Although Apple Business Connect for Apple Maps is a relatively new business listing platform, by now you should hopefully have at least added your business to Apple Maps.
If you haven't yet claimed your Apple Business Connect listing, you could potentially be missing out on getting found by at least half of iOS users (the number of iOS users estimated to use Apple Maps as their go-to navigation app)!
But taking ownership of your business's Place Card on Apple Maps is just the first step towards increasing your visibility among iOS users — there are some best practices you should follow to improve your ranking on Apple Maps.
How To Rank Higher on Apple Maps: 5 Best Practices
- Ensure Business Info Is Complete and Accurate
- Add a Logo and Banner Image
- Get Reviews on Third-Party Sites
- Look Out for Duplicate Listings
- Take Advantage of Showcases
- Track Your Ranking with Local Falcon
Ensure Business Info Is Complete and Accurate
Just like with optimizing your Google Business Profile, the first step towards optimizing your Apple Business Connect listing is to ensure that all the business info is filled out as completely and accurately as possible. Here's the main business information to fill out:
- Business name
- Business address
- Business phone number
- Business categories
- Business hours
- "About" description
When it comes to filling out your business information for Apple Maps, it's crucial to ensure it's consistent with the information across other platforms, including both Google Maps and other directories, such as Yelp or Tripadvisor.
Ensuring consistency in business info across online listing platforms contributes to building local citations and maintaining NAP consistency, both of which are important parts of executing a successful overall local SEO strategy.
Add a Logo and Banner Image
Apple Business Connect listings also allow you to add a logo and a banner image for your business. Doing so can help optimize your Apple Maps listing as well as make your Place Card stand out among the competition, increasing the chances of potential customers choosing your business over others.
Get Reviews on Third-Party Sites
Apple Maps reviews work a little differently than Google Maps Reviews. While Apple Maps does sometimes allow users to rate places directly from the app, this functionality is currently only available in select areas.
However, Apple Maps also pulls reviews from various third-party listing and booking sites, including Yelp, Tripadvisor, and Vagaro.
Since we know that reviews are a ranking factor, you may be able to boost your business's ranking on Apple Maps by focusing on getting reviews on other listing platforms.
Look Out for Duplicate Listings
No matter what online directory we're talking about, duplicate listings are never a good thing — they confuse algorithms and can lead to decreased rankings or even violations that get profiles suspended or removed.
So, make sure to monitor Apple Maps for duplicate listings and report any you find using the "Report an Issue" functionality within the Apple Maps app to get them removed.
Not only does this ensure your customers don't get confused, it also mitigates issues with inconsistent business info that can hurt your local citation and NAP consistency profiles, ultimately detracting from your local SEO efforts as a whole.
Take Advantage of Showcases
"Showcases" are a unique feature in Apple Business Connect that you can use to promote specific products or services and prompt customers to take a desirable action, such as calling or getting directions to your business.
Creating Showcases on Apple Maps may help boost your business's visibility when people search for the specific types of products and services that you're promoting. They can also help convert more leads into customers by pushing users to take an action directly through the Apple Maps app.
Track Your Ranking with Local Falcon
Whenever you're working on optimizing your Apple Business Connect or your Google Business Profile, you should also be tracking your performance with Local Falcon.
By running local rank tracking scans for Apple Maps within your target area(s) at regular intervals, you can keep track of trends, see how optimizations are working, and monitor your performance alongside that of your top competitors.
How Important Is Apple Business Connect Optimization?
Remember that Apple Maps is currently the second most popular navigation app, taking a backseat only to Google Maps, and it's only gaining in popularity as Apple adds more features and continues to improve its functionality and accuracy.
So, although Google Business Profile optimizations should still be your top priority when it comes to doing local SEO, it's more important than ever to include Apple Business Connect optimization in your greater plans.
Integrating Apple Maps listing optimization into your local SEO strategy now can set you up for long-term success in local search, as the Apple Maps user base continues to grow and more competitors catch onto Apple Business Connect platform.
And don't forget to start tracking your ranking on Apple Maps using Local Falcon!