you want to figure out how to rank your Google Business listing consistently at the top of the map section I'm going to show you some tricks for how to do it my junk removal company operates in over 40 major cities now with dozens of Google business listings and we have tried every hack and every method Under the Sun to see what factors help or hurt our Google Business rankings Google business listings are not something you want to cut corners on 46% of Google searches are people looking for local businesses and more than 50% of those
local Searchers click on what is called the Google Map Pack that's this first map section here that shows up on Google this means that most people searching for your business aren't clicking on Google ads or the standard Google website listings they're going directly to the map section and clicking on a business so I'm going to show you how to get your business ranking in that top section of the map so get your pen and paper ready because I'm about to list off every actionable item I know to help you rank better in that coveted Google
Map section first if you like this content and want more please like And subscribe I don't sell anything on here and so your likes and subscribe descriptions are what keep me going so let's get started with the key steps to optimize your Google business profile number one choose the right business category Google Business lets you choose a primary business category for your business this primary category is critical and is one of the main ranking factors Google uses to see if you're relevant in a specific search now this may seem straightforward but many people may have
chosen a less than optal primary category do you choose lawn care service or landscaper piano instructor or music school there are often multiple options that explain your service but which one will help you rank better here's how you can find out so download a free Chrome plug-in called gmbb everywhere plugin Google my business everywhere this will allow you to spy in on your competitors by doing a simple search on Google with this plug-in open your competitors primary service category will show up below their business name with a star next to it look at the businesses
ranking at the top of the search results for the keywords that you want to show up for and see what their primary category is use the same category that the top ranking businesses are using number two optimize your business name for search the name of your business can actually help you rank better for your specific service you want to include the main keyword people are searching for in your business name whenever possible just remember Google's policy is that it must be your real business name so for example if you are trying to rank for Denver
lawn care services something like Big Mike's Denver Lawn Care is going to show Google that you are more relevant to that exact term and will help you rank better than if your business was just named big miks or Big Mike's mowing so add that in whenever possible step number three try to have the location of your business in the area you want to service Google Business presents businesses based on location often the businesses that show up to a Searcher are in close proximity to them Google does not generally show businesses outside of the target City
unless there are very few results so if your business location is not inside the city limits of the city you're targeting you should try to get there that doesn't mean you have to move Google says you can use a co-working or Virtual Office as your business location as long as the location is Staff during business hours so find a co-working spot or a house you use as an office within the city limits and make that your listing address step number four create a keyword Rich business description and choose the right services so your business description
in Google business is your chance to shine and show Google what you're all about craft a compelling keyword Rich description that tells potential customers and Google who you are what you do and where you operate be sure to include the services you offer and names of major cities or areas that you provide your service Google is scraping your listing to get any info they can about who you are what you do and where you do it and your description acts as a guide to help Google figure this out make sure you fill out your whole
listing and this includes the services and products that you offer select the services that best fit your business don't stuff the services with too many options just stick to the main few services you offer so Google gets a clear picture and a clear idea of what you do number five add highquality photos and videos that are geotagged to your service area images can help in a lot of ways they help customers see that you're a real business see your work they also help Google in a few ways Google can see that you're an active business
but there's also a little trick that you can use when uploading your images to help Google find where these images were taken you can go to tools. geimer dcom and upload your photos or videos then you can tag that photo or video with a specific location you're going to want to do that in your service area so when you geotag the image it shows Google where the image was taken this is another way that you can assist Google in understanding where your business operates number six reviews so encourage reviews and respond to them reviews are
a powerful ranking Factor the more four five-star reviews you have the more established and trusted Google sees you and thus the higher you will begin to rank now if you are not asking for reviews start doing it whether you have an automated follow-up email requesting a review or you simply text each customer after completing their job you will find that the act of simply just asking for the review will Skyrocket the amount of reviews you get it's astonishing to me how many service businesses come to my house leave and don't even ask me for a
review when I would certainly give one I have found that saying something along the lines of hey thanks so much we really appreciate you choosing Jim's gutter cleaning we are a small business and benefit greatly from reviews if you have a second to leave us a review on Google we would greatly appreciate then put the link directly to leave the review you can get that link directly from your Google Business listing don't forget to respond to both positive and negative feedback it shows that you care and it also shows Google that you're an active and
engaged business number seven optimize the landing page that you're linking out to link to a page on your website that is relevant to the specific service and area that you are listing on your Google business page this page should have relevant keywords in the title The H1 and H2 tags and make sure that the business's name address and phone number is included on that page and is consistent across the rest of the web Google values this greatly also embed a Google map on this page this can enhance your local SEO and increase your chances of
appearing in local map searches and one more tip whenever possible get back links back to your website from other local businesses or news outlets in your area if you work with another business or volunteer for an event be sure to ask them to add a link to your website on their site this will help Google see your relevance in the local market and will increase your Authority all helping you rank higher if you work with other businesses also link out to those businesses on your local page and then Google will see that you are affiliated
with some other local businesses and that you're active in that community so there you have it your ultimate guide to Google business profile SEO if you found this guide helpful please share it with any business owners that you think it might be helpful to subscribe down below really appreciate you watching we'll see you in the next one
