Introduction to Google Maps & Google’s Local Business Center
I may have rambled a little in the video above 
, but the point I was trying to make is that a very large percentage of all searches have a local intent, so much so, Google is displaying a (7-Box) Google Maps listing in the organic SERPs (search engine results pages) on many searched broad keyword terms.
When someone searching adds a local modifier to the searched term (like a city or postal/zip code), then the searcher has 100% local intent. Google knows this and then serves up the 7-Box Google Maps listing at the top of the organic search results page (above the traditional 10 website listings).
If you have a local business this is really important to know. If there are hundreds and often thousands of searches every month for your businesses services where people also add in the local modifier to their searched term then you want to make sure you are actively participating in your Google Maps listing.
Look at some of these other important stats/facts:
- 66% of North Americans use search online to locate local businesses
- 82% of local searchers follow up via an in-store visit, phone call, or purchase
- 80% of all retail transactions happen within 15 miles of people’s homes
- 32% of people with smartphones conducted a local search
These are people who are looking for EXACTLY what it is you do and Google Maps is the first thing they see in an organic search engine results page. All you need to do is get your business information in front of this traffic and you will have a steady stream of new clients and customers.
Not actively managing your Google Maps listing is like flushing money down the drain. The Google Maps listings are totally free and you do not require a website to be listed. Getting a listing is free and easy, but it does not guarantee that your business will show up in the 7-Box Google Listing displayed in the organic SERPs. Even though claiming your listing is a good start, it’s not enough in today’s marketplace to really secure a position within the 7-Box which receives the majority of the traffic for local searches. We will get into this further in this Google Maps Course when we discuss how to increase your chances at securing those preferred rankings within the highly so desired 7-Box.
First things first, if you have not claimed your listing, then do so. Your chances of ranking well with the 7-Box are virtually nonexistent if you don’t claim your listing. If there is no listing of your business yet then simply create one.
Click on the following link to learn how to claim and set up your Google Maps Listing within the Google Local Business Center.
BTW, let us know if you have any questions so far in the comment section below. If you add your question we will answer it.
NOTE: If you are like most small business owners, you may want to leave this type of stuff to the pros and we would be more than happy to manage your Google Maps Listing. Please visit our local search marketing services page for more details.
Currently, this service is available to any advertiser who targets locations in the U.S., Canada and the U.K.
Is there one domain one address only?
Thanks~
Yes you can only add one business per location. You can have same domain and multiple Google Map listings. Think Franchises and other big corporate businesses. They may all use one url for all their listings.
To confirm,
I have a domain with 10 different business in different locations, so it can place 10 Google Map Listings, is it right?
@TzongYih Yes, you can have a listing for each location you have. I suggest also make sure you have a unique local phone number for each location too because I have seen sometimes listings with the same business name and same phone number get merged. Your scenario is similar to what a franchise would do.
Thanks.
If I do like that, would not be penalty by google?
Even if a searcher doesn’t add the city to their query, Google uses their IP address and returns the closest business if there is nothing else entered for location.
I don’t think that’s working because who knows where your IP address is from where you really are. I think one of our IP addrsses is in Ohio and we’re in California. Not a good idea, Google!!
A good rule of thumb to follow is wherever your mail is delivered for your business means that’s the address. Use suite or unit numbers for more than one busienss and make sure the post office fixes their records for your mail delivery….
I’m not sure if the post office will agree without some city planners or other red tape but go ahead and bring some donuts in and just smile and ask….it just might work!
Then there’s the legal name with no keywords allowed — time for a trip to your City License Dept and the newspaper so you can file a dba with your new legal name. Then back to the post office with more donuts to update their records again!
BOTTOM LINE: Claim your maps first like the big guy says and the rest will fall into place after that. First things first.
TIP: Get strangers to give you reviews (not friends) because Google KNOWS who you know…they are listed in all your contact lists, right? RDF Triples and SPARQL will make the connections – even more accurately in a few years.
@TzongYih No you won’t get a penalty. How would franchisees with multiple locations get listings without a penalty. It’s common for businesses to multiple locations, you just need to make sure you are using a unique address & phone on each listing. DBA and website can be the same.
@leah – thanks for stopping by. If your IP shows in different city than you are then you’ll have to add a local modifier to your search query (most folks are savvy enough to do this) and then the proper Google Map’s 7-Pack will be triggered.
Not sure you need donuts to get it all done
I do believe in the future people will do keyword research first before choosing their business name. I know I do.
If haven’t registered your business name yet you may want to invest in some good keyword research before you do.
Did you know that not all keywords trigger that 7-pack ? There’s some software that finds the keywords that do trigger it so you can make sure you use those particular ones instead of picking the “wrong” ones.
I know this is wrong but I don’t do that keyword research because I hate it…so boring and yuck!! I just do business on and off-line as usual instead of strategized down to the word-long-short or otherwise.
I even mixed up the categories and guess what, it went to a PR3 from a nothing within 9 or 10 months. I’ve got everything from automotive to rappers like Snoop Dogg, the HammerDance and internet marketing and software and Will Smith and The Venus Project too!! Maybe the less you know, the better it is since that’s a more natural appearance to the robots!!
Do you have the link to the “eye tracking study” you mentioned in your video?
Thanks!
@David
Here are those links you were looking for:
Image 1:
http://www.brandinfection.com/wp-content/eyetools_google_search.jpg
Image 2: Click distribution
http://www.seobook.com/images/click-distribution-serp.jpg
Hi Matthew, I have put up a listing for a friend on Google BLC, I completed all the spaces on the sign up form, including 8 photos, and a intro video. The listing has more information than any other listing in the Box 7, yet it has not appeared in the box, it has ben 10 day’s now, have you any advice as to how i can improve the listing and get into the box. I am located in Ireland.
PS. The business is located in a postal district of Dublin 15, yet other listings from other postal districts in Dublin appear in the 7 Box, can you advise please ?
@john I think you need to finish the Google Maps course.
You are only on day 1. Day 2 & 3 will cover more on the off-page factors that determine the what we believe to be the ranking algorithm in Google Maps. It’s great that you are filling out a full profile on the maps, but the on-page probably only accounts for about 30% of your rankings. AND I don’t believe having images & video contribute to the rankings (I think they contribute to conversions b/c humans see it and images & videos is what we want as consumers) but I don’t think it improves your rankings.
On-page factors that do are: Name of Business – best if your business contains main keywords + location (remember to follow Goolge’s terms and to list your business name as you do to the pubic), also how you choose your keywords for categories & what you add in your 200 word description as well as your details determines the on-page ranking factors.
Now if you are having trouble ranking well, it’s most likely the off-page factors which I believe accounts for about 70% of the rankings. Those factors are citations & reviews, which is covered in days 2 & 3 of this course. Basically, you need lots of them. I hope this helps a bit more.
Matthew.
Interesting take on Local Business Centre stats and the potential for business. While I have no doubt of the benefit of listing your business in the LBC, here in the UK most people still seem to go for the top 3 natural listings and seem to have LBC blindness (I know this because we have been tracking the quantity of telephone calls made and click to the Local Business Centre listings by using unique numbers in the listing).
Plenty of other great info on your site, by the way. I look forward to spending a bit of time combing through it.
Mike
@Mike,
If you have been tracking with unique call #’s can you share some stats or case studies…?
i think google maps is a great source for getting more attentive customers as people are searching on google bing and yahoo
I have received quality leads from map optimization.THanks Methews
helloh matthew,
i just want too know who i can setup my Local Business Centre account on google map A to G.
THANKS
mathew