Google Snack Pack – Why it is the Most Important Digital Marketing Strategy!
“Where will the customers come from?” This is a pertinent question in the minds of brick-and-mortar startups and those maintaining one. Apart from flyers, print and traditional advertising (radio, newspaper, and TV ads), the one other place you can get a steady supply of clients is online or digital marketing. Being in the Google Snack Pack is the most important digital marketing strategy in your online marketing arsenal.
If you know zilch about Google Snack Pack, you landed on the right page because we will go into detail about what it is, why it is important for your business revenue and ROI, and how you can make it into the Snack Pack.
Before we start, did you know that over half of all Google searches are people searching for local services? To be exact, 80% of the 40,000 Google searches per second involves users looking for local services.
What is the Snack Pack?
You will get results in three ways when you do a Google search for a service in your area. You will see paid ads (or CPC- cost per click), Google Maps listings, and then websites or blogs that rank high for the keyword search. The Google Maps box gives their determined Top 3 results for local businesses that match your search.
This grouping is known as the “3-Pack” or “Snack Pack” in SEO speak. Optimizing your website for local search results is a major factor in your ability to make it into this list of local sites. Doing the right optimization, implementing some SEO know-how, and using local SEO tools will get you into the Snack Pack, above the organic search results.
Now that we all know what Snack Pack is, what are the various strategies to beating your competitors to the Snack Pack?
Create a profile on Google My Business
Some simple steps make it easier to get into the top three maps listings. The first step is to optimize your profile in Google My Business (GMB). This easy step is often overlooked, but crucial. Getting that postcard from Google and verifying your business sends the signal that you exist, have a location, and are open for business.
Maintain a consistent NAP
NAP is an acronym for the business name, address, and phone number. When you sign up for Google My Business (GMB), pay attention to how you enter that information. The way you input your business listing into GMB needs to be the way your business listing looks anywhere else it exists across the internet.
Throughout your website, be sure to update the business listing. Next, look at all of your social media accounts. Make sure all your information correlates across all those platforms as well. NAP citation consistency is a relevant factor in Google being able to triangulate your location and relevance to a user. The easier you make Google’s job, the higher your local SEO rankings will become.
Next, build local citations.
Citations include all references to your NAP. Some of the most common places to find citations or directory listings include the following:
- Social media platforms
- Your website or app
- Press releases
- Local directories
- Guest posts
- Image or video descriptions
Google considers the number of citations you have as well as the consistency of the NAP mentions when selecting the Snack Pack. By creating as many NAP mentions as possible on local directories and your website, you can make your way to the local pack. Furthermore, full NAP mentions that include your name, address, and phone number give better results than NAP mentions that only contain one or two of those three fields.
Use keywords relevant to your local area
A huge factor in converting local traffic and getting local SEO juice is targeting local communities in your keywords. When you write your regular posts for content marketing purposes, make sure this time you include keywords that represent the city you target, eg. New York – Plumber.
Create pages on your site for specific targeted areas
Although this may seem like common sense, people forget the most simple techniques. Create a landing page for each of your business locations on your website.
So, you must devote a page to each store if your shop has 5 locations all over the Gulf Coast of Florida – or over the whole country.
Generate Ratings and Reviews
Ratings are very important factors for the Google Snack Pack. At the top of the listings in the pack, users can select a star rating for filtering results, and businesses with that rating and higher are the only ones that will appear.
If you have regular customers, you should ask them to leave a Google review. Another option is to add a review widget to your site to make it as easy as possible for customers to write a review.
Appearing in Google’s Snack Pack strengthens your online presence. A lot of people search for local businesses online, and research proves that searchers look at only results in the Snack Pack. The local Snack Pack is competitive, but reaching the top more than makes up for the effort. By improving your SEO strategy, you will get your business into Snack Pack and attract more local buyers.
Google Snack Pack Guaranteed Results for Your Business
At Rank First Media, our Google Map Specialists can help your business get ranked on Google Maps guaranteed within 90 days, or you’re eligible for a full refund.
Just look at our personal results ranking in Google Maps while testing our research.
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It is a no-brainer really because the transition that the SEO landscape has seen in the last couple of years has put GMB and Google Maps Ranking on a higher priority in terms of ROI than other SEO strategies that used to work earlier.
Our Google Map Specialists can help your business get ranked with “Google Maps Guaranteed” within 90 days, or you’re eligible for a full refund.
