Introduction
Many consumers turn to Google to find local businesses, which is quite evident with “near me” searches skyrocketing. But how can you ensure your store pops up at the top of those results? That’s where a properly optimised Google Business Profile comes in. It’s not just about Google Search anymore – Google Maps has become a critical tool for local discovery. Generating a significant presence on Maps is not an easy task and requires a meticulous approach!
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction
3. How to Rank Higher on Google Search Results and Maps?
5. Conclusion
Globally search queries for “near me” have increased by a whopping 200% on Google Search (Source: The Media Captain). Google Trends data confirms the importance of local search optimization for businesses looking to attract nearby customers.
A while ago in conversation with my friend’s father- Dr Chourdia, the topic of my work came up. He was dealing with a problem: his practice would pop up at the 5th rank when users searched for “thyroid specialists in Bokaro”. I looked at his business profile and found out that it wasn’t updated and had very few details. After implementing changes the search ranking went up to the 3rd spot leading to a 20% growth in his business! (Read more here)
In a hyper-competitive omnichannel world your digital identity is a key differentiator in attracting customers to your store and maintaining a seamless experience from online to offline
2. Digital Identity on Google:
A good result on a Google Knowledge Panel describes the business with location and is a great way of grabbing attention. Google ranks a listing based on the completeness of the profile and regular updates.
3. How to Rank Higher on Google Search Results and Maps?
1. VISIBILITY
- Location: When a user searches for a product or service, Google Search prioritises the location of a store in its result. Searches with terms like “where to buy…” and “cafe near me” have surged and Google does not just rely on proximity as the major factor when displaying results.
- An Optimised Google Business Profile store can feature among the top of organic search results (usually the coveted 3-pack) and have a dropped pin on the map appear prominently. For over 67% of users, Google Maps is the preferred Navigation app (Source: WordStream)
- Local Keywords: Ensure that keywords about the location and the area are embedded in your copy across your website; be it headings, body, text and also in URLs, image tags, and captions.
2. ENHANCED CREDIBILITY
- Reviews and Ratings: Positive reviews and high ratings significantly increase your profile’s visibility and attract more customers. An official business profile ensures the overall credibility of the reviews. This is important because customers trust user-generated feedback; 9 out of 10 customers read at least one review before making a purchase decision and 70% of customers read anywhere between 1 to 6 reviews. (Source: Bizrate Insights)
- Get a regular flow of reviews and ratings by organically placing a QR code or through direct WhatsApp messages sent to customers who have bought your product or service.
- Questions and Answers: Google Business Profile offers the ability to respond to comments and reviews by customers. When the answer comes from an official verified account, it places particular emphasis in the mind of a new customer who might see that review. 79% of customers say they trust reviews as much as personal recommendations. (Source: Search Engine Journal)
- It establishes clearly that the business is functioning and engages with customers positively.
- This is also helpful in reducing the impact of negative reviews.
- Customers also tend to trust reviews more so when there is a mix of positive and negative reviews.
Google Business Profile fosters user engagement by allowing anyone, not just business owners, to respond to questions. Users can share their experiences or offer additional insights. This community-driven approach creates a sense of trust and reliability.
3. INFORMATION SHARING WITH CUSTOMERS
- High-Quality Photos and Videos: Depending on your business type, you must ensure that at least 4-5 new photographs per week must be added. Photographs and videos of the store add significantly to the quality of a Business Profile listing. A profile picture, usually the logo of the brand or company ensures consistency in the customer experience online and offline.
- Products: Update your profile with your products and offerings. This section has a link to “Buy” and is a great way to take the customer directly to the online landing page. With the “Products” tab, customers can:
- Click a featured product card to view the product details.
- Click a product category to view an overview.
- Click a product within a product category to view the product details.
- Chat or call you to find out more, or click on the button leading to your website to order online.
- Posts: Offers, Promotions and Events can be added to show up with your profile. They are a great way to engage customers and show them that the business is active.
- Make sure information about new offers and other Promotional activities are added.
- Posting regularly helps Google know you’re engaged, which means a better spot in Map Results. This way you can highlight new arrivals and reach potential buyers actively looking for what you offer.
4. Establish Domain Authority
Domain Authority is a search engine ranking score developed by different websites (Moz, Semrush etc). It predicts the likelihood of a website being listed in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Multiple factors go into calculating the Domain Authority with a machine learning model applied to predict the rankings across thousands of results pages accurately.
Steps to ensure a higher domain authority:
- SEO has to be performed site-wide and across your Google Business Profile, meaning that you must complete the profile with all updated information and unbroken links to your website, store pages, product pages, map locations etc.
- Analyze the flow of links: Backlinks (links from other websites pointing to your website) must be updated and also present across a wide range of sites such as blogs, directories, listings on other search engines, and social media mentions.
- Generate good content and ensure links are active and accessible: Getting a significant amount of backlinks and follow links requires great content about your business, your products and services and distinguishing factors.
- Check the Status of your top pages: these are pages that receive the most traffic. Ensure that these pages are accessible to anyone and aren’t broken. If the link has been updated on your end, make sure the updation occurs on other websites to ensure backlinks lead to traffic towards your website.
- Promoting your top pages and content: Sponsored posts can boost your presence across SERPs and are a helpful tool to generate traffic and in turn Domain authority. However, building a significant presence through organic means is recommended first.
5. Conclusion
Discoverability is a major issue for stores and businesses in an environment where customers have multiple options. Customers want a seamless experience when exploring products and services online that they are interested in purchasing offline. A Google Business Profile can be a powerful tool to enhance the visibility of stores of all sizes and reach the target customer at the top of search results, ultimately driving footfall. A Profile must be optimised and updated at regular intervals.
To get started with building your Google Business Profile click here.
Read More about “How to develop a comprehensive Omni Channel Strategy for your brand”