If you have a physical store, a restaurant, a podiatry clinic or any other business in your city, you will want to attract customers and generate more sales. And a good dose of local SEO is exactly what you need. You have to know that one of the most important steps to have your business well optimized from a local point of view is to use Google Maps. If you have reached this post you are probably asking yourself “How to appear on Google Maps?”. And if so, you’re in luck, because today from Rodanet we tell you step by step.
Would you like your business to appear on Google Maps, but are afraid it will cost you a lot of time and money? To make your office, hotel or business appear on Google Maps, you only have to follow a few simple steps. How? Don’t miss this article! We assure you that the process is much simpler and faster than you can imagine.
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What is Google Maps?
Google Maps is an Internet geographic service offered free of charge by the Mountain View giant on which many users rely. Maps can be accessed through the website or mobile app. However, since it was launched in 2005, Google Maps has become more than just an application to locate us in a city we don’t know. Many, in fact, use it to remember where they parked their car on the street or at the mall, know train and public transportation schedules, share their location in real time with friends, find out what the traffic is like before heading to their destination, find the nearest ATM, and much more…
But that’s not all, do you want current and potential customers to find you? Positioning yourself on the App can help you grow your business. How? Read on!
What do Google maps and local SEO have to do with each other?
Imagine you are in a rural village on vacation and you have been recommended to try the local artisan bread. Smartphone in hand and with geolocation activated, you type in Google “bakery” ready to find the nearest establishment where you can buy the product. The second time, Google shows you an image that looks quite similar to this one.
This is an example of what Google Maps can do for a business. So, if you have a business with a physical location, local SEO Agency in Barcelona is in your best interest. Google Maps is intended to help the user consult maps, search for local businesses and get route information. For this purpose, the service uses sliding maps with which you can visualize almost any point on the planet.
How can you access Google Maps as a user? Very easy. From any computer by typing “Google Maps” in the browser search engine, or from your smartphone or tablet by downloading the App for Android or IOS.
But if you want your business to appear on Google Maps, what you have to do is sign up for Google My Business. In this other post you can find another tutorial on how to sign up for Google My Business, so you might want to read it and complete it by coming back here.
How to appear on Google Maps?
Anyone can use Google My Business to get their business listed on Google Maps. You will see that the process is really simple and free. Just as you hear it, publishing a business on Google Maps is completely free. All you need to get started is a verified Google My Business account. Google wants businesses to use their services, so. As we announced before, we explain it step by step, suitable for dummies!
You must take into account that sometimes Google automatically registers certain businesses in its service by using the information provided by portals such as Yellow Pages or Yelp. It may even be that someone in the company has already registered the business without being aware of it or without your knowledge.
Therefore, you need to check that your company is not already registered in Google Maps. All you have to do is type the name in the service’s search engine. If he doesn’t show up, you’re in the clear!
In case Google Maps already has your business registered, you have these options:
- On the one hand, claim your account from Google My Business in case Google is the one who has registered it.
- On the other hand, if someone has registered the business, you should contact that person or directly create the account in My Business and verify it with the code they send you.
Now, follow the next steps to appear in Google Maps:
- Step 1: You must have a Google account. So, if you don’t have it yet, you are already taking your time to make it. Remember that if you have Gmail, you can use the same account.
- Step 2: It’s time to sign up for Google My Business. You can do it from here. Log in and start filling in the requested information (name, address, telephone, website, business area, images…). Once you accept the terms and conditions and declare that you are authorized, the only thing left to do is to verify the account.
- Step 3: to verify with Google that the business you have registered is authorized to manage it, Google will send you a code via telephone or regular mail. As soon as you receive the PIN, you must enter it in the Google My Business area enabled for this purpose.
And… voila! Your business will appear on Google Maps in a few weeks. Now you have to take care of your Google My Business listing. Offer the maximum to your potential customers to make sure they find you. Google loves useful and optimized information, don’t skimp on it.
A view similar to this is what you will get. Would you like to see something like this with your business? Go for it!
3 Advantages of appearing on Google Maps
The truth is that, apart from the search engine, Google Maps has become one of the most popular Google tools among users. These include allowing the user to locate himself, explore a specific area, even inside a street (thanks to Street View), find out the route to move from one point to another, adding different destinations en route if needed, create an itinerary, check traffic and even order a cab. Google has done a good job here, eh?
But its popularity as a service for businesses through the Google My Business suite follows closely behind.
Placing your business on Google Maps allows you to gain visibility exponentially. If you have followed the above steps, your store can now appear in the following Big G services:
- Google Maps. Of course, your company will be visible in the internal search engine of Maps.
- Local pack. You will finally appear in the Local Pack, the list of local businesses that appears at the top of the organic search results list.
- Knowledge Panel. If your customers perform a specific search for your company, the most important information, such as address or phone number, will appear in a box on the right side of the screen.
Other advantages of appearing on Google Maps are:
#1. Reach more potential customers
Google Maps allows you to get closer to your target audience in an easier and more effective way. There are still physical store owners who think they don’t need a digital presence. But local searches are on the rise due to increased browsing via mobile devices.
That is why Google is devoting more and more effort to improving its system in this regard.
#2 Publicize your company
Another attraction for many businesses is the combination of Maps with Google My Business features. Once registered you will be able to manage both your presence on Maps and your Google Plus profile, and of course, your company profile on Google with all the vital information for the customer(photos, videos, reviews, offers…).
With all this work done, the search engine positioning for local searches of your business will improve significantly.
#3 Get more interaction with your audience
One of the features that most attracts the user of Google Maps are the opinions or reviews of local businesses. These ratings appear in the form of orange stars and can undoubtedly determine a future visit by the user.
If you have positive reviews, Google will value it very positively when it comes to showing your business in the search results. Generating those reviews is essential to improve local SEO and Google My Business allows it.
I think with this your motivation to figure out how to get your business to show up on Google Maps will be enough 🙂
Your company does not appear on Google Maps?
Sometimes, despite having followed all the procedures to the letter, it can happen that your company still does not appear on Google Maps.
The most common reason why your business does not appear on the map is because Google has difficulty locating its exact location or because it has not received authorization to detect it.
In other words, to solve this problem, you will have to improve the location of your business on Google Maps or allow Google to crawl it. Here’s how.
- Show the location of your company on the map. Open Google Maps and click on “My Location”.
- Grant Maps permission to detect your location. You must give Maps permission to center your location:
- To do this, go to
System Preferences > Security and Privacy Preferences > Privacy > Location
. - Click on the padlock in the lower left corner to authorize the changes.
- Check the box
Enable geolocation services
.
Remember that to show your business on Maps you need a verified Google My Business listing.
In case you have already claimed and verified your profile, but your activity still does not appear, perhaps the cause is among these:
- Relevance. If your GMB profile is not relevant to a particular search query, Google will not show it in the search results. That is why it is essential to include details about your entire range of products and services in your GMB profile and to use relevant keywords and looks.
- Distance. If the physical address of your business location(s) is not within the area that Google considers part of the local market, your business will not be displayed on Google Maps for searches conducted in that geographic area. Proximity is an important ranking factor, especially in relation to Google Maps. The greater the distance between your business and the geographic location of the search engine user, the less likely you are to appear on Google Maps.
- Accurate information. Most local businesses do not enjoy relevance, so they must work to gain ground in Google’s local rankings by making sure that information such as the name, address and telephone number accurate and consistent across the web, earning positive feedback from users and achieving backlinks. There are many other local ranking factors to consider, so a good local SEO campaign can increase your visibility on Google My Business and, by extension, Google Maps.
- You have recently changed your address. If you have changed your address, Google may have cancelled your verification, in which case you will have to repeat the verification process. Make sure that the NAP information (Name, Address and Phone Number) of your website is consistent and up to date before starting the process.
- Your activity has been suspended from Google My Business. If you have intentionally or inadvertently violated Google My Business guidelines for representing your business, a suspension may apply. Common circumstances in which this occurs include:
- Types of businesses that are not eligible for Google My Business listings.
- Google My Business cards created by an unauthorized person.
- Use of Google My Business descriptions that are misleading, false, focused on special offers, contain low-quality or irrelevant content, display links, use profanity, or contain other objectionable content.
- Use of an inaccurate physical address or e-mail address.
How to ensure your success on Google Maps?
Now you know how to get your business to appear on Google Maps. If you follow all the steps you will get it without problems. The customers are there, you just have to guide them to you!
If you have any questions when following the tutorial or in questions of web positioning, do not hesitate to contact our team of experts in SEO and Digital Marketing, we will be happy to help you in the growth of your company.
Tamara es redactora #seo y la boxeadora de la oficina. 🥊
Siempre escribe textos con gancho 😉
