How to Show up in Google’s Map Pack [Checklist]

Here’s a checklist to show you how to optimize your Google My Business (GMB) profile so that you show up in the search results for the services you offer.

Kind of like this:

Before you scroll down to the list, you might want to know what you’re looking at and why it matters.

The image above is called the “Map Pack” or “Local Pack.” It’s what Google will show on search results for any keyword that has “local intent.”

If you are a business that serves customers in a particular geographic area (city, state, region) then you need to pay attention to your GMB.

Internally, monitor over a hundred GMBs and here’s the thing that we notice:

Google My Business referral traffic offers the best kind of traffic. 

We consistently see:

• Lower bounce rates (meaning visitors go to more than one page of the site)
• Higher session times (they spend more time on the site)
• Higher conversion rates (visitors from GMB take desired actions).

So… yeah. You should be focusing on your GMB.

Here’s how:

The Checklist:

• Make sure your Google My Business listing is completely filled out.
• If possible, your service is in your title.
• You have a dedicated service page on your website.
• You mention on your service page which local areas you serve.
• You have keyword-rich reviews that include the name of your service (both from your customers and from your responses to customer reviews).
• You have a complete GMB that includes the services you offer.
• You have consistency in your name, address, phone number, etc. across the internet.
• You regularly produce content on your site that is educational and related to your service.
• You regularly post links to your blog post content on Google My Business.
• Other local companies or organizations link to your website and reference how awesome you are at your service(s).

There’s more, but this is a great start to making sure you get visibility in Google’s Map Pack.