How To Get a Landscaping Company To The Top of Google Maps

So you want to get your landscaping company to the top of Google Maps, and you definitely should! 4 out of 5 people who search for a service business in their area rely on the Google Maps section before reaching out to a business. So if you are not optimized for local SEO you are missing out on a ton of potential local customers!

Google’s “local pack” (the Google Maps Section) is the heart of local SEO and should be a key part of your Landscaping SEO strategy. In this article, MarketKeep, the digital marketing agency for small businesses will outline the steps you need to take to get your landscaping company to the top of Google Maps.

What is Google’s Local Pack and How Does It Impact My Landscaping Business?

Before we hammer home the different ways you need to optimize your small business for Google’s Local Pack, let’s first identify what it is. Google’s local pack is a list of three (or 4 if an ad is present) landscaping companies located within a close proximity to the person searching.

If you have ever searched online for landscaping companies near me, chances are you have seen the local Google pack before. If not here is a screenshot from MarketKeep’s office in downtown, Towson, MD.

Now if you are wondering how these businesses got to the top 3 local search results for landscaping companies near Towson, MD it is because of their search engine optimization strategies for landscaping companies that they have been working on. 

How Does Google Determine Rankings in the Local Pack?

Great question, and luckily a pretty straightforward answer. You see Google wants to make sure that it gives users results from local businesses, meaning the closest businesses to them. The closer your landscaping company is to the person searching, the more likely your business will appear in Google’s local pack. Now there are a few addition ways that Google determines rankings in the local pack. They are

• Relevance – Does your company offer products and services that are relevant to the user searching? When your website and Google My Business profile indicate that you perform the exact services a person is searching for, chances are you will appear much higher in search results.
• Distance – The closer you are to the end user, the closer you are to the top of the Google Local Pack. 
• Prominence- Is your business well-known in the community? Does your online authority (domain authority, page authority, backlink profile, etc) reflect your real-world expertise? 

All of these unique factors play a key role in how high a business ranks on Google Maps. 

10 Steps to Get a Landscaping Company to the Top of Google Maps

1. Add Your Business To Google Maps

It goes without saying, the first thing you need to do is add your business to Google maps. Below are the steps you need to follow in order to add your business successfully to Google Maps. 

1. Go to google.com/maps and search for your business name.
2. If it appears in the drop-down menu with a location next to it, then you have a listing. 
3. If your business name does not appear you will see an option in the drop-down menu to add a missing place. Once prompted you will provide your name, category, and location.

2. Claim Your Google My Business Listing 

Your second step should be to claim your Google My Business listing. By claiming your profile online you can provide Google with more information regarding your business. This will help you to rank higher on Google Maps. 

3. Add Information to Your Google Maps Business Listing

The more information you add to your Google My Business Profile the better. Make sure to include relevant information like your business name, category, address, service area, hours of operation, special hours, phone number, website, products, services, attributes, and business description. 

4. Add Photos to your Google My Business Listing

Google is a big fan of you contributing to your profile. So to improve your rankings in Google make sure to upload high-quality and compelling photos to your business. 

5. Generate Google Reviews

Google ranks businesses with positive reviews higher versus companies that have a low ranking. Be proactive in asking for reviews from companies, and make sure to respond to all of them. 

6. Verify You Only Have One Profile

A large part of rising in rankings is making sure that you only have one listing on Google. Make sure to find and remove duplicate listings and incorrect information from your profile. 

7. Post Consistently

Like other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, make sure that you post regularly to your Google My Business Profile. Regular posts will send signals to Google that you are proactively managing your listing, and will help with your overall ranking. 

8. Make sure your website is responsive

It is so important to have a responsive website in today’s day and age. Nearly 60% of all searches occur on a mobile device according to Moz so make sure that your website does not have any broken links, requires pinching or zooming in, or is slow to load. Your ranking in Google Maps will suffer if it does. 

9. Add local keywords to your website

Another way to boost your presence in Google Maps is to focus on your local SEO strategy within your website. So be sure to incorporate location-based keywords on the main pages of your website such as your homepage, about us page, contact us page, and more. By emphasizing that you are a local business, search engines will feel more confident in ranking your business higher in local listings.  

10. Embed a Google Map on Your Website

Finally, if you want to rank higher on Google search results, make sure to embed a map on your website. Embedding a Google Map on your site tells Google where your business is located and helps to boost your performance.