Skip to content
    Moz logo Menu open Menu close
    • Products
      • Moz Pro
      • Moz Pro Home
      • Moz Local
      • Moz Local Home
      • STAT
      • Moz API
      • Moz API Home
      • Compare SEO Products
      • Moz Data
    • Free SEO Tools
      • Domain Analysis
      • Keyword Explorer
      • Link Explorer
      • Competitive Research
      • MozBar
      • More Free SEO Tools
    • Learn SEO
      • Beginner's Guide to SEO
      • SEO Learning Center
      • Moz Academy
      • MozCon
      • Webinars, Whitepapers, & Guides
    • Blog
    • Why Moz
      • Digital Marketers
      • Agency Solutions
      • Enterprise Solutions
      • Small Business Solutions
      • The Moz Story
      • New Releases
    • Log in
    • Log out
    • Products
      • Moz Pro

        Your all-in-one suite of SEO essentials.

      • Moz Local

        Raise your local SEO visibility with complete local SEO management.

      • STAT

        SERP tracking and analytics for enterprise SEO experts.

      • Moz API

        Power your SEO with our index of over 44 trillion links.

      • Compare SEO Products

        See which Moz SEO solution best meets your business needs.

      • Moz Data

        Power your SEO strategy & AI models with custom data solutions.

      Track AI Overviews in Keyword Research
      Moz Pro

      Track AI Overviews in Keyword Research

      Try it free!
    • Free SEO Tools
      • Domain Analysis

        Get top competitive SEO metrics like DA, top pages and more.

      • Keyword Explorer

        Find traffic-driving keywords with our 1.25 billion+ keyword index.

      • Link Explorer

        Explore over 40 trillion links for powerful backlink data.

      • Competitive Research

        Uncover valuable insights on your organic search competitors.

      • MozBar

        See top SEO metrics for free as you browse the web.

      • More Free SEO Tools

        Explore all the free SEO tools Moz has to offer.

      NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
      Moz Pro

      NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

      Learn more
    • Learn SEO
      • Beginner's Guide to SEO

        The #1 most popular introduction to SEO, trusted by millions.

      • SEO Learning Center

        Broaden your knowledge with SEO resources for all skill levels.

      • On-Demand Webinars

        Learn modern SEO best practices from industry experts.

      • How-To Guides

        Step-by-step guides to search success from the authority on SEO.

      • Moz Academy

        Upskill and get certified with on-demand courses & certifications.

      • MozCon

        Save on Early Bird tickets and join us in London or New York City

      Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints
      Moz API

      Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints

      Find your plan
    • Blog
    • Why Moz
      • Digital Marketers

        Simplify SEO tasks to save time and grow your traffic.

      • Small Business Solutions

        Uncover insights to make smarter marketing decisions in less time.

      • Agency Solutions

        Earn & keep valuable clients with unparalleled data & insights.

      • Enterprise Solutions

        Gain a competitive edge in the ever-changing world of search.

      • The Moz Story

        Moz was the first & remains the most trusted SEO company.

      • New Releases

        Get the scoop on the latest and greatest from Moz.

      Surface actionable competitive intel
      New Feature

      Surface actionable competitive intel

      Learn More
    • Log in
      • Moz Pro
      • Moz Local
      • Moz Local Dashboard
      • Moz API
      • Moz API Dashboard
      • Moz Academy
    • Avatar
      • Moz Home
      • Notifications
      • Account & Billing
      • Manage Users
      • Community Profile
      • My Q&A
      • My Videos
      • Log Out

    The Moz Q&A Forum

    • Forum
    • Questions
    • Users
    • Ask the Community

    Welcome to the Q&A Forum

    Browse the forum for helpful insights and fresh discussions about all things SEO.

    1. Home
    2. SEO Tactics
    3. Local SEO
    4. Local Listings
    5. Improve Google Business ranking

    Moz Q&A is closed.

    After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.

    Improve Google Business ranking

    Local Listings
    3
    4
    1339
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as question
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with question management privileges can see it.
    • FPK
      FPK last edited by

      While my client's websites have been ranking well in SERP for their keyterms I'm at a lost on what I can do to improve their Google business/map presence. I'm referring to their listing where the top three come up or when you search on Google Maps.


      https://gyazo.com/26ec78ed7f712157ec72492199545431

      Ex 1. Several months ago my client was ranked #1 both for SERP and maps until they dropped to 2nd on maps. Now they're ranked 1st in search yet 2nd for local business rankings as you can see from the screenshot above. At one point my client's business did have more reviews than the 1st ranking business yet they still weren't 1st.

      Ex. 2. Client(s) is ranked 4th in search and doesn't show in the top 3 map listings for their search term. If you click on More places to view Google Maps they're listed all the way down as the 15th listing or worse can't even be found when searching by their main SEO key term . Of course they are found by searching for their business name so it's not like there is a problem with the listing.

      I make sure to:

      • Completely fill out their Google Business profile(NAP, hours and add pictures)

      • Have my client try to gain positive reviews

      • Manage and respond to reviews(mainly the negative ones)

      • Add map and Google business link to their website

      Can anyone offer any other insight on what else can be done to improve their local presence on maps that I might be missing?

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • MiriamEllis
        MiriamEllis Subject Expert @JoyHawkins last edited by

        Those pesky duplicate, Joy!

        FPK - has our community helped you? Do you have any further questions?

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • JoyHawkins
          JoyHawkins last edited by

          Hey There.

          I actually see something different than you but I'm searching from the Toronto area which is 3-4 hours from Kingston.  I actually see this which shows the duplicate Miriam mentioned as ranking 4th and the listing you showed is actually filtered because it's using the exact same phone # and address.

          Having this duplicate is doing you a huge injustice because it's not linking to the website that is ranking high organically like you mentioned and it's splitting their reviews which just results in 2 profiles not ranking as well as they would if all the reviews were on 1 listing.  Plus, since it's a violation of Google's guidelines, one of them could get removed and then you would lose the reviews on it.

          I'd suggest consolidating them.  This duplicate is verified so if you don't know who created it, you'll need to get access to the listing first.  The naming convention it's using on the listing is also a violation of the guidelines.

          The listing that ranks 2nd is doing some serious keyword stuffing so I would suggest you level the playing field by editing the listing and removing the keywords.

          The listing that ranks 3rd and is above you should also look into as the name is keyword-stuffed, she already has another listing with her name, and the address she used on this listing actually belongs to a Re/Max agent as seen here and in Street View.

          As for your 2nd question, it's hard to offer suggestions without knowing specifics 🙂

          MiriamEllis 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • MiriamEllis
            MiriamEllis Subject Expert last edited by

            Hi FPK,

            Glad to have you here. So, your client is #2 in the screenshot (I believe I'm understanding that correctly, but please let me know if I've misunderstood). If I'm correct, here are a few things to remember:

            1. Local rankings are not static. What you see is not what your client or his customers will necessarily see, depending on your and their locations at the time of making the search. For more on this, read Phil Rozek's recent article: http://www.localvisibilitysystem.com/2017/05/24/did-your-local-rankings-really-sink-or-are-you-just-looking-at-them-wrong/

            2. Reviews are just one factor of several hundred. To do a complete audit for any client, we recommend assessing all of the top Local Search Ranking Factors mentioned here: https://moz.com/local-search-ranking-factors. You need to audit both your client and any competitor who is outranking him to discover what the higher ranking businesses are getting right that your client may not be excelling at. The breadth of factors is wide: age of domain, age of listing, links, domain authority, topical authority, citation accuracy, authority and scope ... there is so much to consider here, so it's important to avoid oversimplifying this to something like "X is outranking Y because X has more reviews."

            3. Definitely dive deep into the effects of Google's Possum filter, which has caused many businesses that share a category and building or street with competitors to experience extreme ranking changes. It looks like Kingston Mortgage Solutions is right across the street from you. To see if Possum may be at work in what your client is experiencing, read Joy Hawkins' article: http://searchengineland.com/everything-need-know-googles-possum-algorithm-update-258900

            4. It looks like the client is well within Google's borders for the city of Kingston, so no worries on that score.

            5. I'm concerned that I'm seeing duplicate GMB listings for your client. They appear to have listed themselves twice with the identical address and phone number but with two different names: The Mortgage Professionals and Mortgage Pro Team (The Mortgage Professionals). This would be a violation of Google's guidelines (see: <cite class="_Rm">https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en</cite>) and needs to be investigated swiftly. I am also seeing at least 3 practitioner listings at this same address that need to be investigated to ensure that they are guideline-compliant and not being viewed by Google as duplicates. None of the names on these listings meet Google's guidelines, unfortunately. So, we've hit on a real problem here and one that your agency will want to research fully and make every effort to resolve for the client.

            6. Moz Local now supports Canada, and a good thing to do would be to look up the client in our free Check Listing tool to begin to assess how widespread this issue is with duplicates. With the full, paid version of the tool, you'll be able to add alternate info, as well, to find as many duplicates as possible.

            This is a start, but isn't a genuine substitute for a professional audit, which it looks like this client definitely needs. I hope this quick glance of mine provides a good starting point!

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • 1 / 1
            • First post
              Last post

            Got a burning SEO question?

            Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.


            Start my free trial


            Browse Questions

            Explore more categories

            • Moz Tools

              Chat with the community about the Moz tools.

            • SEO Tactics

              Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers

            • Community

              Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!

            • Digital Marketing

              Chat about tactics outside of SEO

            • Research & Trends

              Dive into research and trends in the search industry.

            • Support

              Connect on product support and feature requests.

            • See all categories

            Related Questions

            • GaryT_SEO

              Radius Size around GMB location for google local search

              We are a digital marketing agency Our clients are (virtually all) retail automotive dealerships. We compete in various market places coast to coast (USA). Since Google puts retail automotive dealerships under Local SEO umbrella, is it known ( published ) how large is the radius around my client's Google My Business rooftop's address? How wide is their search 'reach' according to Google? Asked another way, in a triangular, three SEO geo area, with one city being at the epicenter of the population dispersion, and my client, versus my client's competitors being different distances from where the majority of the population emanates from, all other SERP factors being equal (assumption) between the two competitors, how far is each clients REACH from a Local Search standpoint. Is this known? Published by Google. ONE example: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/BMW+of+South+Albany,+U.S.+9W,+Glenmont,+NY/42.7662693,-73.8138088/@42.6727121,-73.7993527,12z/data=!4m9!4m8!1m5!1m1!1s0x89dde0fe8829c405:0xd915fb9b3b60bf33!2m2!1d-73.7973301!2d42.589211!1m0!3e0

              Local Listings | | GaryT_SEO
              1
            • Flock.Media

              Why would a website link disappear from a Google Place listing?

              Hi, a local non-profit recently re-branded their name from MacDonald Center to Maybelle Center. When they updated their business information their website link disappeared. They've updated from within and dashboard to no avail. We've requested edits/updates via Google Map maker but it says Denied. Here's a URL for the SERP result. Note the button for "website" would normally appear by the button for "directions" https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome-psyapi2&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8&q=maybelle center portland&oq=maybelle center portland&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i59j69i61.4316j0j7 Can someone please explain why this is happening and how we can fix it? They are a great community organization who's about to receive some media coverage and we'd really appreciate it if users hearing about the group be able to easily access their new website. They are aware of their duplicate listings but, typical of non-profits, have limited time and funds so are prioritizing to address more urgent issues first. However, I don't believe duplicate listings would cause such an issue but please let me know if I'm wrong here

              Local Listings | | Flock.Media
              0
            • ParadigmPCB

              How do you go about updating / correcting bad business listings when you cannot contact the website directly?

              There is a business listing I wish to correct / update on 411dir.biz There is no way to contact the website online, and in cases like this, I try to do a whois lookup, and reach out via the email / phone number there. This site seems impossible to connect with, has anybody else come up against situations like this in the past, if so what do you tell your client / what other approaches do people have? Thanks!

              Local Listings | | ParadigmPCB
              0
            • Bob_van_Biezen

              Local citations from business directories in other countries

              Hi all, I normally work for clients in my home county (The Netherlands) and with local citation building I focus on Dutch websites or well know .com websites in the Netherlands. My rule of thumb kinda was, if it’s not known in the Netherlands it isn’t worth getting mentioned there. Since The Netherlands are pretty small and I think Google ain’t perfect I was wondering if it makes sense to list a Dutch business on any .com business listings that are internationally big, but aren’t well known in the Netherlands. Two reasons that got me thinking this direction: A big well known Dutch company offers a service such as Moz local and did integrate their service with several international business listing websites that I never heard off, since these business directories focus themselves on other parts of the world. Google ain’t perfect and I think they got more budget to identify trustworthy business directories with an international focus or a focus on America then with a focus on The Netherlands. So I’m wondering if it makes any sense to list a Dutch business on let’s say the top 20 international business directories (although these directories don’t have any brand recognition in The Netherlands).

              Local Listings | | Bob_van_Biezen
              0
            • Rich_Coffman

              2 Businesses + Same Address = Not a Problem?

              Imagine someone who has 2 separate businesses with the same (home) address. Both are verified Google My Business G+ pages, each with its own separate website. Essentially the old business that is being de-emphasized is a guitar lesson teacher's studio. This G+ page is set as a storefront where people come to. The new business is similar, it is music lessons (private in-home instruction). This G+ page is set to have a service area - this goes along with their new business model. We all know that consistent NAP is essential BUT do you think these are competing against each other because they share an address even though the businesses are separate?

              Local Listings | | Rich_Coffman
              0
            • BohmKalish123

              Google My Business- Will a large service area dilute local search results?

              I am considering adding our actual service area to our Google My Business profile, but I don't want this to dilute our local search results.  As it is, we come up in the top 3 or so when searched in our HQ's city and several nearby cities when you search for us in Google Maps (although when I look at the top 10 organic for Google for some reason when you search for these cities + our keywords Google doesn't show any local results). Our actual service area is fairly large, comprising the states of CA & Hawaii & parts of CO, AZ, and UT.  I would be adding the service area by zip code rather than radius, as a radius wouldn't make any sense in this case (particularly considering the distance between HI and CA).  Is it better to keep our relatively high ranking in local results?  Will adding the service area not affect local results negatively? Also, do you know why Google isn't showing me local results when I look for our keywords + our nearby cities?  When I look for these keywords in larger cities like LA or San Diego, Google always shows me local results.

              Local Listings | | BohmKalish123
              0
            • dsinger

              Bing Places for Business - Worth It?

              Hey Fellow Mozzers, I am trying to determine if Bing Places for Business is worth the time and effort it takes to create listings.  My business has 900 locations, and would take some time to create the bulk upload file to load into the Bing Places for Business dashboard. My question is, since Bing already does a good job of creating business listings using data from 3rd party sources such as Yelp and Citysearch, where I already have a strong presence for each of my locations, is there any value in overriding the automatically created business page for each of my location with information that I upload?

              Local Listings | | dsinger
              2
            • Gavo

              Are citations the way to go even if there is no Google Places listing

              If there are no Google Places / Local listing for a keyword search term, for example... "web design vancouver", do building citations still help in enabling websites to move up the organic rankings?

              Local Listings | | Gavo
              0

            Get started with Moz Pro!

            Unlock the power of advanced SEO tools and data-driven insights.

            Start my free trial
            Products
            • Moz Pro
            • Moz Local
            • Moz API
            • Moz Data
            • STAT
            • Product Updates
            Moz Solutions
            • SMB Solutions
            • Agency Solutions
            • Enterprise Solutions
            • Digital Marketers
            Free SEO Tools
            • Domain Authority Checker
            • Link Explorer
            • Keyword Explorer
            • Competitive Research
            • Brand Authority Checker
            • Local Citation Checker
            • MozBar Extension
            • MozCast
            Resources
            • Blog
            • SEO Learning Center
            • Help Hub
            • Beginner's Guide to SEO
            • How-to Guides
            • Moz Academy
            • API Docs
            About Moz
            • About
            • Team
            • Careers
            • Contact
            Why Moz
            • Case Studies
            • Testimonials
            Get Involved
            • Become an Affiliate
            • MozCon
            • Webinars
            • Practical Marketer Series
            • MozPod
            Connect with us

            Contact the Help team

            Join our newsletter
            Moz logo
            © 2021 - 2025 SEOMoz, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved. Moz is a registered trademark of SEOMoz, Inc.
            • Accessibility
            • Terms of Use
            • Privacy

            Looks like your connection to Moz was lost, please wait while we try to reconnect.