Double Your Calls from
Google Maps in 90 Days

Before we dive into advanced optimization tactics, we need to address the single most foundational element of local SEO: NAP consistency. NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number—the three pieces of information that identify your business across the internet.

Here's why this matters so much: Google is constantly crawling the web, collecting information about businesses from hundreds of different sources—your website, social media profiles, business directories, review sites, government databases, and more. When Google finds your business information, it cross-references what it finds across all these sources to determine how trustworthy and legitimate your business is.

If your business name is "ABC Plumbing LLC" on your website, "ABC Plumbing" on Google, "A.B.C. Plumbing" on Yelp, and "ABC Plumbing Services" on Facebook, Google gets confused. That confusion translates directly into lower rankings because Google isn't confident about which information is correct.

Most business owners upload a few photos to their Google Business Profile and call it a day. That's a mistake that's costing them rankings and customers. Photos aren't just visual content—they're powerful ranking signals that Google uses to evaluate your business's legitimacy, activity level, and relevance.

Here's what the data shows: businesses with more than 100 photos receive 520% more calls than the average business. That's not a typo—five hundred and twenty percent. And businesses that regularly add new photos signal to Google that they're active and thriving, which boosts their rankings.

But the real secret weapon is geo-tagging. Every photo contains hidden metadata called EXIF data, which can include GPS coordinates. When you upload photos with GPS coordinates that match your business location, you're providing Google with additional verification that your business actually exists where you say it does. This is especially powerful for service-area businesses that don't have customers visiting a physical location.

Google Business Profile Posts are one of the most underutilized features in local SEO. Think of them like social media posts, but they appear directly on your Google listing when people search for your business. They give you a chance to communicate directly with potential customers at the exact moment they're considering doing business with you.

More importantly, posts signal to Google that your business is active and engaged. Google's algorithm favors businesses that regularly update their profiles because it suggests the business is operational and cares about its online presence. An abandoned profile with no updates in 6 months is a red flag.

Posts expire after 7 days (except event posts, which last until the event date), so consistency is key. We recommend posting at least once per week. This doesn't have to be complicated—share a customer success story, highlight a service, promote a special offer, or announce an upcoming event.

You can't improve what you don't measure. Google provides built-in insights for your Business Profile, but understanding what those metrics mean—and knowing which third-party tools to use for deeper analysis—is crucial for ongoing optimization.

The most important distinction to understand is between Direct searches (people who searched specifically for your business name) and Discovery searches (people who searched for a category, product, or service and found you). Discovery searches are the true measure of your local SEO success—they represent new customers who didn't know about you before.

Beyond Google's native insights, you'll want to track your actual Map Pack rankings across different locations and keywords. Remember, your ranking can vary dramatically depending on where the searcher is located. A rank tracking tool that uses a grid-based approach (like Local Falcon) shows you exactly how far your visibility extends from your business location.