Top Google ranking of your business on Google map depends on many factors after the update and decided by how well you capitalize on those factors.
- Understanding the Competition – First thing first, you need to understand the current competition in your business online. You might find that there is lot of competition or you have the free run. However, in both cases you should look at as how others are presenting their business on Google Map & places.
- Adding Unique Listing & Remove Duplicate – Duplication on Google map listing & other business profile has to be removed. Login to “Google My Places” dashboard and find out everything is listed as per the business needs and then replicate that with business listing & business directory profiles to have identical NAP (Name / Address / Phone) for good citation flow.
- Right Arrangement – User wants to see what you do, category or the services you provide, and hours you operate counts a lot sending all the positive signals to Google about your listing.
- Micro-Data Format – Over the year’s evolution has happened for showing information in structured way & more over it’s becoming an SEO standard since Google & other search engine started promoting it for better crawling of website.
- Review – Buyer want to read reviews before they like to buy or ever want to make their first call to know your Local SEO services. Reviews of Google map, Bing listing or business listing. Getting review on 3rd party site & niche business site count a lot. However, if your audit shows you are getting more traffic from Google Map then concentrate on getting review there.
- Hijack your competitors Traffic – No body want to see dull Google map preview on your business listing profile, here is where you can hijack your competitors traffic by adding a attractive picture that generate high CTR.
In 2014 Google has created lot of changes in its algorithm and will sure make more changes in 2015. However, the industry is taking this very sportively & you can say they don’t have any choice. The key over here is to keep adapting the changes and optimizing the business.