Attract new customers with Google map optimization

Google Map optimization is a form of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) geared towards getting more targeted, local traffic in your city or neighbourhood. When potential customers are looking for local businesses and do a search online, the Google Map is the first thing that pops up in order to show you relevant businesses in the local area. There are a number of factors that are overlooked by 99% of businesses that can ensure you are in the top 3-pack (first 3 search results) on Google Maps.

In today's digital age, almost everyone starts their journey online. Google happens to be the most popular starting point when people are looking for a local businesses. If your Google Business Profile isn't optimized for local SEO, you're missing out on a huge opportunity to attract new customers in your area, town or city who are searching daily.

A few reasons why Ranking in the top 3-pack of Google Maps is so important for your local business:

• The #1 spot is 10x more likely to get clicked versus the #10 spot.

• The top 3 on Google Maps gets 75% of clicks and eyeballs.

• 3 out of 4 people searching on mobile visit a business within 1 day.

• Builds brand equity and positions you as one of the best local businesses in your region.

• Save money on advertising - it costs the same whether you get 1 click or 1,000 clicks.

The cost of any SEO can vary depending on a number of factors, such as the number of services you offer, competitiveness of your industry, and the scope of your campaign. However, there is a ton of free content and online courses available for small businesses. We always recommend that local business owners gain a general understanding of how SEO works so that you can make more informed decision when deciding if you should hire an agency or do it yourself. You also are able to have more context and intelligent conversations with potential SEO hires.

At AH Media, we do things a little different and charge a simple one-time setup fee, which typically takes 60 days and involves optimizing your main website, cleaning up your online presence and developing a comprehensive content strategy. From there, you can take over your Google Business Profile in-house, using our strategy (DIY) or have our team fully manage it for you for a small monthly rate starting at $450/month. We wanted to make it as accessible as possible for small businesses. You can also upgrade to bigger packages once you start seeing results.

Make sure to be diligent when choosing a SEO company. NOT all agencies are created equal and you may spend thousands of dollars to get no results, with no way of knowing if it's working. Talk to a few agencies and opt for one that has a good understanding of your industry, geographical region and type of business.

Search Engine Optimization is generally a long-term strategy. However if done properly, you can see results quite quickly on Google Maps. This is the reason we take a localized approach. It is far easier to rank when only competing with a handful of businesses in your local area versus competing with a whole city. There are only 3 top spots on Google Map, so we work with a very limited, select group of clients simply because we cannot rank everyone for the same keywords.

Depending on the business, industry and competitiveness of your keywords, we typically start to see movement within 2-4 weeks and growth in rankings within 3-4 months. SEO is a compounding effort which gets stronger month over month so it's important to keep consistently building links, content and reviews.

Most SEO agencies are focused on optimizing your main website and competing on very general and competitive keywords which can take a very long time to see any significant results. Small businesses simply cannot wait that long and take the chance on something that may or may not work. Google Map Optimization allows you to measure results early on in the program, because you can see if you're receiving more traffic, inquiries and bookings. Once established and set up with the right foundation, results can be long-lasting.

You don't necessarily need to hire an outside SEO agency to improve your local SEO. We also provide tons of free training and resources to help you do everything yourself or using an in-house team. If you're new to SEO or don't have the time or resources to do it yourself, hiring an SEO company is the way to go. Make sure that when you are choosing an agency, to interview a few companies to find one that's trustworthy, transparent, communicates effectively, understands your industry and target audience.

This comes down to where your business currently stands online and where you're aiming to go. This is why its so important to audit everything from the onset. It's crucial not to rush the onboarding -- having clear communication with your agency to define your objectives, along with understanding your type of business, industry, competitors and target market. Not only looking at your competitors, but also understanding the total addressable market, keyword competitiveness, viable geographical region, etc..

We always start with a comprehensive strategy to set the appropriate benchmarks and expectations correctly once we've gained a strong understanding of where you currently stand and where you are trying to go with your business. Further more, we'll provide progress reports and review them on ongoing consultation calls.

That depends on your goals and the type of business you're in. Is it something you'll have to do to maintain and continue building the brand? The short answer is Yes. Like any marketing, you will eventually begin to lose market share to your competitors if you don't remain at top of mind.

You don't necessarily need to have an agency do this for you, however. You can bring it in-house to save and be more strategic. Once you have the know how and tools, your marketing department can do the tasks required to maintain and increase rankings. For example, we also have a program where we set it up, run it for a few months and then hand it over to your internal team to continue to maintain and grow, while we can consult through the transition and ongoing execution. With any marketing, as long as it's working and producing the right ROI, then there shouldn't be a need to stop.

In general, the main reasons why a local business would stop Google Map Optimization (or any effective marketing strategy) is if:

1) The numbers no longer make sense - ie. the cost to acquire (CAC) exceeds the life time value (LTV) of the customer.

2) The platform/medium no longer has your target audience -- ie. people stop using Google for local search