Okay, so here’s something most local businesses completely miss when it comes to local SEO – and it’s honestly pretty straightforward to implement.
We’re talking about Google Maps driving directions and why you absolutely need them embedded on your local business site if you want to increase your relevancy and actually show up when people search in your area.
Let me show you exactly why this works and how to set it up properly.
Why Google Maps Driving Directions Matter for Local Relevancy
Honestly, it is a Google Business Profile best practice to add your map. Here’s the thing – when you create driving direction maps and embed them on your site, you’re basically telling Google something very important about your business.
You’re telling Google that if someone is searching for a certain business within that area, your business also provides services in that same area.
This makes it so if we want to create relevancy on a certain area and rank in that area, we would go to that area and create a driving direction map back to our business.
This basically tells Google that our business is ready to travel 10, 15, or even 20 miles to a certain area to serve a client.
The Real Benefit of Traffic Jams and Toll Roads Data
Now, at the end of the day, these maps with driving directions help Google understand to which extent your business is willing to travel to your customer’s location to provide them with your services.
And why is this good?
Because obviously you don’t want your business to only show up when people search nearby your business location. If you are a plumber or an electrician – a service business that provides services to your client’s house – you want to make sure that every client in a 15-20 mile radius of your actual business location gets your business to show up when they’re searching on Google.
That’s the main reason why you’d want to do this: local relevancy to get your business to appear nearby in the 10-15-20 mile radius of the actual main location.
How to Add Google Maps Driving Directions to Your Site
Alright, let me show you how to actually do this. It’s pretty straightforward, but you want to make sure you do it right.
Step 1: Get Your Google Maps Embed Code
First thing you want to do is go to your business on Google Maps. Let’s say this is your business – you’d go here to the map listing and just click on “Share” and then “Embed map.”
Copy this HTML code – this is what you’ll be pasting onto your website to get an actual iframe just like the ones you see on professional sites.
Step 2: Create Custom Maps with Driving Directions
Now here’s where it gets interesting. You can also create custom maps to your destination that give you much more control and relevancy signals.
Just type “Google My Maps” in Google, click the first link, and create a new map if you don’t have one already.
Let’s say your business is in Austin, Texas. You’d drop a marker right where your business is located – this is your main point.
But here’s the key part: you want to add multiple location points around your service area. If you’re a plumber in Austin and you provide services to all the surrounding locations, you’d be adding points all around your main business location.
Step 3: Optimize Each Location Point
For each point you add, you want to include:
- Your business name and keywords
- A description that’s SEO optimized
- Links to your website
- Links to your local SEO citations (this is important)
- Your social media profiles
- Images and videos if possible
Don’t worry too much about being spammy because with these maps, you can be a little bit more aggressive than usual. Of course, don’t exaggerate, but you can definitely optimize more heavily here.
Step 4: Add Driving Directions Between Points
This is the crucial part that most people miss. You want to add driving directions from your main business location to each of the service area points you’ve created.
Just click on the directions icon and add the route from your business to each location. This tells Google exactly how people can reach your business from different areas and how far you’re willing to travel.
Where to Embed Your Maps for Maximum Impact
Once you have both your regular Google Maps embed and your custom maps created, you want to embed them in multiple places:
Web 2.0 Embeds
Embed your maps in WordPress sites, Blogger, and other Web 2.0 platforms. We’re talking 500+ Web 2.0 embeds that all point back to your maps, which in turn link to your website.
PBN Links
If you’re using PBNs (and you know what you’re doing), embed your maps there as well. Both the regular Google Maps embeds and your custom maps.
Anchor Text Links
Don’t just use embeds – also create anchor text links that point directly to your map URLs. Mix both strategies for maximum effect.
Why This Strategy Works So Well
Think about it this way: your map listing has a clickable link to your website. When you embed this map in hundreds of Web 2.0 sites and PBNs, you’re essentially creating a buffer that passes link juice back to your site.
But with custom maps, you’re getting so much more value because each individual marker has different information – coordinates, titles, descriptions, website links, and citation links.
The custom maps work like a much more powerful version of a regular Google Maps embed because you can add your full citation profile, social media links, and multiple website links across different markers.
The Bottom Line
This whole strategy comes down to one thing: local relevancy.
Google needs to understand that your business serves a specific geographic area, and driving directions maps are one of the clearest signals you can send.
When you create these maps with driving directions, you’re telling Google that people in a 15-20 mile radius should see your business when they search for your services.
It’s honestly one of the more straightforward local SEO tactics that most businesses completely ignore, but it can make a real difference in your local rankings.
If you want to find vendors for Web 2.0 embeds or PBN links, you can check Fiverr SEO service options or other freelancer platforms. Just make sure they understand that you want both map embeds and direct links to your map URLs.
The key is consistency – the more places you embed these maps, the stronger the signal you’re sending to Google about your service area and local relevancy.
And that’s pretty much it. Simple strategy, but it works when you implement it properly.
Want to Dominate Your Local Market? Here’s Your Next Step
Look, if you found this Google Maps driving directions strategy helpful, you’re probably wondering what other local SEO tactics you might be missing.
Here’s the thing – most local businesses are sitting on a goldmine and don’t even know it. Your Google Business Profile could be generating 147 leads in 30 days without spending a dime on ads… but only if you optimize it properly.
I created “Google Business Profile Optimization Bible” and honestly, it’s exactly what I wish more people understood about local SEO.
This isn’t some 500-page theory book. I break down the exact RPP Framework (Relevance, Proximity, Prominence) that actually moves the needle. No fluff. No outdated tactics. Just a step-by-step system that works for any local business.
My approach isn’t overcomplicate things. I learned from the real underground SEOs who treat Google like math, not magic. And my system proves it – businesses seeing results in under 30 days using just their Google Business Profile.
If you’re serious about getting found on Google without throwing money at ads, check out my local SEO book here.
The driving directions strategy we just covered? That’s just one piece of the puzzle. The complete system is what turns your Google Business Profile into a lead-generating machine.
Plus I back up it with a 90-day guarantee, so there’s really no risk in seeing what else you might be missing in your local SEO strategy.
