If you are interested in local SEO (which you should be), using an optimized Google Maps listing can prove to be very beneficial to your search engine optimization campaign. If you are not interested in local SEO, when someone searches for you locally, they won’t find you and could lose out on customers looking for services or products your business offers.
On Google the map results are displayed when someone searches locally or they include a some sort of location data in their search phrase such as an area, city or province. If you want your listing displayed, register for free on Google Places and list your business name, address, and other information to your profile. When creating a profile on Google Places, there’s no guarantee that your listing will appear when someone search for anything relevant to your business. How can you increase your chances so that your listing is displayed?
Google Maps optimization
Targeted keywords: Targeted keywords and phrases are the heart of any SEO and online marketing campaign. When creating a new business listing, use specific keywords and phrases in your listing. Make sure that your keywords are relevant to your products and services.
Address: The address and phone number that you include in your listing should be local and the same as the address that you list on your website and blog. To make sure this is seen, place your address and phone number in a prominent position such as your website footer where it can always be seen.
Category: On your listing, select a category that is relevant to your business and make use of the keywords you are targeting. The first category should be on Google and the other you select should include your targeted keywords.
Reviews: The more reviews and testimonials your business listing has, the better your position will be. It provides social proof to customers searching for you and to Google. If you don’t have any reviews on your listing, send your current best customers an email and ask them to review your business on your listing. Encourage any new customers to also leave you a review.
