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Guy without website is ranking higher than others in google map pack.
A few months ago I had this competitor that was ranking under me in the google maps listings. We weren’t close to the top. I have been trying to do seo for months with not much success to get higher on google maps. Yet this company doesn’t even have a website and he is climbing the ranks quickly. I even did a quick citation check and he doesn’t have any directories listing him. I don’t know what to make of this.
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17 Replies
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Weird
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check back in 3 months ?
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As you can see, having a website is not a requirement for ranking in the map pack. The single biggest factor is proximity to the searcher/search area. Is you competitor closer to you? Are you searching in incognito mode?
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Actually your competitors focus on particular search keywords and created mapping with same. Rest check out its post, reviews and address all updated properly which also effects
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Im just speculating not an expert really i just do seo part time for a local business but maybe its because his company has been there for longer ? Maybe google takes longevity into account
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Not necessarily super weird, but harder to achieve. The most weighted ranking factor for the local pack is Google My Business, so if they have a pretty good GMB listing including service areas, reviews, consistency with things like NAP (name, address, phone) through GMB and any social profiles they may have help as well.
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Check the keyword he was rankng and do the same to your listing also add some reviews.then you will become no 1
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Google my business is proximity + reviews + the content you have on your GMB, as well as several other factors. I recently took a local window company to #1 in a relatively competitive niche but it’s only for our proximity. If you wonder 5-10 miles out of area we slip and fall off to majors or other well optimized locals. GMB will outrank listings if they are powerhouses. High authority big business like Kroger will generally come up first if you search for example “Grocery Store near Dallas”. But you want to fill out everything… hours, posts, holidays, products, pictures. Also reviews are KEY. The more positive reviews = higher you rank. Then it’s up to you as the account to manager to respond to reviews in keyword oriented manner. Ex. positive review from a smaller local grocery store trying to compete for a top spot should go “Thank you for coming to our grocery store, we appreciate the positive review about our organic food selection in Dallas!” etc. Then you can get into map authority stacking and dripping tiered back links to embeds to drive traffic but that’s more advanced and has been proven less effective as of late. Good luck, drive every customer to your page for reviews, and remember content is King!
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List these google map listings so we can see. If the guy has posted good post it’s easy to gain that kind of traction. If he hasn’t, super interesting?!
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How do your reviews compare to his?
I sometimes think GMB optimization is pointless and it’s all just proximity + reviews because yeah, shit doesn’t make sense.
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Make sure you have the following:
* Proper Primary and Secondary Categories – these are HUGE
* Accurate Name/Address/Phone info, hours and special hours, and website links. Your NAP should be an exact match with Yelp/Facebook/etc.
* Make sure you have a Facebook. This is a far more authoritative link than any directory and one that can drive business in its own right. Some directories are good, make sure you’re on MapQuest/Yelp/any legit local Chamber of Commerce or similar pages but fuck all them random ass directories for the most part.
* If you are really desperate you can consider adding your top NB keyword into your business name. This is against Google’s TOS, but I had a weed store client where they opened new stores only for them to not take off in local search. After looking at competitors, more of them were sticking “Pot Shop” “Dispensary” etc into their business name than weren’t. We tested adding “Cannabis Dispensary” to their business name in January of this year – they saw a huge boost AND they’re still running with it today with no suspension issues or penalties. Or if your competitors are doing this, snitch on them to Google lol.
* Photos and Videos, the more the merrier
* A helpful AND keyword-targeted business description. Similar to the business name and categories, the local algorithm seems a lot more old school than Google’s main alg, match those keywords.
* A short response time to any Q&As and reviews, whether smart or dumb, good or bad.
* Fully leverage any applicable attributes like Wheelchair Accessible, Led by Women, etc.
* Posts for any events, COVID updates, etc. These help you stand out and signal that you are an active business.
* Service Menus and/or Products. Not all categories get these, but Service Menus appear in Google Maps on mobile devices and Products can get prominent placements as well. These are often under-utlilized and you can get real creative. For one client we have uploaded their floor plans as Products, so users can quickly see what you have for them and you can get them down the funnel better.
* Maximize Review Generation – use GMB Place ID links to create a frictionless link to your review section, and leverage on the website/email/text/whatever is applicable for you. -
Proximity and business name and business information.
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Go to bing and search his business, look for his bing maps listing, see if the data was submitted by a third party, add your site to that site.
Start searching his data > NAME ADDRESS PHONE (NAP) look for citations
Search his coordinates. Look for map embeds
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local seo is a racket
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I see this a lot with my new competitors.
Check their addresses and make sure they’re really there. They won’t be.
Then report them as fraudulent.
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