Google Maps Hacking: How Driving Directions Boost Rankings

Google Maps Hacking: How Businesses Game the System

Businesses are finding clever, though seemingly unconventional, ways to boost their online presence. Using their imagination — and thousands of phones — they’re cracking the code on how Google Maps ranks businesses by manipulating the number of driving directions to their door. If a business of yours could benefit from more than a little digital elbow room, this is a way to strategize.

The Local Search Rankings Game

Google Maps is integral to the digital experience of everyday consumers. Driving directions are more than just route-finding tools — they’re a dynamic factor in local search engine optimization. This gets the attention of business owners, trying to position their businesses as the go-to in their area. The ranking factor that’s especially puzzling needs a quick breakdown. When Google Maps ranks a local business, dozens of factors come into play to list businesses in order of relevance. Visitors to and drivers at a location give the business ranking on its driving directions. Businesses can improve their ranking by boosting the number of directions. It’s easy to see how a business will try to influence its Google Map listing. It’s far more complicated to understand what methods are legal versus illegal.

Driving Traffic to Ranking

At first glance, it seems a throng of customers or prospective customers using driving directions on Google Maps to enter a business will dramatically boost rankings. There are legal and illegal ways to encourage customers to use driving directions to visit a business. So far, we’ve learned some businesses manipulate Google Maps by hiring individuals to drive around with hundreds of phones. All will be directed to the business to increase driving directions. In addition, leveraging friends and family to use driving directions can further boost a business’s ranking. This is legal in the sense that those friends and family already have a relationship with the business. But hiring strangers to make driving directions a part of their daily route is another story.

Why Events?

Events are a perfect way to make the ins and outs of driving directions a part of your business’s notoriety. Businesses leverage invites for parties, events, and deals. Anything to get individuals to use driving directions and visit their business. And it’s not just about the business. Events surrounding the Google Maps ranking will create a buzz and engage new and existing customers. People who attend will likely feel compelled to share about the event in their calendars, especially if they enjoyed their experience.

Social Media & Calendar Reminders

Social media is a useful tool in the driving directions hustle. Businesses use social media in the days leading up to the event. They remind their followers to mark the event in their calenders and to use driving directions to reach the location. Social media is more than just a reminder — it’s an effective way to foster a relationship with customers. Reminders on calendars work well to pinpoint the reach of Google Maps. This is because a calendar reminder, such as a Google Calendar or iCalendar event, can be linked to a location. This reminds users to generate a driving direction.

The Risks of Over-Hacking

Businesses should tread carefully if they desire to use driving directions to impact their ranking within Google Maps. This sort of activity can be considered illegal and cost the business dearly. Spam rankings will penalize businesses trying to improve their algorithm ranking through means that are not compliant with Google Maps’ guidelines. Businesses who are unsure of the legalities of engaging hundreds of drivers to use a Google Maps driving direction can consult the Google Maps guidelines. Legal activities can be applied to a business while promoting said business within Google Maps.

The Human Factor

Businesses might find themselves stuck in a numbers game, thinking they need to outcompete the rankings of competitors using driving directions. They must realize that the number of directions isn’t the only thing that it’s important to use when trying to gain the attention of Google Maps. When it comes to who to visit and how to visit, businesses need to focus more deeply on how interaction with the business can be productive to the Google Maps user. Presentation, products, and services are what the business is offering from their start to the end. Don’t make the mistake of spending too much time on the driving directions and forget the value of the business.

Always Remember: Sales Conversion

Business owners can’t just focus on how to direct traffic to their business. That’s just part of the puzzle. The ultimate goal is to deliver an experience that converts a visitor into a customer. Busier streets don’t necessarily mean more customers. Write your driving direction recruitment scripts around the consumers.