Hi friends,

I believe there is a lot of questions in your mind regarding your local business listing on Google. Most of us type various queries in Google search bar and try to find an exact solution of their problem. Well I found few queries that people searched highly in Google to rank their local business.

"how to improve ranking for Google business listing?"
"5 Ways to improve Google places ranking"
"Improve local ranking on Google"
"Rank my Google business listing"
"How to improve my business listing map on google top rank?"
"How to promote my Google business listing page?"

Well in my career i have posted a lot of business listings on Google MyBusiness and rank them well in Google SERPs. I have also setup Google business listing for my own business SEO Consultancy. You can have a look at it by typing "SEO Consultant in Noida" and "SEO Expert Noida"





I will tell you about Google business listing from the very beginning. If you still don't have any Google business listing and don't know How to setup Google business listing, please visit my previous post "How to Setup Google business Listing for my Business?"

Before setting up a Google map listing page for your business you must read carefully  Google My Business guidelines and Google Plus User Content and Conduct Policy.

Can't find my business in Google listing? What to do?

You may often find that your business doesn't appear for relevant searches in your area. To make your listing visualize in your local area do the following tasks in your Google My Business:

Increase Google Maps Ranking
Please follow below points to rank your Google business maps listing:

Enter complete & accurate business information
Local results rank on the basis of the given information in their listings. Hence always put complete & correct information while setup your Google business listing. Verify your listing and make sure that your information is correct.

Increase your website quality inbound links
Google wants to see that your listing information matches other well known and trustworthy sources.

Put the location keywords in anchor text instead of it saying 'click here' or 'visit my website'. A better would be, have a look at 'best SEO consultant in Noida'

Encourage your Users to write reviews about your business 
Customer reviews is most important factor to rank your business high in local search. Google counts the number & score of reviews to rank any listing high in local search. But remember never use fake reviews, Make sure that your all reviews are genuine and from real customers.

Add photos & videos to your business
Images and videos attract new customers at your business page. These  increase the chance of getting more clicks on your business listing. Upload high-resolution images and videos of your business.

Include Keywords in business description
Although there is a limit set by Google for business description but you can write a perfect description by adding few business oriented keywords in description. For example: If you are a Digital Marketing firm, you should include keywords in your description like "Digital marketing services", "SEO services", "SEO Consultant", "Digital Marketing Consultant" and etc.

Add your business opening and closing time
Google says, Don't confuse your customers add proper timing of your business.

Add NAP on Website
You can also add NAP (Business Name, Address, Phone) on your website. It is a good practice to have it in footer or header of your website. You can also put this information on your contact page.

Add the Same NAP on other Business Directories
If you have submitted your business on other business directories, use the same NAP information on these websites.

Embed Google business map on your website
It is a good practice to add a Google map on your website. In this way Google will easily verify your business listing address with your website. If you don't know how to embedd Google business listing on website, please follow below steps:

How to add My Google Business Listing map to my Website?

1. Open Google.com/Map
2. Search your business name in Google Map searchbar (located on top left corner)
3. Click on your business name and you will find a Share button just below your business name
4. Just click the share button you will find a popup window containg two tabs "Share link" and "Embed map"
5. Select the "Embed map" you will see a one line code, just copy this code and paste it on your website contact page.
6. You can also customize the map size by clicking the "Medium" button. You can set the map size accordingly.

Please refer below images for above process:


Image source: Google business listing map

Image source: Google business listing map

How Google determines local ranking?

Google Business Listing Ranking Factors?

Google local results rank on three things relevance, distance and pominence

Relevance
The first and most important ranking factor for Google business is Relevance. Adding complete & detailed information will help Google better understand your business and rank it high in SERPs.

Distance
Distance is 2nd priority factor for Google listing ranking. Google shows results first of nearby location of a user who searched at his place. For example if your current location is Noida, Uttar Pradesh and you are looking for best SEO consultant in Noida. Google will automatically shows the nearby results of your location.

Prominence
Prominence is third ranking factor of Google business that refers to how well-known a business is. Some places are famous and they are more prominent in their area. Google reflects these in its local ranking. Prominence is also based on information that Google picked from any web link, article, directory and other press release links.

Other Ranking Factors

Reviews
One major factor that is very helpful to rank Google business listing is Google reviews. Google marks the reviews count and score as local search ranking factors. More reviews and positive ratings will cause a better local ranking. 

Organic Results Ranking
Your position in web results is also a factor to rank business listing, so SEO best practices also apply to local search optimization.


Negative Factors that can affect your business listing ranking

Never Use a Toll Free Number
Google never recommends a toll free number for local business listing. Google wants to verify your local area code that matches your location address.

Negative Customer Reviews
You can't remove these, but you can bury them with good reviews.

Multiple Listings with same business name
If you have more than one locations of your business, Do not create separate business listings for all locations just mention all location in one business listing. Google will automatically determine your all locations.