Create and Authenticate Your Google My Business Profile
According to SeoProfy, approximately 87% of consumers use Google Maps to find local businesses. If you’re not listed in Google Maps, you basically don’t exist. That’s priority #1 if you have not done so. Here is more information for how to add your business to Google or to claim an existing profile. Google typically sends a postcard to the address listed to confirm and so the process isn’t instantaneous but absolutely worth it.
Adding More Directories (Citations)
According to a study by Statista, as of January 2023 Yelp was the second most popular app/site used to evaluate local businesses (48%) following Google (87%). According to a study by Marketing Charts, approximately 78% of consumers have found a product or businesses through Facebook and 33% of consumers use Instagram to look up information on a local business. Not only being listed but having an active, engaging profile is important to win these consumers. Beyond these mentioned there are many other directories including Apple Maps as well as ones that might be more specific to your industry (for example – OpenTable for Restaurants). Google cross references the information of these other directories to make sure 1) you are listed and 2) the information you provide is accurate and consistent. These factors are weights in Google’s ranking system.
Review Management
According to a study by CX Today, over 75% of consumers trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. Do you have reviews? Are they good? Are you responding to the reviews? This aspect is mostly intuitive although there are best practices to leverage in order to maximize your potential. The biggest one that’s firmly in your control is to respond to each review that comes in. It shows Google that you are an active, engaged business owner and that even for bad reviews you’re willing to address the perceived issue or problem. Generating positive reviews requires a bit more tact. Basically you want to be capturing your customers/clients at their happiest moments and making the ask for the review. This can be done by digitally embedding into existing outreach (web content, email, SMS, socials) or in-person via QR codes. The higher the volume of positive reviews, the more you’ll stand out compared to a similarly ranked profile with less reviews overall.
Brand Activation and Engagement
According to the Search Engine Land, for the AI era (2025 and beyond) AI generated results, social proof, and brand signals now shape visibility. Is your brand attractive and approachable? Is it engaging? Is it accessible? Accessibility connects back to the directories (citation) work but overall this aspect of visibility is tied more directly to brand strategy. What is the brand? What is the brand voice? Are you producing content on your social media that your audience looks forward to and engages with? It’s one of the biggest game changers in local visibility and the one local businesses struggle the most with. Consistency is key. Consumers should know what to expect from your brand like they do your products/services. The results from doing brand right are strong weighting for the factors noted by Search Engine Land. The brand signals appear across your social, web, and email presence. The social proof is in the digital ecosystem, consumers tagging your product/service in their own content (whether a consumer or a paid creator). AI models will see more of the viability of your brand across all these signals and want to feature you in their results. This is the cutting edge space for local businesses.
Summary
In conclusion there are more traditional aspects of local presence to make sure you have covered – Google Maps, citations, and review management. However, there are growing digital aspects to stay aware of and iterate on which all tie back to the strength of your brand. The more accessible and engaging you are, the better the results. We can help you strategize on all of this work and execute so you can reach your goals. Please contact us to discuss if you’re interested in learning more.
