How Map Packs and NAP Consistency Affect Local Listings

When a user searches for a product or service on Google, the results page will almost always display a map with local businesses that match their query.

The “map pack” is prominently displayed near the top of the results page. Ranking in Google’s map pack is an effective way to drive virtual traffic to your site and foot traffic to your location.

How Can You Place in a Map Pack?

Of course, one of the most critical factors in ranking in a Google map pack is the user’s location because Google wants to display relevant businesses. Your site’s ability to place in a map pack is tied to the same factors that influence your rank in search listings. It’s all about search engine optimization (SEO).

Your site should be optimized for strategic keywords that are closely related to your potential customers’ search intent. That will go a long way toward getting your business placed in a map pack.

SEO factors include:

• A secure, accessible and mobile-friendly website
• Page speed
• Domain age, URL and authority
• Well-crafted content that contains SEO keywords
• An efficient user experience
• Backlinks from reputable sites
• An optimized Google My Business profile

NAP Consistency is Key to Local SEO

Another vital but often overlooked influence on map pack placement is your business’s Name, Address and Phone Number (NAP) Consistency. Simply put, NAP Consistency refers to the uniform use of business information across different websites.

NAP information is displayed on your website, but it should also be on:

• Directory websites
• Social platforms
• Map sites

Google, Apple, Bing and Facebook often pull your information automatically, but sometimes it must be entered manually. The combination of manual and auto-generated business information leaves plenty of opportunities for mistakes and inconsistencies, but ensuring your information is displayed accurately on third-party sites can be time-consuming.

Discrepancies in your NAP information affect how you rank in search engine results. If Google can’t make the distinction, it may not show your business in local listings at all.

Luckily, there are tools and programs to help you identify NAP inconsistencies across the Internet. And the TouchStone team has the expertise to help you optimize your online presence. We’re partnered with Yext, so we can provide a variety of search solutions to boost your local listings.

Call 419-299-9000, send us an email or contact us online, and we’ll help you get started.