A Simplified Guide To Help You Become Visible And Establish Yourself In The Local Search Results
It’s Friday night, you look in the fridge… EMPTY! “Ah-ha,” you think as you have a lightbulb moment. Reaching for your phone you start to Google…
“The tastiest takeaways near me”
Sound familiar?
Well, this is where small businesses like you could be missing out if you haven’t optimised your content for Google 3-Pack SEO!
Google is notorious for constantly tweaking the way they show results to users. But the Google 3-pack update doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.
That’s why in this blog I want to share with you nine ways you can optimise your Google 3-pack SEO, so you have a fighting chance of showing up. Ready to get learning and boost your reach?
What Actually is Google 3-Pack?
You’ve probably noticed the three Maps results that pop up when you conduct a local search on your smartphone or desktop, right?
Well, this is Google 3-pack working its magic.
For example, if you search “takeaways near me”, Google 3-Pack displays three of the most relevant and accurate results local to you. But results are only shown if you’re a highly optimised, relevant, trustworthy business.
We know this because, in December 2021, Google 3-Pack saw a major update where they rebalanced three of its key ranking factors. Focusing on proximity, relevance, and prominence.
This leads me to my next point.
How Can You Improve Your Google 3-Pack SEO?
Here’s the thing…
You can’t optimise specifically for Google 3-Pack.
That’s because Google 3-Pack is location-dependent, so it’s ultimately based upon where your ideal client is searching from.
But what you CAN do is optimise your web presence in a way that’ll increase your chances of showing up and being number one. So when your ideal client does happen to be in the area searching for a business like yours, your name is there in shining lights ready for business.
How to Optimise Your Google Business Profile
1. Fill in every section of your profile
It’s so easy to pass by a section because you don’t have the relevant information to hand. But I’m telling you, filling out every section is vital to prove to Google you’re a relevant business.
2. Ask for customer reviews and respond within 24 hours
The more you respond to feedback, the more this shows Google you’re active, ready to show up, and are a valuable member of the community. Plus it also shows your audience you care about your customer service.
3. Optimise the business description and use keywords that are likely to be searched for
Never pass up the opportunity to strengthen your Google 3-pack SEO. What terms are people using when they search for a business like yours?
For example, for me, it’s terms like ‘WordPress Developer’, ‘WordPress Web Design’ or ‘Canberra-based Web Developer.’
4. Encourage people to ask questions and respond promptly
Like above, it shows Google you’re a valuable member of the community and ready to reach out to your customers.
5. Upload new photos weekly if possible
Utilising every form of content Google offers is a great way to increase your chances of coming up trumps when using Google 3-pack.
6. Make sure your content is accurate and consistent
When Google crawls your content, it takes note of how consistent your business is. In other words, the more accurate your messaging is, the more likely you’re seen as trustworthy.
7. Try to get locally relevant backlinks
Backlinks are links from a page on one website to another. If someone links to your site, then you have a backlink from them. It basically says to Google your content is valuable and worth reading.
8. Build a strong presence on social media
Although social media doesn’t affect your Google 3-pack SEO directly, it can help with your organic rankings. You can leverage social media to direct traffic to your website and boost visibility.
9. Improve your websites user experience
A huge part of SEO is how your website actually works when a user is navigating it. The easier it is to use and the more relevant the content, the more likely you are to rank higher.
And that’s a wrap!
I really hope this guide has helped simplify things down for you and taught you a few simple tips you can leverage to help boost your Google 3-pack SEO.
If you have questions about your Google Business Profile or need some help setting it up for your business, get in touch HERE. I’d be more than happy to help you out and give you some trustworthy, professional advice.
So tell me, which tips will you be using first?
