Local Google Maps

Have you ever used Google with the “near me” after? Google Maps offers an amazing opportunity to find hotels, restaurants, and even your business by presenting customers in close proximity with your location. Normally customers look for brands they recognize or best price – but sometimes the closest place is the one you choose.

Businesses not utilizing this feature are missing a huge opportunity to serve customers in their area looking for guidance. Businesses who show up and take advantage of this feature have an upper hand because 71% of local customers search a businesses location before stepping foot in their doors for the first time. In addition, 68% of local searches are to look up directions or call a business from the Google My Business page. This opens the door to visitors in your area looking up local businesses online, but also people living in your area.

61% of local searches result in a purchase – here’s how to make your business part of that group.

First, it is important to make sure that all details are filled in on your Google My Business page. This is the profile that will show when your business hits the correct search criteria. The more information that is filled out in the Google My Business page the better! Just like social media, the more information that shows up on a business page the more opportunity customers have to connect with your business.Don’t leave any relevant options empty. 

Google looks at relevance, distance, and prominence when listing local businesses. In order to rank well your business needs to have the business information filled out so that Google can make sure your business is relevant to whatever a person is searching for. There’s very little you can do about distance because wherever the person is who is searching for a restaurant, Google will try to list those results in a ranking of what is closest (and also more relevant). This leaves prominence, which is just how well known a business is and how well they are liked. Reviews and comments for a business play a crucial role in how high the business is ranked in search results. Better reviews mean better results.

Reviews are an obvious indicator of how well-liked a business is, but it also leaves opportunities for the business to interact with their customers. These should be looked at as conversation starters and opportunities to make a great impression on anyone who has visited your establishment. If there are complaints it is important to make it known you are ready to fix whatever happened, and if there are rave reviews make sure to thank them for their kind words. This will show that the business truly cares about customer service and the experience of every customer.

Local Google maps can be impactful for businesses and it is important to take advantage of this space. Hopefully, this has shed some light on a feature that isn’t always thought of when trying to show up on Google. When this feature is used correctly it can help businesses stand out online and ensure that they are putting their best foot forward. A good image can do wonders for any business!