An attorney recently asked us a question concerning Google Maps, so we’re going to share the answer with you here. It’s an important recommendation that may help you boost your visibility when someone looks for you on Google Maps.
The attorney who contacted us is in Edinburg, Texas. He had been conducting a search for “personal injury lawyer Edinburg” and another search for “personal injury attorney Edinburg.”
He explained that when he conducted a search from his law office, he showed up fine on Google Maps and high in the rankings, but from other locations in the city, he didn’t appear at all on Google Maps, and he ranked fifth or lower in the listings.
HOW EXTENSIVE ARE SEARCH PROXIMITY ISSUES?
It’s an issue that’s by no means restricted to Edinburg. It’s happening everywhere, because your exact geographic location is now a key consideration when Google searches for local services and products. The closer your law offices are to a consumer seeking an attorney, the more likely it is that you’ll show up on Google Maps or high in the Google rankings.
And that is a great formula for ordering pizza. But when someone’s freedom or finances are at risk, that person does not want the closest attorney – he or she wants the best attorney. Why is this happening?
It could be that some programmers at Google are just lazy, and it might be a matter that Google can tweak for specific professionals – like doctors and lawyers – when consumers need the best instead of the nearest.
CAN YOU BOOST YOUR GOOGLE MAPS VISIBILITY?
Before some of the recent changes at Google, if you appeared in the Google rankings or on Google Maps for Edinburg, it meant that you could be anywhere in the city.
Now, however, consumers are getting different search results in different parts of the city, and again, it’s not just Edinburg. Many of the attorneys we work with are experiencing issues with Google Maps and search proximity.
How can you boost your Google Maps visibility? By acquiring more quality backlinks that link back to your website. Good backlinks are almost as important to Google as your geographic location.
Whenever you speak publicly, publish something, or volunteer on behalf of a charity, try to obtain a link on the organization’s website that will link back to your own site.
ARE ALL BACKLINKS EQUAL?
High-quality backlinks are imperative. Too frequently, we’ve seen an internet marketing agency use an automated backlinking technology that creates useless backlinks, because Google recognizes automated backlinking and penalizes it.
Building quality backlinks and boosting your visibility on Google Maps isn’t easy. Nevertheless, an internet marketing agency with successful backlinking experience can help attorneys obtain the quality backlinks they need, boost their Google Maps visibility, and provide a number of other important internet marketing services.
Let us know about your own Google Maps experiences in the comment section below, and we’ll share your experience with others.