Are you aware of the “MEO measures” that have a major impact on the customer attraction and public relations activities of companies and sole proprietors that conduct business in brick-and-mortar stores?
Although you are taking SEO measures to get your site ranked higher in Google searches, etc., you may have doubts or issues such as “Is MEO measures even necessary?” “What is MEO in the first place?” It seems that there are many people in charge.
Therefore, in this article, we will explain in an easy-to-understand manner even for beginners what exactly MEO measures are, including the meaning of MEO, its advantages and disadvantages, and precautions.
What is MEO?
Simply put, MEO (Map Engine Optimization) is a measure to rank higher in searches such as Google Maps. Map Engine Optimization translates to “Map Engine Optimization,” and its abbreviation, MEO, is a uniquely Japanese coined word that is mainly used only in Japan. Check out the details below for an overview of MEO and what MEO measures are.
Overview of MEO and MEO measures
MEO is the process of displaying that information high on maps such as Google Maps when users search for facilities of interest or stores they want to visit over the Internet.
In today’s world where it has become mainstream for users to instantly search for the information they want anytime, anywhere on mobile devices such as smartphones, understanding MEO correctly is an essential process for the growth and success of brick-and-mortar business. It can be said that it has become.
In order for companies and individuals with stores to efficiently inform as many people as possible about their company and attract customers, it is necessary to take MEO measures by displaying store information as highly visible as possible on Google Maps, where the user usage rate is high. It’s important.
Similar to SEO (Search Engine Optimization), which many companies have adopted so far, if you can display search results in a high position with thorough MEO measures, your store’s recognition will dramatically improve and you will attract more customers. We can expect an increase.
What is the difference between MEO and SEO?
The big difference between MEO and SEO is that MEO allows you to directly reach local target users. In Google’s “Local Search,” where users search for “region name” and “related keywords,” store details (store name, address, photo, store category, reviews, etc.) and a map are displayed simultaneously as search results. will be done.
For example, when a user searches for “Shinjuku lunch” by combining the area and service, the search results on the screen will display a map and detailed store information of restaurants where you can eat lunch in Shinjuku. Here’s how it works.
Since the region is pinpointed by search, it is said that if you implement appropriate MEO measures, it will be easier to rank higher than SEO measures.
If your store appears higher in search results, it will naturally attract more users’ attention than lower-ranked stores. Depending on how you implement the measures, it can be an effective and efficient measure that can quickly and consistently produce the results of “user visits,” which is the most important purpose of MEO.
How is it different from local SEO?
MEO is a term mainly used in Japan. Generally speaking, overseas, measures that have the same meaning as MEO are called “local SEO.”
There is almost no difference between MEO and local SEO. Basically, both are “map engine optimization” specializing in regional information. Please understand that MEO is the name in Japan, and overseas it is mainly called local SEO.
Advantages and disadvantages of MEO measures
MEO measures are measures aimed at ranking high in search results on Google Maps etc., but what are the advantages and disadvantages? Please check the specific details below.
Benefits of MEO measures
Placing advertisements on portal sites etc. costs more than MEO measures. Even if MEO measures are outsourced to a specialist company, they are often cheaper than web advertising, and basically free tools (Google My Business) can be used, so if you do it in-house, it will cost you almost nothing. You can take countermeasures without any problems. The key point is that even store operators who have not created their own website can conduct advertising and customer attraction activities with only a short amount of time.
Another benefit is that because the map and store name are displayed at the same time, even small stores can be more easily recognized by users and can easily acquire local customers.
If you continue to rank high, the number of clicks and accesses will increase dramatically, and your visibility will increase. Furthermore, we can expect a branding effect in the region, such as “When you think of ○○, you will find □□ store.”
Disadvantages of MEO measures
What you need to be careful about when dealing with MEO is to understand in advance that while there are good reviews, there are also bad reviews. Since reviews can be viewed by anyone, depending on user ratings, the negative impact may be greater than the store’s expectations.
Good reviews attract new customers, but continued bad reviews pose a risk to your business. Although reviews written by clearly malicious third parties can be reported to Google as a “removal request,” the first thing to do is to regularly check reviews to see if there are any problems with the service provided at the store, and to contact staff and managers. It is important to share information. Let’s review and improve if necessary.
Does the top display depend on how you do it? What are the specific measures for MEO?
There may be many people in charge who have a vague understanding of what MEO is, but don’t know how to get started. Below are the steps and specific methods you should know about MEO measures.
Register with Google My Business
MEO measures start with registering your store information in “Google My Business.”
Google My Business is a service provided by Google that allows you to manage and disseminate information about your physical store online, as well as reply to reviews. By correctly inputting the information required by users into Google My Business, and by providing detailed information such as store recommendations, menus, and events, you can emphasize the difference between your store and other stores.
The key point is that you can register for Google My Business for free. You can easily manage your profile at any time, such as adding and editing photos of your store that appear in search results. Even beginners who want to start using MEO measures can easily get started.
Specific measures against MEO
Google uses three algorithmic indicators to determine the ranking of local search results: relevance, distance, and popularity. In other words, in order to rank your store high on Google My Business, you need to constantly improve these three points.
Since it is not possible to change the distance from users as it is a regional issue, let’s take MEO measures with the remaining two points in mind: relevance and popularity.
It is said that increasing the number of reviews and ratings on Google My Business will increase the relevance of searches as indexed by Google. It is also important to register keywords that users are likely to search for in Google My Business.
Also, if you actively use SNS, you can frequently send and post detailed information about your physical store. Therefore, increasing the number of users and increasing the popularity of the site would be an effective measure.
Points to note about MEO
MEO measures have great benefits for companies with stores and sole proprietorships, but if you go too far in your efforts to disseminate information about your company and lead to dramatic business growth, you may be penalized by Google. .
Many of these penalty cases involve “falsified postings” such as reviews and ratings. If Google discovers that a store is fraudulently posting reviews, such as someone posting reviews under false pretenses or a store with a clearly large number of high ratings, Google may delete the account due to a violation of the terms of service, or the store will be less likely to appear in searches. Penalties may be imposed.
Word of mouth is a collection of voices from users who have actually used the service, so it takes a certain amount of time for it to be reflected in results. Therefore, a typical example of malicious MEO countermeasures is to create a large number of fictitious accounts and post “fake reviews” all at once as if they had actually used the store.
Nowadays, more and more companies and individual business owners are taking measures against MEO.In order to avoid being penalized for violating the terms of service and losing out on competitors, it is important to “obey the rules and avoid risks” and “to avoid MEO from malicious companies.” It is important not to ask for countermeasures.
Aim for higher rankings by setting up appropriate MEO measures, such as giving benefits to users who have actually used your store for posting reviews, and running regular review posting campaigns.
summary
MEO stands for “Map Engine Optimization,” and MEO measures refer to efforts to rank higher in searches such as Google Maps.
By registering with the free tool “Google My Business” and entering your store details, you can manage a variety of information online.
Depending on how you take measures, it is easier to rank higher than SEO.
If you implement appropriate MEO measures, you can increase your visibility in the region and expect continued business growth.
It would be a good idea for web site managers and store managers to properly understand what MEO is, its meaning, advantages and disadvantages, and utilize it as a means of attracting customers.