In the competitive world of flooring companies, standing out to local customers is key. One of the best ways to do that is by appearing in Google’s coveted local map pack, which receives up to 80% of the clicks for any given search. In order to do that, you must have a well-optimized Google Business Profile (GBP). Here’s how to create, optimize and rank your GBP in Maps, drawing on best practices and essential ranking factors for local SEO.

Step 1: Creating Your Google Business Profile

NOTE: If you already have a Google Business Profile (formerly known as GMB) set up and claimed, then skip to step 2!

1.1 Sign Up or Claim Your Listing: Start by either claiming your existing business on Google Maps or creating a new profile on the Google My Business page. You can do this by going to google.com/business and following the instructions from there. 

1.2 Provide Accurate Information: Fill out your profile with accurate and comprehensive information about your flooring company, including name, address, phone number (NAP) and business hours. Consistency in your NAP across the web is crucial for local SEO. So, make sure that you use the right one. If you are a shop-at-home flooring business and do not have a physical storefront, you will either want to a) get one b) use your home address or c) list yourself as a service area business. 

NOTE: One of the most important parts of the profile when it comes to ranking is the name you choose. Despite what you may have heard, having the right keywords in your name will increase your chances of showing up in the map pack. Just make sure that you have valid proof to back it up. If you choose Bob’s Flooring Store in Austin, then you need to make sure that you have documentation using this exact name and that this is how it is listed on your website and other branded profiles.

Google favors businesses with a physical location, so if you have the ability to set up a non-service area business you will do better. You may need to verify this with a video showing proper signage and an invoice with the address on it.
 

Step 2: Optimizing Your Profile

Now that you have your profile claimed and verified, it is time to optimize it for optimal success. The more thorough you are with this step, the better your listing will perform. It is important to add as much detail to your listing as possible. There are some components that play a more important factor in ranking. These are a few of them:

2.1 Choose the Right Business Category: Select a category that best describes your flooring business. Being precise helps Google understand your business, matching it with the right search queries. If you are a flooring retailer, then choose “flooring store” as the main category and any additional relevant subcategories. If you are an installer, choose “flooring contractor” as your main category.

2.2 Write a Compelling Description: Your business description should highlight what sets your flooring company apart. Use relevant keywords naturally to improve your chances of showing up in search results. Make sure to list the top flooring services and products you offer. Also include the areas (names and even zip codes) that you service to increase your chances of ranking there.

2.3 Add Your Service Areas: Make sure to add your top areas served to the list. These should include the main city you serve and specific neighborhoods or suburbs that you want to go after as well. Note: These should reflect the areas served section on your website too!

2.4 Add High-Quality Photos: Photos are a key engagement factor. Upload high-quality images of your work, team and showroom to give potential customers a visual taste of your offerings. The more photos the better. But do not feel like you need to do this all at once. You can always add these on a monthly basis.

2.5 Add Products and Services: Make sure that you list all of the flooring products and services that you offer. This includes the flooring type as well as any specific brand or product lines that you carry. When adding these, make sure to add a blurb about each product/service and a link back to the page on your website that corresponds to it.

2.6 Collect and Respond to Reviews: Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews and respond thoughtfully to all reviews. Reviews are a significant ranking factor and can sway potential customers. The more you receive on a consistent basis the better your chances of outranking your competitors are. So, if you do not have a great review generation process already, it is time to get one! BONUS: get your customers to leave videos or pictures and keywords related to the work you did for them in their reviews and they will perform even better!

2.7 Use Posts to Engage with Customers: Regularly update your GBP with posts about promotions, new products or company news. This keeps your profile active and engaging. We like to make sure we have one post/update about each one of our clients products or services. 

NOTE: It is super important to completely fill out your profile as much as possible. This includes updating your business hours, parking availability and handicap access to name a few. If you don’t see “Looks good!” next to your profile strength then chances are you are still missing some things.

Step 3: Ranking Factors for Google Maps

Now that you have set up and optimized your business profile, it is time to work on ranking it higher and further in maps. There are many factors that go into this. Some are connected to your profile and others are passed on from your website or other places online. Here is a breakdown of what Google is looking for:

3.1 Relevance: Ensure your business information and content are relevant to the searcher’s intent. Including detailed services and products can help Google match your profile with appropriate searches. Make sure that you have a unique page on your website for each topic (product/service/location) that you would like to show up for on a Google search.

3.2 Proximity: While you can’t change your location, you can improve your visibility within your area by targeting location-specific keywords in your profile and on your website. We like to add areas served pages to our websites that have driving directions to your store and content about the location. This helps Google understand that you operate outside of the direct proximity to your listing location.

3.3 Prominence: This is influenced by the information Google has about a business from across the web (links, articles, directories). Building a strong backlink profile and getting featured in local news or flooring industry publications can boost your prominence. Make sure you have secured your brand across all top business listing citation sites, social media platforms and other high authority and trusted sites.

3.4 User Signals: The final component to ranking your GBP listing in maps for as large of a radius as possible is generating the right signals from users. Things like reviews (see above), branded searches, driving directions, questions and answers, comments, messages, and overall interaction with your profile (click to call, visit website, etc.) and website coming from all areas that you want to rank in will increase your profile’s score. The more engagement and interactions your brand has, the better your chances are at ranking your profile in the maps.

NOTE: We like to add a “Get Directions” and “Read Reviews” buttons to our client’s websites on each page so that we can increase our signals to the listing. You can also ask your staff to use Google driving directions when coming into work every so often to increase traffic and boost those signals!

Conclusion

Creating and optimizing a Google Business Profile is an essential strategy for any flooring company looking to increase local visibility and attract more customers. By focusing on key ranking factors and actively engaging with your GBP, you can improve your position in Google Maps and drive more foot traffic to your store. Remember, local SEO is an ongoing process, and staying up-to-date with best practices will ensure your business remains visible and competitive. If you would like help setting up your profiles and ranking your flooring company higher in the maps, feel free to book an appointment with me to see if we are a good fit!