.

Encouraging reviews and responding to them is a powerful ranking factor, with more four-five-star reviews leading to higher rankings.

Optimizing the landing page linked from your Google Business profile with relevant keywords and consistent business information can enhance local SEO.

Embedding a Google map on the landing page and getting backlinks from local businesses or news outlets can increase your authority and help in ranking higher.

Linking out to other local businesses from your local page and having them link back to you can show Google your relevance in the local market.

Google Business listings are not something to cut corners on, emphasizing the importance of proper optimization.

The gmbb everywhere plugin can be used to spy on competitors and see their primary service category, which can be mimicked for better ranking.

Including the location of your business in the area you want to service is crucial for showing up in local search results.

A compelling business description that includes services and areas of operation can guide Google in understanding your business better.

Geotagging images and videos in your service area can help Google understand where your business operates.

Asking for reviews and providing a direct link to leave a review can significantly increase the number of reviews your business receives.

Responding to both positive and negative feedback shows that you care and can improve your ranking by showing you are an active and engaged business.

Consistency of business information across the web, including the landing page, is valued by Google and can enhance your local SEO.

Linking out to other local businesses and having them link back to you can show affiliation and activity in the local community, improving your ranking.

Transcripts

play00:00

you want to figure out how to rank your

play00:01

Google Business listing consistently at

play00:03

the top of the map section I'm going to

play00:05

show you some tricks for how to do it my

play00:06

junk removal company operates in over 40

play00:08

major cities now with dozens of Google

play00:10

business listings and we have tried

play00:12

every hack and every method Under the

play00:13

Sun to see what factors help or hurt our

play00:16

Google Business rankings Google business

play00:17

listings are not something you want to

play00:19

cut corners on 46% of Google searches

play00:21

are people looking for local businesses

play00:23

and more than 50% of those local

play00:26

Searchers click on what is called the

play00:28

Google Map Pack that's this first map

play00:30

section here that shows up on Google

play00:32

this means that most people searching

play00:33

for your business aren't clicking on

play00:35

Google ads or the standard Google

play00:37

website listings they're going directly

play00:39

to the map section and clicking on a

play00:41

business so I'm going to show you how to

play00:43

get your business ranking in that top

play00:45

section of the map so get your pen and

play00:47

paper ready because I'm about to list

play00:49

off every actionable item I know to help

play00:51

you rank better in that coveted Google

play00:53

Map section first if you like this

play00:55

content and want more please like And

play00:56

subscribe I don't sell anything on here

play00:58

and so your likes and subscribe

play00:59

descriptions are what keep me going so

play01:01

let's get started with the key steps to

play01:02

optimize your Google business profile

play01:04

number one choose the right business

play01:06

category Google Business lets you choose

play01:08

a primary business category for your

play01:10

business this primary category is

play01:12

critical and is one of the main ranking

play01:14

factors Google uses to see if you're

play01:16

relevant in a specific search now this

play01:18

may seem straightforward but many people

play01:20

may have chosen a less than optal

play01:22

primary category do you choose lawn care

play01:24

service or landscaper piano instructor

play01:27

or music school there are often multiple

play01:29

options that explain your service but

play01:31

which one will help you rank better

play01:33

here's how you can find out so download

play01:35

a free Chrome plug-in called gmbb

play01:37

everywhere plugin Google my business

play01:39

everywhere this will allow you to spy in

play01:41

on your competitors by doing a simple

play01:43

search on Google with this plug-in open

play01:45

your competitors primary service

play01:46

category will show up below their

play01:48

business name with a star next to it

play01:50

look at the businesses ranking at the

play01:51

top of the search results for the

play01:53

keywords that you want to show up for

play01:55

and see what their primary category is

play01:57

use the same category that the top

play01:58

ranking businesses are using number two

play02:01

optimize your business name for search

play02:03

the name of your business can actually

play02:05

help you rank better for your specific

play02:07

service you want to include the main

play02:09

keyword people are searching for in your

play02:11

business name whenever possible just

play02:13

remember Google's policy is that it must

play02:15

be your real business name so for

play02:17

example if you are trying to rank for

play02:19

Denver lawn care services something like

play02:21

Big Mike's Denver Lawn Care is going to

play02:23

show Google that you are more relevant

play02:26

to that exact term and will help you

play02:28

rank better than if your business was

play02:29

just named big miks or Big Mike's mowing

play02:32

so add that in whenever possible step

play02:34

number three try to have the location of

play02:36

your business in the area you want to

play02:38

service Google Business presents

play02:40

businesses based on location often the

play02:43

businesses that show up to a Searcher

play02:44

are in close proximity to them Google

play02:46

does not generally show businesses

play02:48

outside of the target City unless there

play02:50

are very few results so if your business

play02:52

location is not inside the city limits

play02:55

of the city you're targeting you should

play02:56

try to get there that doesn't mean you

play02:58

have to move Google says you can use a

play03:00

co-working or Virtual Office as your

play03:02

business location as long as the

play03:04

location is Staff during business hours

play03:06

so find a co-working spot or a house you

play03:08

use as an office within the city limits

play03:11

and make that your listing address step

play03:13

number four create a keyword Rich

play03:16

business description and choose the

play03:17

right services so your business

play03:19

description in Google business is your

play03:21

chance to shine and show Google what

play03:23

you're all about craft a compelling

play03:24

keyword Rich description that tells

play03:26

potential customers and Google who you

play03:28

are what you do and where you operate be

play03:31

sure to include the services you offer

play03:33

and names of major cities or areas that

play03:35

you provide your service Google is

play03:37

scraping your listing to get any info

play03:39

they can about who you are what you do

play03:41

and where you do it and your description

play03:43

acts as a guide to help Google figure

play03:45

this out make sure you fill out your

play03:47

whole listing and this includes the

play03:48

services and products that you offer

play03:50

select the services that best fit your

play03:52

business don't stuff the services with

play03:54

too many options just stick to the main

play03:56

few services you offer so Google gets a

play03:58

clear picture and a clear idea of what

play04:01

you do number five add highquality

play04:03

photos and videos that are geotagged to

play04:06

your service area images can help in a

play04:09

lot of ways they help customers see that

play04:10

you're a real business see your work

play04:12

they also help Google in a few ways

play04:14

Google can see that you're an active

play04:15

business but there's also a little trick

play04:17

that you can use when uploading your

play04:18

images to help Google find where these

play04:21

images were taken you can go to tools.

play04:23

geimer dcom and upload your photos or

play04:26

videos then you can tag that photo or

play04:28

video with a specific location you're

play04:31

going to want to do that in your service

play04:32

area so when you geotag the image it

play04:34

shows Google where the image was taken

play04:36

this is another way that you can assist

play04:38

Google in understanding where your

play04:40

business operates number six reviews so

play04:43

encourage reviews and respond to them

play04:45

reviews are a powerful ranking Factor

play04:47

the more four five-star reviews you have

play04:49

the more established and trusted Google

play04:51

sees you and thus the higher you will

play04:53

begin to rank now if you are not asking

play04:55

for reviews start doing it whether you

play04:57

have an automated follow-up email

play04:58

requesting a review or you simply text

play05:00

each customer after completing their job

play05:02

you will find that the act of simply

play05:04

just asking for the review will

play05:06

Skyrocket the amount of reviews you get

play05:08

it's astonishing to me how many service

play05:10

businesses come to my house leave and

play05:12

don't even ask me for a review when I

play05:14

would certainly give one I have found

play05:15

that saying something along the lines of

play05:17

hey thanks so much we really appreciate

play05:19

you choosing Jim's gutter cleaning we

play05:20

are a small business and benefit greatly

play05:22

from reviews if you have a second to

play05:23

leave us a review on Google we would

play05:25

greatly appreciate then put the link

play05:27

directly to leave the review you can get

play05:28

that link directly from your Google

play05:30

Business listing don't forget to respond

play05:32

to both positive and negative feedback

play05:34

it shows that you care and it also shows

play05:37

Google that you're an active and engaged

play05:39

business number seven optimize the

play05:41

landing page that you're linking out to

play05:43

link to a page on your website that is

play05:45

relevant to the specific service and

play05:47

area that you are listing on your Google

play05:49

business page this page should have

play05:51

relevant keywords in the title The H1

play05:53

and H2 tags and make sure that the

play05:55

business's name address and phone number

play05:57

is included on that page and is

play05:59

consistent across the rest of the web

play06:00

Google values this greatly also embed a

play06:03

Google map on this page this can enhance

play06:06

your local SEO and increase your chances

play06:08

of appearing in local map searches and

play06:11

one more tip whenever possible get back

play06:13

links back to your website from other

play06:15

local businesses or news outlets in your

play06:17

area if you work with another business

play06:19

or volunteer for an event be sure to ask

play06:21

them to add a link to your website on

play06:23

their site this will help Google see

play06:24

your relevance in the local market and

play06:26

will increase your Authority all helping

play06:28

you rank higher if you work with other

play06:29

businesses also link out to those

play06:31

businesses on your local page and then

play06:33

Google will see that you are affiliated

play06:35

with some other local businesses and

play06:38

that you're active in that community so

play06:39

there you have it your ultimate guide to

play06:41

Google business profile SEO if you found

play06:43

this guide helpful please share it with

play06:45

any business owners that you think it

play06:46

might be helpful to subscribe down below

play06:48

really appreciate you watching we'll see

play06:50

you in the next one

Rate This

5.0 / 5 (0 votes)

Related Tags
Local SEOGoogle RankingsBusiness OptimizationSEO HacksGoogle MapsSearch VisibilityCompetitor AnalysisBusiness ListingsCustomer ReviewsGeotagging