You know that map that appears in Google when searching for certain types of businesses? Ever wonder what it takes to get on that map and be prominent in it? Well, wonder no more as Google has released some helpful information to get on up there!

First off, to have any chance of appearing, get yourself a Verified Google My Business account. There’s no reason not to; it’s free.

Second, make sure EVERYTHING in that profile is filled out and correct. Make sure the hours, address, phone numbers, and categories are selected and put up some pictures! And always keep this profile up to date. Hours change? Update it. Get a new review online? Respond to it. Do not leave these profiles hanging in space.

So you’ve done all these things, but now how do you get listed higher in the results? A good question…and the good answer is…it takes some work.

The path to high placement is through three different factors: Relevance, Distance, and Prominence.

Relevance is simply how close of a match to what the searcher was searching for is your business. So to master this, you need to make sure your Google My Business account is filled out completely and accurately. This helps Google better understand your business and make sure you are shown when someone searches for your type of business.

Distance isn’t too complicated. Google takes into account the distance between the searcher's location and your business location. The closer you are to them, the more likely you will get higher placement.

Prominence is the most difficult to master out of the three factors. This refers to how well your business is known. Chances are your business is not as well known as say a museum or a million dollar store brand. So you must find a way to compete on a local level with them. This is usually accomplished through many of the techniques we employ when building and marketing websites such as SEO and Social Media management.

Web links, online directory listings, website articles where you’re mentioned, and positive online reviews are all factors that go into making your business prominent. So make sure you get those backlinks (good quality ones). Make sure your local citations are up-to-date and accurate. And make sure you are driving people to leave online reviews on Google. And be active on Social Media, particularly on a local level.

Focusing on these factors will put you in a good position to get extra exposure. Need some help with this? Contact xclntDesign and let us take care of all of this for you!