LSEO Case Study: How Compass Points Affect GMB Positioning

[Ivanteli]

About six months back, my mother started a tailoring salon in the downtown area. Given my interest in internet marketing, I took charge of promoting her business, which included creating a GMB listing. I ensured that the listing was of high quality, added NAP links to it, registered the business in local directories, and followed all standard practices for promoting a local business.

I believed that I was doing a decent job, but my perception changed recently when a black hat marketer offered me a free GMB scan. Thanks to this kind gesture, I discovered the following:



Here's my ranking for different parts of the city. If it's below 3, my business is hardly visible, if at all. To put it simply, my rankings are not good.

Upon researching, I found that "Direction Requests" are a significant factor in GMB rankings. So, I decided to conduct a case study using a map that's ideal for this purpose.

Over the next 3 months, I'll be asking for directions to my business and driving there from various locations. Of course, I won't be using my phone to do this. Instead, I'll be picking up friends and driving to the business, staying there for a few minutes, and then leaving. I'll have my phone on Airplane mode during these trips.

I'll keep things random and update you in the comments after each trip, noting details like gender, whether the request was made from home or a mobile device, and the type of phone used (iPhone, Android, etc.). Sometimes, I'll even ask my friends to leave a review after visiting.

These trips will be at random intervals, but I expect to have 50 or more people visit by the end of March. Afterward, I'll run the same test again and post a screenshot similar to the one above. Let's see if we can improve those rankings!

 

[DayGuru]

Can you provide a weekly update? I'm keeping an eye on the progress.

 

[Molotov]

In the past, someone attempted a similar strategy using their own fleet of phones, which, of course, had some drawbacks in terms of leaving a larger footprint and requiring significant capital investment. However, you could potentially explore using local classifieds to enhance your approach. Considering that many young people have access to smartphones and may be willing to earn a few bucks by walking short distances, it could be an appealing option. Additionally, there's room to be more unconventional in your approach by listing free items on classifieds and instructing people to meet you in front of a particular business—given the prevalent use of GPS navigation these days.