4 min to read
How to Rank on Google Maps: A Local SEO Checklist for Philadelphia, NJ and DE
MCDNS
To show up on Google Maps, give Google complete, accurate and consistent information about your business, then earn real reviews from real customers. This checklist covers the steps in the order to do them. No one can promise you a position on the map.
What local SEO is
Local SEO is the work of being found by people searching near you. It covers the map results and the regular results under them.
It matters most for businesses that serve a city or a region: shops, clinics, contractors, restaurants and professional services. If your customers come from Philadelphia, South Jersey or northern Delaware, this is where they look first.
How Google decides who shows on the map
Google explains this in its own help pages. Local results are based mainly on three things: relevance, distance and prominence.
Relevance is how well your profile matches the search. Distance is how far you are from the person searching. Prominence is how well known your business is, which includes reviews and links to your website.
You cannot change distance. The steps below work on the other two.
Google is also clear about paying: "There's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google." You can read the full guidance in Google's tips for local ranking.
Step 1: your Google Business Profile
Your profile is the listing that appears on the map. Start here before anything else.
Claim the profile and verify that you own the business.
Choose the category that matches what you do.
Set your hours, including holidays.
Add your services, with plain descriptions.
Add real photos of your place, your team and your work.
Fill in every field you can, and keep it current. Update the profile the same day your hours or services change. An accurate, complete profile is the base for everything that follows.
Step 2: the same name, address and phone everywhere
Your business name, address and phone number should match everywhere they appear. That means your website, your profile, social accounts and local directories.
Small differences cause confusion, such as an old phone number or a suite number that is missing in one place. Make a list of every place your business is listed, then correct each one. Use the same spelling and format each time.
Step 3: reviews
Reviews are one of the signals Google uses for local results. They also help people decide whether to call you.
Ask real customers, soon after a job is done, and make it easy with a direct link. Reply to every review, good or bad, in a calm and specific way.
Never buy reviews, and never write your own. It breaks the rules, and customers can tell.
Step 4: a page for each area you really serve
If you serve more than one area, give each one its own page on your website. Each page should be useful on its own, with the services you offer there and how to reach you.
Do not copy one page and swap the town name. Search engines and customers both notice. Write only for places you really work.
We do this ourselves, with separate pages for Philadelphia, New Jersey and Delaware.
Step 5: website basics
Your website backs up your profile. It does not need to be large, but it needs to be sound.
It loads quickly.
It works well on a phone.
Every page has a clear title that says what the page is about.
Your phone number and service area appear on every page.
These basics are part of general SEO as well. If the site is slow or hard to use on a phone, fix that before you add anything new.
Mistakes to avoid
A few shortcuts cause more harm than good.
Adding keywords or town names to your business name on the profile.
Listing an address where you do not actually work.
Creating more than one profile for the same location.
Leaving old hours up after they change.
Keep the profile true to the real business. Accurate information is what Google asks for, and it is what customers expect when they arrive.
What to check every month
Set aside a short block of time once a month and go through this list.
Are the hours, phone number and address still correct?
Did you reply to every new review?
Did you add at least one new photo?
Do your listings still match your website?
Did any questions come in on the profile that need an answer?
Local SEO is steady upkeep more than a one-time project. Small, regular updates keep your information current.
Next step
If you would rather hand this list to someone, we set up and maintain all of it for businesses in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. See what is included on our local SEO page.
