This document provides a comprehensive guide on how to effectively rank in Google Maps through the optimization of Google My Business (GMB) listings. Key steps include ensuring accurate business information, enhancing the GMB page with unique content and images, and understanding the importance of distance and prominence in search results. It also emphasizes the role of on-site and off-site factors for improving visibility, including local schema usage and building a consistent online presence.

1. HOW TO RANK IN GOOGLE MAPS
A presentation by Jill Sullivan at Infront Webworks

2. WHY RANKING IN MAPS MATTERS

3. THE LANDSCAPE OF GOOGLE SERPS

4. GOOGLE MY BUSINESS
Claiming your listing
Verifying your listing
Optimizing your listing

5. STEP 1: SEARCH FOR YOUR BUSINESS
www.gybo.com/business

6. IS YOUR BUSINESS INFORMATION COMPLETE?

7. SIGN INTO YOUR GOOGLE ACCOUNT
Sign in to the
Google Account
you use for your
business. Don’t have a
Google Account?
Click “Create an
account” to get
started.

8. SELECT YOUR BUSINESS OR ADD IT
See your business
in the list? Click to
continue.
Don’t see your
business? Click “Let
me enter the full
business details.”

9. ENTER YOUR BUSINESS DETAILS
Can’t find the perfect
category?
Pick something close.

10. CONFIRM YOUR BUSINESS
Agree to the Terms of
Service. Then, click
“Continue.”

11. REQUEST A PIN (OR LET US VERIFY FOR YOU)
Click “Send postcard.”
Let us help you get verified!
Infront Webworks
719-577-4404
marketing@infront.com
Ask for:
Jill, Mike, Rory or Stephanie

12. OPTIMIZING YOUR GMB PAGE
 Business Name – Make sure this is your correct business name. Some businesses try to add keywords to
their business name to rank higher in maps. This is a HUGE NO-NO! Doing this could cause your listing to
get removed completely.
 Address – Be sure your address matches the address on the website, exactly. Sometimes Google will
change certain elements of the address (like changing Boulevard to Blvd), if this happens, change the
address to match the address as it appears on your Google My Business Listing.
 Category – You can add up to 5 services. Choose the ones that are the most relevant to your business
 Business Hours – Fill this out completely & make sure the information matches what’s on your website
 Photos – Try to add up to 10 photos. You can use pictures of the inside of your store, staff pictures and so
on.
 Introduction – Write unique content that is completely different than anything you have on your website.
Be sure to list the services you offer and link those services to the proper services pages on your website.

13. DISTANCE & PROMINENCE MATTER
 Distance: Just like it sounds -- how far is each potential
search result from the location term used in a search? If
you don't specify a location in your search, Google
calculates distance based on what it knows about the
searcher’s location.
 Prominence: This describes how well-known or prominent
a business is. This is based on information Google finds
about a business from across the web (like links, articles,
and directories).

14. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOUR WEBSITE AND GMB

15. ON SITE FACTORS
 Title Tags
 H1s & H2s
 Content
 Alt image tags
 Branded Map
 Link to GMB page
 Local Schema

16. TITLE TAGS
Title Tags are one of THE most important factors when it comes to
on-page optimization
Should be between 60-70 characters long
Should contain the target keyword for the page
Should contain the city and state

17. HEADERS (H1, H2)
 Use only one H1 per page
 Use city/state in H1
 Use city in one H2

18. CONTENT
 500+ words is optimal
 Use city/state in content
 Talk about the surrounding area
 Move beyond the single keyword model
and work with long-tail keyword strings,
incorporate keyword synonyms

19. IMAGES
 Image name should contain city/state
 Alt Image tag should contain city/state
 Use a unique tag on each image on the
page
<img src="smiley.gif" alt="Smiley face">

20. BRANDED MAPS / LINKING TO GMB
Establish a better relationship between your website and
GMB by using a branded map and linking to your GMB page.

21. BUILDING A BRANDED MAP
Step 1: Search for your business on Google.com/maps

22. BUILDING A BRANDED MAP
Step 2: Click the “Share” button

23. BUILDING A BRANDED MAP
Step 3: Click “Embed Map”
Step 4: Choose your size
Step 5: Copy the code and add to your website

24. SCHEMA
Schema Markup, as it allows search engines to display
important information, such as hours, testimonials, reviews,
and even menus easily in search results.

25. LOCAL SCHEMA
<div itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/Attorney”>
<span itemprop=”name”>ABC Attorneys</span>
<div itemprop=”address” itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/PostalAddress”>
<span itemprop=”streetAddress”>123 Main Street</span>
<span itemprop=”addressLocality”>Malibu</span>,
<span itemprop=”addressRegion”>CA</span>
<span itemprop=”postalCode”>90263</span>
</div>
Phone: <span itemprop=”telephone”>555-423-2352</span>
<a href=”http://googlemapsurl.com” itemprop=”maps”>URL of Map</a>
</div>

26. AGGREGATE RATING SCHEMA
<div itemprop=”review” itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/Review”>
<span itemprop=”name”>Value purchase</span> –
by <span itemprop=”author”>Lucas</span>,
<meta itemprop=”datePublished” content=”2011-03-25″>March 25, 2011
<div itemprop=”reviewRating” itemscope itemtype=”http://schema.org/Rating”>
<meta itemprop=”worstRating” content = “1”/>
<span itemprop=”ratingValue”>4</span>/
<span itemprop=”bestRating”>5</span>stars
</div>

27. OFF SITE FACTORS
 Link Building/ Directory Submissions
 Social Media
 NAP Consistency

28. LINKBUILDING
Ask for links – Think about friends, relatives, colleagues, partners and
clients that have a blog or a website that is relevant to your niche.
Guest posting – There are many blogs & sites that will publish your
article. The article should not be a sales pitch. Posts that answer a
question relative to your industry are best.
Directory submissions – Find non-spammy, relevant, informative
directories in which to place your site. Local, niche directories are best
Add your site to citation sites – https://moz.com/learn/local/citations-by-
category

29. SOCIAL MEDIA

30. SOCIAL SIGNALS
Create accounts on the following social media
channels. (Simply having a presence at each
social channel creates inbound links and helps to
establish credibility of your brand.)
Facebook
Google Plus
Twitter
LinkedIn (Company Page)
Instagram
Pinterest

31. REVIEWS

32. WHERE TO GET REVIEWS
Where should you focus on getting reviews?
Google My Business
Yelp
YP.com
BBB
Facebook

33. NAP CONSISTENCY

34. MOZ.COM/LOCAL

35. TOOLS TO HELP YOU SUCCEED
Gybo.com – Claim and verify your Google My Business page
Google.com/business – Manage and edit your GMB page
Moz.com/local – Check your business for NAP consistency/duplicates – submit to directories
https://moz.com/learn/local/citations-by-category - Find relevant directories based on your niche
http://www.microdatagenerator.com/local-business-schema/ - generate local business schema for
your website
Infront.com/blog – Get more information on all things SEO
Contact us! Infront.com | 719-577-4400 | marketing@infront.com