This is How to Rank #1 on Google Maps in March 2024
You don't have to look too far or hard to figure out what Google's ranking algorithm prefers at any given time. We rely on the ranking data of thousands of profiles to figure this out regularly, but sometimes, the clue will be right in front of you the entire time. Have a look at the search result for "Bagel Santa Monica" on Google Maps above. Do you see something that stands out in these top 3 results?
These top 3 businesses are neither the best nor the closest to me, but somehow made it to the top 3. Let me put my inspector hat and plaid jacket on and tell you what I see:
- All of them have the word "bagel" in their business name.
- All of them have images of bagels uploaded to their GBP (which Google is prominently displaying)
- All of them have hundreds of good reviews
Now, I don't want to sound like a broken record here (for the people who have been on our newsletter for years), but to me, this screenshot screams that if you want to rank higher on Google Maps, you need to get more reviews, upload more images of your products or services, and think about a rebrand. An SEO-optimized business name will help you grow a lot faster than a clever business name...take it from us... from an SEO perspective, Merchynt is a disaster of a business name since it doesn't refer to anything "GBP optimization service" related, but here we are! Fun fact: you can get a DBA with keywords in your business name and use that on your Google Business Profile instead of your actual business name. Google will allow that. Just be careful not to confuse your customers.
Oh yeah! I have a quick question for you... Do you consider yourself a tech-savvy person who always wants to try new cutting-edge tools, and would be interested in beta testing a new GBP optimization platform for us? We have a new one coming out in about a month and can use some beta users. Think of it like ProfilePro, if ProfilePro went to the gym and ate nothing but chicken for years. If you're interested, complete this form so we can send you your access link when we are ready for you. Beta users will get special discounted pricing.
ProfilePro tip of the week:
Take at least 5 pictures of things related to your business and upload them to your Google Business Profile today.
Go to Your Google Business Profile
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:
- November 2023 - Core Algo Update
- October 2023 - Core Algo Update
- August 2023 - Core Algo Update
- March 2023 - Core Algo Update
- December 2022 - Spam Link Update
You can find details on all algo updates here.
