Google Map results, and local search

Two worked examples, exhibit A+B

The first image here is of a local search for a plumber, showing a map close to where I was searching (must have been in my old Woodstock office, this day). The top result you see (an ad) seems super unappealing to click on as it seems noisy, messy, and visually not that cool. But, it certainly will get a lot of traffic, while they have the budget to appear first. Then, we get a map, which if you click, typically nagivates you away to a full-screen map full of results you can click on. In certain scenarios, it may even make you change apps (if you’re on a phone) and open Google Maps.

What we’re more interested in today is the rest, as I gauge that most folks click on one of the business names thereafter. Yes, you can sort by a Rating, or Hours, or other features, busy internet users are lazy, let’s be honest. My view – for almost every client – goes like this: 

• Make sure you even feature by getting things set up correctly. I wrote about that in this feature.
• Have at least ten Google reviews.
• Work at trying to be in the top three results, with the most reviews, and see how you fare twice a year.

Other than that, there isn’t much to it, unless you get into niches, within Google Map Results. The Hotel or Accommodation industry is one of these, where the game levels up a tad, and it can get far harder to rank. Down the line I’ll develop some content solely on that niche, as I’ve had to spend a fair bit of time solving it for a tourism client here in Cape Town. However, Google has seen so much flux in the past 18 months that I am waiting for things to settle first.

The second image is interesting, as it’s different, but also branches out into a whole new sphere of “optimising a client for Google My Business”. This is called: ‘Google Travel‘, and within that you can do your DD (Due Diligence) to make sure your hotel is going to appear well here. I spent months helping a local client try and achieve this, and they consistently failed to apply the key things as they (I assume) saw them as trivial. Things like having a decent contact page with your exact address, updating that same address (and phone numbers, website url, etc) across the net by simply updating them on directories, and other places. It’s all so menial and boring, so why would it matter? Who knows, but it does. 

Do what Google asks you to, and they reward you. Have the patience to see it play out and you might be surprised how much it can change your business through the many extra enquiries. Find it tiresome yourself? Then reach out for my help, or at very least, step by step guide on how to achieve success.