You should already know how important updating your business profile on Google Maps is, but have you thought about Apple Maps? Recently, Apple announced a new free tool called Apple Business Connect, which allows you to customize how your information appears within Apple Maps. It works similarly to Google My Business and can help expand your visibility and reach with Apple’s built-in map application.
Apple Maps is among the most widely used navigation tools in the world, and this has only grown with the adoption of Apple CarPlay. In addition, when people use Siri or search on their iOS device, the results will prefer showing Apple Maps results for terms like “boat rental shops near me”. This is really important when you consider that people will search for terms like this when looking for local amenities.
How popular is Apple Maps?
As of November 2022, Comscore’s data shows that Apple Maps is the 12th most popular mobile app in the US for users over 18. The information shows that Apple Maps has approximately 74 million monthly users, or over 60% of iOS users in the US. Meanwhile, Google Maps has around 121 million monthly users in the US across iOS and Android devices.
While Google Maps remains the most popular choice across all devices in the US, Apple Maps still makes up a decent chunk of the market. According to the data, you could reach 60% more people if you complete your business profile on Apple Maps. You may have already done so, but the new features added to Apple Business Connect mean you can provide potential customers with more information than before.
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What can you do with Apple Business Connect?
Apple Business Connect allows you to manage the information presented in the interactive Apple Maps place card for your business. You can Add and update photos and logos and invite customers to make a booking directly from Apple Maps. The easier it is to access the information customers need, the less friction there will be in their decision-making process.
Alongside their new tool, Apple has also introduced a feature called Showcases, which helps businesses present special offers and promotions directly from their place card. This can help you improve engagement with your customers from Apple Maps in a similar way to how you might do if you were posting about an offer on Facebook or Instagram.
Apple Business Connect also gives you access to data that can help you understand how customers find and interact with your place cards. This will help you discover what people search for and the number of people who use Apple Maps to discover rental businesses like yours. You can leverage this data to optimize your presence in Apple Maps, your website, and beyond.
Why is local SEO important?
Local SEO is extremely important for rental businesses that rely on foot traffic from visitors as walk-in customers. If someone is trying to rent the products you offer, they will most likely search on their map app of choice. If your profile isn’t optimized or you can’t provide all the information they’re looking for, they’ll likely go to a competitor’s rental store instead.
That’s why you must ensure you have the best and most accurate information about your business in any local source people may search. In addition, Google uses this information and local citations as signals for the trustworthiness of your business, and it can affect your rankings. So, you must be on top of your presence across the maps and social media.
Start with building your rental website
Every new rental business starts with a website to get their first bookings.
Apple’s new tool opens up possibilities
For a long time, marketers have discussed the importance of Google Maps and your Google My Business profile to local SEO. Now that Apple has given businesses the tools to do the same with Apple Maps, it is possible to expand your reach and have a greater impact there too. So don’t waste any time. Register for Apple Business Connect and complete your business profile today.
