How To Rank #2 on Google Maps Today
Want to know the secret to ranking #2 on Google Maps right now? It's simple, I'll show you how: go to Google Maps on your cellphone and do my favorite search, "pizza". For me, Domino's Pizza shows up first (not sure why...), followed by a new section called "Discover through photos" where the 2nd rank GBP used to be.
There, in the 2nd ranking position, you'll see a carousel of pizza pictures, each one representing a different pizza shop nearby. When you click on the image you like, it brings you to that business's Google Business Profile.
If you recall, about two months ago, we pointed out that Google was showing picture icons on the map itself, and now they're taking it one step further by replacing the #2 ranking GBP slot with a photo carousel.
Our suggestion of regularly uploading images to your GBP stays the same, although the importance of it just got significantly higher. In fact, that's why we're only a few days away from launching a new tool that will let you easily upload new images to your GBP. Stay tuned since we'll share more details in our next few newsletters. Until then, just head to your GBP and click the "Add photos" button above your business name.Â
Bonus tip! Google will most likely prefer authentic user-uploaded images, so try your best to have customers start adding photos to their reviews.
ProfilePro tip of the week:
Upload images that you've taken of your business recently. If you haven't taken any recently, go and take them. You don't need a professional camera; your phone works perfectly fine since Google likes candid, real photos.
Wondering how well your Google Business Profile ranks on Google Maps for different keywords? We built a free local ranking audit tool you can use to quickly find out!
Check out our guide on every possible ranking strategy for Google Business Profiles!
Google Updates You Should Know About
Google updates their algos regularly, and we check and then digest them for you. Here are the latest ones local marketers should know about:
You can find details on all algo updates here.