Moz Q&A is closed.
After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.
Improve Google Business ranking
-
While my client's websites have been ranking well in SERP for their keyterms I'm at a lost on what I can do to improve their Google business/map presence. I'm referring to their listing where the top three come up or when you search on Google Maps.
https://gyazo.com/26ec78ed7f712157ec72492199545431Ex 1. Several months ago my client was ranked #1 both for SERP and maps until they dropped to 2nd on maps. Now they're ranked 1st in search yet 2nd for local business rankings as you can see from the screenshot above. At one point my client's business did have more reviews than the 1st ranking business yet they still weren't 1st.
Ex. 2. Client(s) is ranked 4th in search and doesn't show in the top 3 map listings for their search term. If you click on More places to view Google Maps they're listed all the way down as the 15th listing or worse can't even be found when searching by their main SEO key term . Of course they are found by searching for their business name so it's not like there is a problem with the listing.
I make sure to:
-
Completely fill out their Google Business profile(NAP, hours and add pictures)
-
Have my client try to gain positive reviews
-
Manage and respond to reviews(mainly the negative ones)
-
Add map and Google business link to their website
Can anyone offer any other insight on what else can be done to improve their local presence on maps that I might be missing?
-
-
Those pesky duplicate, Joy!
FPK - has our community helped you? Do you have any further questions?
-
Hey There.
I actually see something different than you but I'm searching from the Toronto area which is 3-4 hours from Kingston. I actually see this which shows the duplicate Miriam mentioned as ranking 4th and the listing you showed is actually filtered because it's using the exact same phone # and address.
Having this duplicate is doing you a huge injustice because it's not linking to the website that is ranking high organically like you mentioned and it's splitting their reviews which just results in 2 profiles not ranking as well as they would if all the reviews were on 1 listing. Plus, since it's a violation of Google's guidelines, one of them could get removed and then you would lose the reviews on it.
I'd suggest consolidating them. This duplicate is verified so if you don't know who created it, you'll need to get access to the listing first. The naming convention it's using on the listing is also a violation of the guidelines.
The listing that ranks 2nd is doing some serious keyword stuffing so I would suggest you level the playing field by editing the listing and removing the keywords.
The listing that ranks 3rd and is above you should also look into as the name is keyword-stuffed, she already has another listing with her name, and the address she used on this listing actually belongs to a Re/Max agent as seen here and in Street View.
As for your 2nd question, it's hard to offer suggestions without knowing specifics
-
Hi FPK,
Glad to have you here. So, your client is #2 in the screenshot (I believe I'm understanding that correctly, but please let me know if I've misunderstood). If I'm correct, here are a few things to remember:
-
Local rankings are not static. What you see is not what your client or his customers will necessarily see, depending on your and their locations at the time of making the search. For more on this, read Phil Rozek's recent article: http://www.localvisibilitysystem.com/2017/05/24/did-your-local-rankings-really-sink-or-are-you-just-looking-at-them-wrong/
-
Reviews are just one factor of several hundred. To do a complete audit for any client, we recommend assessing all of the top Local Search Ranking Factors mentioned here: https://moz.com/local-search-ranking-factors. You need to audit both your client and any competitor who is outranking him to discover what the higher ranking businesses are getting right that your client may not be excelling at. The breadth of factors is wide: age of domain, age of listing, links, domain authority, topical authority, citation accuracy, authority and scope ... there is so much to consider here, so it's important to avoid oversimplifying this to something like "X is outranking Y because X has more reviews."
-
Definitely dive deep into the effects of Google's Possum filter, which has caused many businesses that share a category and building or street with competitors to experience extreme ranking changes. It looks like Kingston Mortgage Solutions is right across the street from you. To see if Possum may be at work in what your client is experiencing, read Joy Hawkins' article: http://searchengineland.com/everything-need-know-googles-possum-algorithm-update-258900
-
It looks like the client is well within Google's borders for the city of Kingston, so no worries on that score.
-
I'm concerned that I'm seeing duplicate GMB listings for your client. They appear to have listed themselves twice with the identical address and phone number but with two different names: The Mortgage Professionals and Mortgage Pro Team (The Mortgage Professionals). This would be a violation of Google's guidelines (see: <cite class="_Rm">https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en</cite>) and needs to be investigated swiftly. I am also seeing at least 3 practitioner listings at this same address that need to be investigated to ensure that they are guideline-compliant and not being viewed by Google as duplicates. None of the names on these listings meet Google's guidelines, unfortunately. So, we've hit on a real problem here and one that your agency will want to research fully and make every effort to resolve for the client.
-
Moz Local now supports Canada, and a good thing to do would be to look up the client in our free Check Listing tool to begin to assess how widespread this issue is with duplicates. With the full, paid version of the tool, you'll be able to add alternate info, as well, to find as many duplicates as possible.
This is a start, but isn't a genuine substitute for a professional audit, which it looks like this client definitely needs. I hope this quick glance of mine provides a good starting point!
-
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Google Listing Doesn't Appeare on 3Pack anymore
Hi, One of my GMB listing suddenly stopped ranking in the 3Pack Results. It used to always rank in 1st or 2nd position in the 3Pack results, Suddenly since 24th May it completely Flatlined, I don't know why but It doesn't show up in the results, or when I click see more. It completely vanished for that term locally. My Listing is based in Brisbane, QLD, Australia and it doesn't show up for that term in The Brisbane area. But when the Location info is Australia and not Brisbane, Australia it shows up again. I don't know what is the problem in this case... Any Suggestions will be much appreciated.
Local Listings | | Moxoms10 -
How Do I Remove Address from Google Business Page?
Not very up to date in handling local listings, so here's my situation. I have an office that is not going out of business, but instead going virtual. So that physical address will no longer exist but the team is intact. So I am dealing with the Google Business Listing page for this office at https://business.google.com/ In the "Published on" section, it has Google Search, Google Maps, and Google+. I want to remove it from Maps and the address from this account. There's an address for this store, but editing it only seems to allow changing, but not removal. There is also the option of "Mark as Permanently Closed", but surely that isn't the best option since that will leave a nasty red "PERMANENTLY CLOSED" in the results when searching. What's the best course of action here?
Local Listings | | nbyloff0 -
Business Name Not Showing Up in Google's Maps
I have a client whose name in not currently showing up on Google maps. Their business location only shows once their name or related keywords are searched, but their business name does not show when you only look for it on the map regardless of how far zoomed in you are to the actual location. I am wondering if anyone else has experienced this, or knows of a way to fix this. I have already contacted Google multiple times, and they told me that “business’ names are just randomly pulled”. The client is an HVAC store front business with good rankings and a fully optimized Google profile, so these reasons did not answer the issue. Client’s GMB profile: https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome-psyapi2&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8&q=rothheating oak creeek&oq=rothheating oak creeek&rlz=1C1JPGB_enUS685US685&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.5919j0j4 DBZfF
Local Listings | | JohnWeb120 -
Google Business - Adding location into business name
Hello, I've a client that has many services in different locations and addresses with the same website and phone number. But the thing is they want me to involve location name to business name. Is there a way to add and verify as bulk ?
Local Listings | | omeryamac0 -
Can I request removal of a duplicate competitor Google Business listing?
I have a local competitor that is boggling me with his local pack rankings. For certain keyword phrases, he is ranking in multiple local 3 pack spots. The thing is, he only has one business location. So basically he has two different Google maps listings for the same business location ranking in the local pack. The NAP information is different for both listings except for the physical address. I can't understand for the life of me how this is actually helping him instead of hurting him.... My client has way more citations. A decent blog with solid content. An SEO optimized mobile website (compeititor website is not mobile ready). Etc..... Don't get me wrong, my client is doing really well and is ranking top 3 in his area for nearly 30 industry related keyword phrases. I guess that is part of the reason I'm so boggled. Can anyone provide any insight? Can I bring this up to Google and have them remove the duplicate listing somehow? I'm literally sitting #4 in the local pack for some valuable keywords, and the only reason I'm not #3 or higher is because the same physical business location is taking up two of the spots. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
Local Listings | | GO2Tech0 -
Should I change my local listing Service type from Brick and Mortar to Service Area in Google? And will it affect my ranking in a negative manner?
Currently my company Big Boy Bail Bonds, Inc is ranking very well for the city it is located and, currently service type is brick and mortar. But my Company does not only service people at our location but we service the entire county of Los Angeles. And I wanted to know if you would advise me on weather I should change the service type from brick and morter to service area. and if doing that would effect me in a negative manner when it came to my ranking? Plz advice Thank you in advance.
Local Listings | | LittleDog1 -
Description on Google+ & ALL Citations the same or?
Does it matter if the description is different on Google local and all the citation websites? Some websites allow a lot of description, some don't. So my question is it only the company name+address that needs to be the same across the board or the description has to be the same too?
Local Listings | | surfsup0 -
Why I'm I ranking so low on Google Maps
About 3 months I started a website (www.guyetteroofing.com) for my roofing business in Montgomery, Alabama. The site is still a work in progress, however, because the competition doesn't really market via internet it was fairly easy to rank on Google Maps. Within 1 month the business was letter "A" in Google Maps. About 3 three weeks ago my ranking was dropped considerably, not showing up at all in letters A through G. The business is still indexed in Google Maps, but only represented by a small red dot. My website is still ranking pretty high for "roofers in Montgomery", but my position on Google Maps has all but disappeared. I have no idea what I've done to be rank so low on Google Maps but still have a solid position on regular Google Search. I've checked my citations and my NAPs, there are a few inconsistencies but nothing major. How can I rank so far below my competition if I have twice as many citations, an actual website, and a Google Plus page?
Local Listings | | billyguyette0