How to Boost Traffic to Your Listing on Google Maps Google Boost puts a local twist on pay-per-click advertising.

By John Arnold Edited by Dan Bova

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

One way of finding customers is making sure that it's as easy as possible for customers to find you. If your business has one or more physical locations, using Google Boost is a good new way to showcase your business for as little as $50 per month to people who search for nearby businesses using Google Maps or location-specific searches. Here's how it works.

Your business shows up on Google Maps through only a free business listing in Google Places, so the first step is to create or claim your free listing in Google Places. Go to Google.com and click on Business Solutions to find Google Places and the instructions for creating or claiming your listing.

Once your listing is active on Google Places, you can increase the odds that people will click on your business listing by placing a Google Boost ad. Boost ads can be easily created directly from your Google Places account, and you won't need to spend a lot of time managing complex campaigns or bidding on keywords. Google Boost manages everything for you and charges you by the click according to your specified monthly budget.

Boost ads appear in Google's sponsored search results (at the top of the page or in the right column) when Google determines that your Google Places listing is relevant to someone's search inquiry. Boost ads can display the following information about your business.

  • Your business name, address and phone number.
  • Your business website address (if your URL is under 35 characters).
  • A short description of your business.
  • Star ratings and the number of reviews on your Google Places page.
  • A link to your Google Places Page.
  • Tags you've created for your Google Places page.

Whenever Google shows a map along with search results containing your Boost ad, your business location is marked on the map with a blue marker instead of the red markers that identify the locations of businesses without Boost ads.

Once your Boost ad is approved and active, your Google Places account dashboard will show a link to a Boost dashboard with a daily report of your Boost ad performance. The report shows impressions, clicks and costs attributed to your Boost ad. The report also shows the top keywords people are using when your Boost ad appears.

To make sure your Boost ad is always focused on finding the most customers possible, try using the combination of your Boost ad and Places listing to highlight a new customer offer for a few weeks. Then, change your offer and use your reports to measure the performance of the new offer against the old one. Repeat the process until you think you have the best response rate for your budget.

Have you given Google Boost a try? Leave a comment and tell us what you think.

John Arnold is president of Aveta Marketing, a marketing agency in Boulder, Colo.

John Arnold

Marketing consultant and author

John Arnold is a marketing strategist and author offering practical marketing tips and advice to B2B companies. Connect with him at JohnArnold.com. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

This Couple Started a Side Hustle to Improve a 'Terribly Made' Bathroom Essential. Now the Business Earns More Than $3 Million a Year.

Michael Fine and Lisa Schulner-Fine launched lifestyle brand Quiet Town in 2016 and have been growing it ever since.

Science & Technology

Your Clients Are Using AI to Replace You — Do These 3 Things Before They Do

Harness these three steps to audit, evolve and future-proof your offer before AI replaces you.

Business News

What's Open on Easter Sunday? Costco and Target Will Close, But One Major Retailer Will Be Open. Here's What To Know.

The stock market was closed for Good Friday on April 18. Here's what's closed for Easter Sunday, April 20.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Leadership

Lead From the Top: 5 Core Responsibilities of a CEO

Knowing exactly what the chief executive's role entails is critical for steering a company to success.

Productivity

6 Habits That Help Successful People Maximize Their Time

There aren't enough hours in the day, but these tips will make them feel slightly more productive.