WELCOME TO GOOGLE MAP MARKETING HOME OF THE GOOGLE MAPS & GOOGLE PLACES GUARANTEE

Google Maps Marketing is considered a critical component of every local business growth strategy.

Local business marketing research trends have shown that when consumers are ready to make a new purchase, well over half of all consumers start their search for local businesses on the internet. Since 2007, Google had exceeded ALL other mediums as the most common way a person searches for companies and services. An estimated 80% of all searches are done on Google and that the majority of consumers choose Organic results on the first page of Google when they conduct a search.

Penn State research shows that 95% of all Google users never click past the first page of the Google results, and that over 70% of consumers prefer the Organic (Non Paid) search engine results. In fact, only about 15% of users trust the Sponsored Links/pay-per-click ads. Higher organic search rankings prove to be cheaper and more effective than any other form of advertising for local businesses online.

As for the Organic results, there are the Natural listings and the Local Business Listings, or the Google Maps and Google Places. Since November 2007 the Local Map Listings have been the featured set of Organic Listings for local searches and they are the First set of Organic results viewed on the First Page of Google.
As the local Map listings have become universal in local searches, effectively there has been a fundamental shift on overall marketing strategies. For businesses targeting a local market, this new discipline, Local Map Optimization, now reigns as the most critical element to a local marketing campaign.

Local Map Listings are practical and useful for all local searchers. If a user is searching for a carpet cleaner, plumber, attorney, dentist, roofing contractor or even plastic surgeon, they will most likely prefer local results to paid and other organic listings. A Penn State study has shown that Organic (Non-Sponsored) results are more trusted and perceived as more relevant by the average consumer. Google has trained us all to use local search keywords by giving us better results when we are searching for a local company when we add city-state combinations. For those who want immediate local contact options, Map listings offer them in a uniform fashion unlike any other portion of the page by listing the Company name, URL and Phone Numbers in clean rows along side the geographic breakdown of each business. In addition, business hours, methods of payment and customer reviews are immediately obtainable with one click – so you can research, evaluate and contact a company all in one easy step with the Map listings.

Google’s free 411 service (1-800-GOOG-411) features results directly from the Map Listings in the same exact order they appear in Google’s local Map section. Also, phones with internet access (just about all of them today) ie: iPhone, Google Android, Google Nexus, T-Mobile G-1, and many more, all have Google Maps Applications with local search results in the same exact order as well. With the explosive growth of Mobile devise searches, the Maps already dominate search results. Not only does Google’s free 411 service list its map listings in the exact order it displays in its online map section, it displays them in most prominent search positions in PDA’s, Smart phones, Iphones, etc.

Mobile and desktop surfers alike are turning to Google Maps to find local and sometimes nearby businesses. Optimizing your web pages for local search has become an extremely important part of the local marketing mix. Claiming and building strong profiles in the local search directories is another must for the new local search habits. Today’s post and accompanying video explains a bit of tweak that I suggest can make your Google Maps profile even more local search term friendly.

Once you claim your Google Maps Profile (Go to the Google Local Business Center) you have the freedom to do lots of customization, including customizing the very important “category” listings, which Google relies very heavily upon to determine when to show your profile. You must choose one category suggested by Google, but are free to add up to four more that can contain city names as part of the category. In my opinion, Seattle plumber is a much stronger local category than just plumber.