Google Now app is an incredibly impressive feature and it is getting better every time with the RankBrain artificial intelligence from Google. However, it is reported that Google Maps is that app that they have spent most of their time on.
Many of us make use of Google Maps as a way to get around, without the need to refer to paper maps or asking people for directions. Apart from that, it is a great marketing tool.
What is Google Maps Marketing?
In simple terms, Google Maps marketing is the process of making use of the functionality of maps to make your business easy to spot. This can be much useful for bigger businesses, but it is inevitable for the small, localized businesses.
Google Maps marketing is not just about improving the visibility of your business, but it is also about positioning. If used properly, Google Maps can be used as an important tool in the marketing strategy of a business.
Significance of Google Maps Marketing
The objective of Google Maps marketing is to get as high a placement as possible in the local business listings results on the search engine. There are two ways how Google incorporates map results in the search engine results page.
The first type of map listing from Google is based on the physical location of the business or whatever is being searched. With the increase in mobile search volume, this type of search is gaining much popularity. These results are called Proximity Based Google Maps Results. Here, the results are prioritized based on the location of the user and the nearest businesses that match to the search query of the user will be displayed first.
The second type is the Ranked Google Maps Results. Not all the user will have location data enabled on their mobile devices, so map listings would be offered for any location, and not just those in the vicinity of the user. Marketing can be applied to this type search results, but these results are not just based on the Google reviews of the users, but also on how well optimized the Google My Business listing is.
Google My Business allows business owners to claim a listing for their business that appear in the search results of Google. Virtually, any business can claim a Google My Business listing that shows details like location, hours open, and reviews of users.