techsupport Local business implies that you target users close to your office or point of sale. People, in turn, look at organizations that are faster to reach.
Advertising on Google Maps is not helpful if you want to promote bet22.co.tz, your online streaming platform, or any other online services. However, it helps both parties to find each other and solve their problems if it’s an offline company.
Please keep reading for how it works and what you need to set it up.
How Google Maps Works
Google Maps is a separate Google service, which lists the nearest organizations on the subject in response to a request.
How does Google determine exactly where the user is? The system analyzes the content of the query, and if you specify a specific area or place in the city – for example, “Coffee shops in Manhattan” – it takes it as a basis.
If a query is something like “Coffee shop near me,” or “Coffee shop nearby,” the Google robot calculates the location of the user who entered the query using internal algorithms.
The purpose of Google Maps is to give the opportunity to increase o
ffline traffic and the number of calls. In the local search results, you will see the address of the nearest branch and the phone number to call the company. By the way, you don’t have to have a website at all to do this, as it can be created in a couple of clicks when you add the organization to Maps.
Google Maps
In Google Maps, on the right side of the organization, the user will see a fragment of the map with their locations on request.
Often people look for something nearby not in Maps, but directly from Google. For example, the nearest coffee shop.
Google’s local search results show 3 choices of organizations. The “Other Places” link leads to Google Maps, where you can see the entire list and location on a map.
Each company’s position in the output depends on how useful it is to the audience according to the following factors:
- Relevance. How relevant the organization is to the query.
- The distance from the location that the user specified in the query or that the Google robot calculated.
- Position in regular Google search results, which can be influenced by search engine optimization.
And it’s not anyone factor that matters but a combination of them. Therefore, more distant organizations can get priority if they are more precisely aligned with the needs of the query.
Two solutions make it possible to improve positions in local searches:
- Add more complete information about the company to the Google My Business service and update it. Then the relevance of the company will increase, and it will be able to compete with others, even those closer to the user.
- Set up local search ads. Then, the company will appear at the very top of local search results with “Ads.”
How to Add a Company to Google Maps
- Sign in to Google or sign up if you don’t already have an account.
- Log in to Google My Business and click the button to get started in the service.
- Fill in your organization information in order:
- Enter a name and check “Yes” to add a location for your business in Google Maps and Search.
- Add an address and optionally a service territory if the business provides outbound services or deliveries.
- Add contact information.
If you don’t have a website, you can create one for free in one click. To do so, create a free website based on the provided information. It is created and updated automatically based on data from the Google My Business service.
You will get a page with complete information about the organization, including mode of operation, customer reviews, and photos.
Include personal recommendations. Google will tell you what information to add to improve your position in local searches.
The experts will contact you shortly by phone or email from your Google My Business account. Follow the instructions and confirm your identity. Until you complete this step, your organization will not appear on Google.
The more detail you fill out your Google My Business profile, the easier it is for Google to determine the relevance of your business for a particular query. So fill out all the fields as much as possible. Add photos of your products, storefronts, and office to clearly tell your audience what you do and what you offer. Be sure to comply with Google’s requirements for photos.
To increase relevance, read what reviews your customers write about you and respond to them. This is a surefire way to gain your audience’s trust and get into the top 10 of local search results. You can respond from your business profile in Google Maps or from Google My Business, if you’ve created one.
The more reviews you have, the higher the company’s ranking on Google Maps. To make it easier for customers to leave them, add a special link to add reviews on Google.
How Local Search Advertising Works and Looks
Google Maps gives you the ability to not only get into local searches but also to show ads for your organization, which means using local search ads. They are placed among the first results and distinguished from all by the label “Ads.”
Local search ads can appear on the desktop in local search results on Google and Google Maps, and on the mobile side, in search results from mobile devices and in the Google Maps mobile app.
How to Analyze Local Search Ad Results
Local search ads are priced per click. You pay for the following types of clicks:
- Get location information – when a user clicks on an ad and thus unfolds it.
- Itinerary – when the user clicks the “Routes” button to see the route to your office or branch.
- Mobile ads with interactive phone numbers – when the user clicks the “Call” button to contact you by phone.
- Transitions – when the user goes to the site to learn more about your organization.
In your Google Ads account, you can view statistics for different types of clicks on Google Maps for an ad campaign, a group, an ad, or a keyword. To do this, go to the desired section – “Campaigns”, “Ad Groups”, “Ads and Extensions”, “Keywords”, click the “Segment” icon and select the “Click Type” option. You’ll see metrics for each click type.
Advertising on Google Maps is the best option if you’re looking to attract users to your office or point of sale nearby. It’s inexpensive and you don’t have to bother with creative or ad text. You only need a brief description of your business, contacts, work schedule, and visual materials.
