Google Maps Optimization for Seattle Businesses

Google Maps

Google Maps is a system we use whenever we need to go somewhere specific, such as a street address, a store, or a person’s house to visit. But what is Google Maps? Google designed Google Maps with the vital function “to help people get from point A to point B.”

This navigation system was revolutionary in 2005. Individuals could look up a specific place worldwide, with minimal functions at the time of release, and pinpoint the directions to take. Also, individuals can find other sites worldwide using Google’s parts in 2005. According to Google, they’ve stated that “Today, Google Maps is used by more than 1 billion people all over the world every month”, which is a lot of people when it comes to using Google’s navigation system.

The concept of this navigation system was to ensure that people had a way to navigate to a particular place without having to use an actual map, which would’ve taken a very long time to get used to using a compass and an actual map back in the day. This navigation system by Google has set the concept of what an internet-based GPS can become, evolving from an existing website and a phone app over the years that Google Maps has been around.

How to Rank on Google Maps

You’ve probably typed “coffee shop near me” into Google while walking through Pike Place Market, and boom — a map pops up with the top spots. That’s Google Maps working its magic. For your Seattle business, showing up in those map results can mean the difference between a steady stream of customers and watching foot traffic walk right past your door.
Local businesses in Seattle face unique challenges. The city’s competitive landscape means everyone from tech startups to neighborhood bakeries is fighting for visibility. But here’s the thing: ranking on Google Maps isn’t rocket science. It’s about understanding what Google wants and consistently providing it.

History.

The history of Google Maps started on February 8th, 2005, when Google launched a website-based navigation system to help people find the right directions. A few months later, Google released Google Earth, “bringing 3D views of the planet to desktops.”

Google Earth gave individuals a glimpse of what certain places around the earth would look like in real life. It was not until 2007 that other websites embedded this same navigation system. In mid-2005, the Google Maps API was announced, allowing the implementation of this real-time system on other websites for companies to use in their business operations.

Next, Google introduced a new feature in December 2005 that allowed people to see transit routes for specific trains. “Portland, Oregon, became the first city to use Transit Trip Planner, helping commuters see public transit schedules and routes,” which was very useful in today’s society, where people can see what time a specific train will arrive at a metro station. Then, Google introduced information on traffic flow, allowing individuals to see how traffic looks at certain times of the day, which is still used today.

Street Views

Google then introduced Street View on May 29th, 2007, which gave people the ability to see certain places by placing a marker that looked like a person and placing it anywhere within a particular area, which is “captured more than 10 million miles,” a significant amount of territory.

Statistics

There are “1,161,065 companies that use Google Maps” in the United States, many of which use it to kickstart their business and make a lot of money. The most used company service in the United States is “Hospital & Health Care (6%), Construction (5%), and Retail (5%) are the largest segments,” which is surprising to see within the United States.

Examples of great Google Maps users are companies like Uber and Lyft, which are big companies that use Google Maps to take their customers from point A to point B within a certain amount of time and a certain amount of money being paid to the drivers.

How do you find this specific navigation system?

You’re probably wondering where to find Google Maps and access your excellent services. You can find Google Maps by typing “Google Maps” into your browser or downloading the app from the Android or Apple store. It’s completely free to download on your phone, as it’ll give you access to Google’s services. Google Maps offers numerous features, including Street View, Live traffic, and offline maps, among others, which can be useful in your daily life if you choose to utilize them.

You’ll find Google Maps on some websites, such as food places and grocery stores, that tell you how long the store will be open. This is helpful if you’re trying to find the nearest grocery store or food place nearby. Finding and using Google Maps is up to you if you want something that tells you where a particular place is within your area, and it’s better than having a hand-held GPS tracking device.

Availability

Google Maps is available for both desktop and mobile devices, enabling easy navigation to your destination and various features within the GPS navigation system. The concept of Google Maps is that you can use the service to navigate to and explore places using Google’s features to make navigation easier. Henceforth, this is how you find Google Maps and make it worthwhile for your daily life to get to places within your area.

A map is a crucial part of traveling for many people, including shoppers. Google Maps helps support small businesses’ marketing and drives traffic! Using Google Maps, your small business can have directions to your shop and a phone number to place orders or make reservations. Taking advantage of the user reviews section is also an excellent way to convince. Positive business reviews will make others want to shop, and the effect will snowball.

Improving your online presence is vital to growing a business in this climate. By utilizing an effective service like Google Maps, you will be well on your way to a thriving business. In this article,

Explaining Google Maps

For those unaware, Google Maps is a GPS web application that provides information about locations like stores and landmarks, as explained by TechTarget.com. The primary information Google Maps provides is directions to the place. Google Maps has helpful supplemental features that small businesses can use. For example, let’s take stores and restaurants with a call feature.

This feature can be utilized for reservations or appointments. Restaurants can also benefit from the menu tool Google Maps provides to link their menu easily. Fancier establishments like high-end steakhouses use Google Maps’ reservation feature. This feature allows customers to pick a date and the number of people for whom Google Assistant calls for you and places the reservation.

Google Reviews

Reviews with a five-star system are right under the storefront’s name. If those reviews are highly positive, it will motivate others to eat at your restaurant or order from your store. This review system goes beyond star ratings, as Google Maps allows you to leave written comments alongside the star rating. These comments are primarily used to leave an opinionated statement, hopefully positive.

Google Questions & Answers

Asking questions like whether a business is accredited or has a specific item available is done in Google Maps’ Question and Answer section. You, the business owner, provide the answers. This would signify good customer service, which is essential in many businesses.
Google Maps’ subsidiary allows the tool to show web results related to your business. The questions can be related to anything! For example, as an SEO agency, the questions could relate to SEO services, practices, or experts, to name a few.

In addition, customers can be directed to website content or Google content specific to products/services. The system used here falls under Google entity stacking. 

Customer Photo’s

While customers can provide photos and information in their reviews, the business owner can also offer additional product content. You can take the most professional and high-quality images to make your small business pop. Pictures of happy employees and customers if friendliness is a big part of your business, like cafes and diners.

Google Maps data and analytics system quickly gauges performance and improves Google business listings. Information like hours and menus is straightforward to implement, and the system is entirely free.

Downsides of Google Maps

The cons of Google Maps for business are few but genuinely negative. The consensus I have gathered from looking through Trust Radius ratings on the subject is that there are minimal customization options.

Your listing is limited to the tools mentioned in the Explaining Google Maps section. This prevents information specific to your business from being clearly understood. For example, seasonal companies would benefit from the ability to state when they will be operational again.

Complaints

A key complaint is the inability to hide information about your business, like hours for an online business. The ability to rearrange where information goes is also not available. While you can choose not to put information on the listing, it will suggest adding the missing feature on the page.

Although this creates a streamlined user experience, it does prevent business owners from putting information that is more relevant to their business front and center, such as a menu button next to the directions button. A user on a mobile device would have to scroll down to get that critical piece of information.

Another major downside of the Google Maps system is the user reviews. Competing businesses can and have made accounts solely to leave highly negative reviews. While responding to the occasional critique and angry review can be spun into an opportunity to inform, it can also quickly get out of hand.

Google Reviews

These negative reviews can be detrimental to your business. Direct messages to the company also fall victim to these problems. These direct messages are received by email, and someone with malicious intent can completely congest your inbox. This, paired with poor tools to deal with spam and misinformation, is a recipe for disaster.

Most often, reviews are left when someone strongly believes in your business. If those opinions are negative, they tend to leave critiques. These critiques can be worked upon if you see them as a genuine problem with your business.

The misuse of your product or service can also explain them. Take, for example, a car customizer company that only does wraps, decals, or body kits. A customer leaves a one-star review and angrily states that the workers denied their repair services. This can be seen as an opportunity to clarify precisely what your business does for the customer and all the potential customers who look at the reviews.

Business Branding

Continuing with the negative side of Google Maps, photos in reviews are not and cannot be regulated. Reviewing photos can clash with the image you are trying to build for your business, damaging your reputation. Your company can frame a picture of an unrelated item and further the believability of spam or misinformed reviews.

The final and unanimously discussed issue with Google Maps is the lack of customer support. Support for business owners is limited to a simple chat system and forums. The service’s free price tag justifies the subpar support.
While it is valid to explain the lack of a phone service that requires paying a customer service team, it does not excuse the quality of the forums. The Google Maps team can amass the most asked questions in their chat service and create a frequently asked questions section.

Quick Start Guide to Google Maps

After reading the pros and cons of Google Maps, you decide to make your listing. The question is how and where to start. This section is for you. Information provided by Kristen: How to Create & Verify Your Google My Business Account

Step 1

Check if your business has a business profile. You can do this by going to Google Maps and searching for your business.

Step 2

If your business shows up with an address, skip to the subsequent step.

Step 3

If your business only has the name but no location, you will see “Add a Missing Place.” You can fill out a short form to provide this information.

Step 4

Go to Google Business and Click “Manage Now”.

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Frequently Asked Questions: Google Maps Rankings for Seattle Businesses