Getting listed on the the first page of the Google Map for “Your City + Plumber” or “Your City + AC Repair” comes down to four primary factors:
- Having a claimed and verified Google Places listing.
- Having an optimized Google My Business listing for the area(s) in which you operate and offer services.
- Having a consistent N.A.P. (name, address, phone number profile) across the web so that Google feels confident that you are legitimate organization that is located in the place you have listed and serving the market you claim to serve.
- Having reviews from your real customers in your real service area
Here is what you need to do:
Login to your Google My Business Listing at www.google.com/business
- Use the Username / Password that was used to claim your initial Google Places or Google+ Local Listing
- You will want to request this from your current provider if they did this for you. It’s your business and Google is a major marketing source for your company. You need access to this for your own protection and reference.
Do a quick scan to see if Google has any issues with your listing (E.G. Duplicate Listing, Listing Not Approved, etc)
- If there is a true duplicate listing, follow the process to delete it
- On your active business page, click the “edit” button and review the information to ensure everything is correct and properly optimized
- Name showing correctly and exactly (no extra keywords other than the company name. E.G. If your company is “Bills Plumbing, Heating & Air” make sure it does not read “Bills Plumbing, Heating & Air San Francisco for example)
- Make sure it’s a local area code phone number rather than a toll free number
- Review the categories to ensure the correct category(s) are selected
- Hour of operation set correctly
- Upload as many quality, authentic photos as possible
- Google Analytics
- YouTube Channel
- Start to focus on building up your followers (real followers, don’t try to game the system)
- Start to push updates on a consistent basis via Google My Business
- Work on developing references of your company name, address & phone number across the web by getting added to online directory listings (Top list here)
- Put a system in place for getting online reviews from your real customers in your TRUE service are. See our ultimate strategy here.
How To Optimize Your Google My Business Listing
Now just 3 results on the Google Map Listings
Google recently shifted their algorithm so that only 3 listings appear in the search results. On this video I explain what happened and share some of the results we are seeing following the strategies and tactics outlined above:
Additional Links & Google Maps Training Resources
- Step-By-Step Guide To Claiming Your Google Places Listing – This post walks you step-by-step through the process of claiming and optimizing your Google Places listing.
- Advanced Google Places Optimization Techniques – In this post, I discuss more of the advanced techniques and strategies for moving up in the Google Map rankings. There is a lot of basic information about claiming your Google Places listing and establishing your N.A.P (name, address, phone number profile), but on this post I talk about the more advanced steps.
- Online Review Acquisition Strategy for Contractors and Home Services Businesses – Placement on the Google Map is driven by optimization, N.A.P. profile and reviews. In this post, I share our proven review acquisition system for getting online reviews from your customers on a consistent basis.
- Google Places Optimization – Black Belt Technique – On this post I share a little known black belt technique to automate the review acquisition process that has been confirmed to improve placement on the Google Map.
