Google Maps often zooms out and leaves the original search box, providing the places search results from a wider geographic area. So in my restaurant example, some in the map area are omitted from search results in favor of restaurants up to five miles away. What made a new business shine on Google Maps New businesses are particularly difficult. About 50% of local search ranking factors relate to third-party recognition and interaction with your business. And because we're talking local search,
broad traditional brand reputation, even national franchise brands, has limited, if not negligible, impact. In fact, of the five new restaurants I'm about to compare, all but one have many other locations, and the one new restaurant that consistently shows up in search results jewelry retouching service on Google Maps has the second-fewest locations. The restaurants I'm comparing are all on the same side of the road (west) within 1/2 mile of each other and opened within five months between July and November 2016. I didn't include Menchie's , a boutique frozen yogurt.
The restaurants are: Lazy Dog Restaurant and Bar Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill Mediterranean coffee from Taziki Grub Burger Bar McAlister Grocery Each of these restaurants has claimed their business profile, provides similar information in their knowledge graphs, and has a significant number of reviews. I was able to exclude the following Google profile factors as influencing ranking or impacting appearance in search results: Dining style, Restaurant or business category, Number of months in business, Number of Google reviews, review quality and images included in the profile.
Thank you for sharing this insightful post! It's fascinating to see how local search rankings on Google Maps can be influenced by a variety of factors, even for businesses that are new or part of a larger chain. Your point about the importance of third-party recognition and interaction is especially relevant for small businesses trying to establish themselves in a competitive market.
For those of us in different industries, like jewelry, the dynamics can be quite similar. Take, for example, our business that specializes in unique affordable wedding rings. Just like the restaurants you mentioned, we’ve found that establishing a strong local presence and encouraging customer interactions through reviews and engagement is key to improving our visibility on platforms like Google Maps.
Even if a business is relatively new, focusing on these factors can make a big difference. It’s not just about having a broad brand reputation, but about connecting with the local community and providing value that resonates with potential customers in the area.
Looking forward to more discussions on how we can all leverage these insights to boost our local search performance!