Are you getting the best bang for your buck with your Google Maps listing?  Getting to Google Maps, isn’t the finish line, rather, just the beginning. Are you winning the race? How do you even know?

rank•ing - ˈraNGkiNG: “Ranking” refers to how high your business appears in the list of search results when someone makes a search.

Where are you currently ranking? Are you on the oh so coveted first page, or have you been straggling in behind all of your competition?  Remember, like Ricky Bobby said, “if you ain't first your last,” and as unfortunate as is it is folks when it comes to Google Rankings, the saying follows suit.

How Does Google Maps Rank:

Google Maps ranking.... back in the day, used to be based on things like location and industry categories, But you already know Google had to switch it up. Google is now adding in several others factors for the calculation of rankings.

DO NOT PANIC.

Not only am I done with the jokes, (whew, silent sigh of relief)

This is good news for the smaller businesses who may have listings overshadowed by much larger business, corporate locations, and chain companies.

I am about to give you SEVEN super helpful tips to up your Google Map Rankings!

UNO: Check and Correct that Google My Business Information

The More Google knows. The more Google Shows.

The more Google knows about your business, the better it will be able to correctly display your business listing information online.

Make sure that your listing is complete and accurate, including:

• Contact Information and Website.
• Include Every Piece of Info About Your Business that You Can
• The website, Address, Phone Numbers, include all of it!
• Hours of Operation.
• Google Maps tells it views whether you are open or closed and if it’s opening or closing soon. (WOW whadda catch)
• Adding business hours to your listing can give potential customers the push to come see ya!
• NOOO duplicate pieces of information.
• Google hates duplicate info. Perhaps, Google views it as an insult haha! Who knows, why? However, what we do know is that Google will discredit businesses with several phone numbers or locations listed for one actual business. So clean it up!

Dos: Get REVIEWED

Alrighty, folks, this one should be pretty easy to understand. Reviews enhance the trustworthiness of your business. Thus, making you a higher candidate in the great race to the top of Google’s list to recommend to other users.

Tres: Categorizing Your Business the Right Way

When initially setting up your Google Maps Listings, you are asked to add a primary industry category or a keyword to describe what your business does. (The little secret most business owners haven’t heard about is….. dun.. dunn…. DUUUUUNNN: you can actually add up to five of these) HELLO, VERSATILITY. Talk about an SEO WIN!

Cuatro: EMBED A MAP (Geeeez guys, c’mon… it’s called “Google Maps”)

Embedding a map to your Google Maps listing is just another opportunity for you, the business owner to tell Google where your business is located, accurately, of course, specifically where your actual “listing” says it is! WOOO HOOO! An extra ten point for you, from your sincere friend, Google.

Cinco: (Idk Why I am still going on with this Spanish thing)…oh well.

Cinco: Optimize the Listing Description

Another SEO “pro-tip” here for ya ladies and gents, your maps listing has a character limit so rather than trying to give this full-on unessential, dispensable, overly excessive, description.. try using local SEO keywords that describe your business.

Seis: Make Sure to Use a Local Number

Google totally frowns upon the toll-free numbers. BOO. Google, you are seriously so extra. However, Google is the way maker, and we must follow the given standards by which Google grades. For this reason, be sure your number is a LOCAL one, utilizing an area code that associates best with the location of your business.

Sieben (let's switch it up with some GERMAN)

Sieben: Add Some SELFIES

Kidding, kidding totally JOKING. Selfies may not be the most appropriate photos for your business listing. However, photos of your business are a Google Ranking HIT. Using photos that are also on your website so Google can read the correlation is an AWESOME tip and can even give you some extra brownie points with Google. You can, of course, add photos that showcase the rest of your business as well!

So there you have folks, now get to work!

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