Proven Steps to Rank Your Google Business Profile Outside Your Area (Statewide)

The perennial question remains: how can one achieve ranking in a location where they lack a physical presence? Or, more directly put, how does one rank beyond their immediate area?

Consider the businesses interested in this challenge: those based in one city seeking expansion into new territories, and service-oriented enterprises without fixed premises.

Unfortunately, for both categories, ranking outside your local sphere resembles chasing a unicorn — a fantastical notion more suited to myths than real-world outcomes.

Nevertheless, there are strategies to explore. Like taming our elusive unicorn, it requires a touch of creativity. Let’s delve into the strategies for achieving visibility in areas beyond your physical footprint.

Note: It typically takes working with a marketing partner for more than a year to successfully broaden your ranking coverage for maximum visibility. Success in ranking for the entire state is higher within a lower-competition industry.

#1: Continuously refine your GBP landing page with relevant content related to your industry and location.

Here’s an example. Let’s consider a home service business, like a plumbing company, and how they might apply ongoing optimization of their Google Business Profile (GBP) landing page with topically relevant content and location terms:

Content Expansion and Optimization: The plumbing company regularly updates their GBP landing page with informative content related to plumbing services. They include articles on common plumbing issues, tips for maintenance, and updates about new plumbing technologies. Additionally, they integrate location-specific keywords like “plumber in [City Name]” or “emergency plumbing services in [Neighborhood]” to target local customers searching for plumbing assistance in their area.

Keyword Research and Integration: To improve visibility, the plumbing company conducts keyword research to identify the most relevant terms for their business. They focus on local keywords such as “leak repair [City Name]” or “water heater installation [Neighborhood]” and strategically incorporate these keywords into their landing page content, headings, and meta descriptions to boost their rankings in local search results.

Localized Messaging: Understanding the unique needs of their local customer base, the plumbing company tailors their messaging to address specific plumbing concerns in the area. For instance, they highlight services like sewer line inspections for older neighborhoods prone to plumbing issues or emphasize their quick response times for emergency calls within a certain radius of their location.

Optimized Metadata: The plumbing company pays attention to optimizing metadata elements on their GBP landing page. They ensure that title tags and meta descriptions include relevant local keywords and convey essential information about their services and service areas. Alt text for images on the page also includes location-specific descriptions to further enhance relevance.

User Experience (UX) Enhancement: In addition to content and keyword optimization, the plumbing company prioritizes improving the user experience of their GBP landing page. They optimize the page for mobile devices, ensuring it loads quickly and is easy to navigate. They also include clear calls-to-action and contact information, making it simple for potential customers to reach out and schedule plumbing services directly from the GBP.

#2: Keep a close eye on competitor categories using tools like Local Search Grid, ensuring you cover all relevant areas.

Making adjustments to your Google Business Profile category can have a notable impact on your local search visibility and rankings. If you find that your current category isn’t yielding desired results in the Local Search Grid, consider referring to the Overall Top Ranking Competitors table to see what categories your competitors have chosen.

If their categories differ from yours, updating yours accordingly could potentially enhance your rankings.

Alternatively, if you believe your selected category is the most fitting for your business and prefer not to change it, you can utilize the Overall Top Ranking Competitors table to review secondary categories chosen by both you and your competitors.

Making adjustments to these secondary categories can also contribute to optimizing your profile for improved visibility and performance in local search results.

#3: Actively engage in review recovery efforts to restore filtered reviews on your profile

Understanding why Google filters reviews can offer valuable insights for optimizing your business profile. Based on personal analysis, here are three common reasons for filtered reviews:

1. IP Address Connections: Reviews may be filtered if there are detected connections between your business’s IP address and those of guests who leave reviews. This can occur even if the review is submitted later, after the guest has used your WiFi.
2. Geographical Discrepancies: Reviews from users far from your business location or who haven’t recently visited the area may not show up due to geographic inconsistencies.
3. Category Restrictions: Using certain categories like education or school can disable reviews since 2019 in countries like the United States and United Kingdom.

If none of these reasons apply, Google may filter reviews due to insufficient user information or guideline violations. Google’s filtering criteria can be ambiguous, making it challenging to pinpoint the exact cause for each filtered review.

If you have legit customer reviews that are being filtered, it’s worth asking on the Google Business Profile forum to see if Google can reinstate them. When you post a thread, make sure you include the details of your business along with the following information:

1. The exact number of reviews that have gone missing.
2. The date they were left
3. The names of the people (as appears on Google) that left reviews.
4. Screenshots of the missing reviews (the customers can grab these while logged into their accounts as referenced above).

While Google doesn’t reinstate every case that we send through there, I am seeing them reinstate some.

#4: Outline services, post regularly, showcase products/services, answer customer queries, add fresh content, and build quality links.

Services Selection

Everyone wants to know the key to ranking well on Google. While there are many theories about services in Google Business Profiles being a ranking factor, is it true? Yes. Adding predefined services to a GBP does have a positive impact on your rankings, but the extent of this impact appears to vary based on the industry and market. Additionally, these predefined services seem to influence both explicit and implicit keywords, with the impact on explicit keyword ranking being more significant.

Products: Unveiling Your Offerings

Whether you’re in the realm of physical products or service-based solutions, listing them as products can set you apart. Your offerings will proudly grace the search results, capturing attention and engagement.

Visual Storytelling

Pictures carry immense weight. Businesses loaded with photos attract more directions and website visits. Share genuine pictures of your team, craft, or store to create an authentic connection.

A BrightLocal study found that Google My Business profiles with more than 100 images get 520% more calls, 2717% more direction requests, and 1,065% more website clicks than the average business.

Succeed With Google Posts

Now, let’s talk about the Google post section. It’s a goldmine that many businesses tend to overlook. Take advantage of posts to highlight offers, specials, and engaging content for your customers. Posting three to four times a month is a good average to maintain. Google provides some solid resources on Google Business Profile Posts. As always, be sure to read these first.

Rather than explain all the different types of Google Posts available I’m going to talk about how to succeed with google post, and how to make your Google posts perform better. This will revolve around what you actually post about on your GBP (Google My Business). Let’s jump right into it.

1. Specials and discounts: Ah, the irresistible allure of a good deal. Posts featuring special offers or discounts reign supreme. They captivate your audience’s attention and drive engagement, making them a valuable addition to your GMB arsenal.
2. Call-to-Action Posts: Harness the power of persuasion by incorporating a compelling call-to-action in your posts. It can be as simple as including a phrase like “Contact Us Today” within the image or post title. This subtle nudge prompts potential customers to take action and reach out to you.
3. Urgency-Driven Posts: Time is of the essence, my friends! Highlighting a sense of urgency in your posts can work wonders. For instance, if you’re a dentist, emphasizing same-day appointment availability creates a sense of immediacy and prompts potential patients to take swift action.

These three post categories have proven their worth time and time again. By leveraging specials, discounts, impactful calls-to-action, and a touch of urgency, you’ll maximize your GMB presence and reap the rewards of increased engagement and conversions.