To make it simple: Location Authority is the Answer. How To Rank On Google Maps is the Question.
So just what is Location Authority?
First of all, location authority is extremely important for all businesses that reside in specific locations. That is because location authority gives a company the power and ability to rank highly in Google maps and get found by potential customers. The more location authority your business has, the higher it will appear in the Google map results. In other words, when you first arrive on the maps where the scale is larger, before you zoom in, the more chance your business has of being seen above its competitors. The greater the location authority, the more dominance the company has over a larger search radius on the Google map image.
What this basically means is that, when a potential customer types something into Google maps, such as Hairdressers in Charleston, the higher ranked you are with location authority, the more likely your business will be shown on the top scale map of Charleston. In addition, your business will appear on the listed results under the map.
Local SEO – (Search Engine Optimization)
Local SEO is a term used when describing location authority. It is an effective way to promote and market your local business online. If done correctly, local SEO allows potential local customers to find and locate your business at the time they are looking for your service. In order to search online, an internet user needs to type in something, i.e. hairdresser in New York. So the search engine can find an appropriate website, the website has to be filled with keywords which allows the search engine to find the business. A similar process is needed for local SEO on Google maps. Without optimizing your location authority, you will simply not be found on the map before your competitor.
How to improve your location authority ranking
Ranking highly on Google map search results is a vital avenue for sales and of lead generation for local businesses. Ranking as high as possible is an absolute must as statistics seem to indicate that over 90% of traffic is directed at the top three local search results. If you want more customers, you must improve your location authority.
Here are some ways to improve your location authority:
- It would help if you improved the online page signals on your website. This is because Google views the website you have linked to your Google business page, in order to show the ad on Google maps. In other words, your website must be fully optimized. Your website URL on your Google business page, creates a business card to your Google Maps listing. This means the URL is important in the local SEO strategy. Hence why on-page signals are important, this includes keywords in titles, the domain authority, NAP (see below), and the quality of all the links pointing to the website.
- If you want a good ranking, you need to improve your business listing. It would be best if you were found through your name, address and phone number (NAP). When a search engine is set into motion, it searches for all references of the NAP and indexes the website appropriate. If you submit the company NAP to both national and local business directories, this will result in better listings for your business.
- Ensure that the information you provide the directories is consistent. Everything across your websites, directories, etc. must match. In addition, your website must have NAP in the headers and footers of every page and having a well-written contact us page.
- Your contact us page should have an embedded Google Map of your location. This is a great way to start ranking higher in Google Maps.
- The more customer reviews your site has, the more Google is motivated to show your page in the map listing. That is because Google wants to show the potential customer the most relevant result for the query they entered.
- Obtain more citations by finding out which directories your more successful (in terms of Google ranking) competitors are listed in, and ensure you are listed there too. Just so you are aware a citation is a record of your NAP, it may also be the URL of your website. It may be worth your while using Google My Business to build citations for you. Citations are like SEO for companies. You need them to be found.
- More about citations, as well as looking at what your competitors’ are doing, to supersede them, run a search for websites and directories that are related to your metro area, or specifically aimed at your type of business. Getting yourself listed on as many relevant and heavy weighted directories as possible will increase your relevance to the search engine and enhance your location authority.
- Use sub-categories on your Google My Business account. You may be able to add departments, or other ways the company can be broken down, and segmented in order to allow your business to have a competitive edge in your location.
If your business needs help with Location Authority, we can help! Just CLICK HERE to receive our FREE Online Visiblity Report to start the conversation.