Have you ever considered leveraging Google Maps to generate a steady stream of side income? Well listen up. Because according to seasoned online entrepreneur Jason Wardrop, this platform presents a little-known yet highly lucrative business model.
Jason breaks down exactly how you can rake in $100-$200 per day helping local businesses boost their visibility and reputation on Google Maps.
And the best part? No prior marketing savvy or tech skills are necessary. By following a straightforward playbook, you can capitalize on maps to build a thriving localization services company.
Let‘s delve into the specifics, shall we?
Why Google Maps Is Ripe For Monetization
To understand the underlying business opportunity, we first need to examine some key Google Maps consumer usage statistics.
According to BrightLocal‘s Local Consumer Review Survey:
- 91% of people use search engines like Google to find local information
- 88% who conduct a local search on their smartphone visit a business within a day
- 28% of those local searches result in a purchase
Specifically looking at Google Maps, consider that:
- There are over 1 billion Google Maps users worldwide
- Maps boasts over 3.5 billion searches per month
- The average mobile Maps user spends over 7 hours per month using the app
With local search activity only growing year over year, Google Maps represents a massive channel through which to influence consumer spending decisions.
Yet as Jason points out, small businesses often struggle with digital visibility. By stepping in to expand their online presence, you drive tangible leads and sales in return for service fees.
It‘s essentially a "complete blue ocean strategy" givenMaps’ vast consumer activity and merchants’ unmet needs.
Now let’s examine how you capitalize on this gap in the market.
Step 1: Identify Businesses With Poor Visibility
The first step involves scouting locally-based businesses lacking robust exposure on Google Maps and in broader search results.
Ideal targets include companies that:
- Don’t have a Google My Business profile
- Have a sparse or unoptimized GMB listing
- Have no website
- Have few or no online customer reviews
You can uncover these businesses directly on Google Maps using category searches (e.g. “plumbers in Columbus” or “chiropractors in LA”), checking for no/low reviews, missing photos and website links etc.
Complement this manual scouting by searching Google for generic keywords (e.g. "accountants in Seattle"), where you’ll often surface more fragmented small players.
Make a list of 30-50 top prospects lacking digital visibility or engagement. These merchants present the biggest quick-win opportunities from your localization expertise.
Step 2: Make Your Pitch
Outreach begins by contacting target merchants via email, LinkedIn or direct messaging to explain:
- How you noticed their business lacks online presence
- The value of claiming & optimizing a Google My Business profile
- How this expands their visibility to bring in more local leads and sales
Then offer your services to “do it for them” by:
- Officially registering their Google My Business listing
- Optimizing the profile with location info, descriptions, photos etc.
- Managing and generating online ratings and reviews
- Continually monitoring and improving visibility
Most small business owners grapple with digital marketing. So positioning your “done for you” services as a driver of real results makes engagement a no-brainer investment.
Once they accept, you officially have a paying client to begin servicing.
Step 3: Optimize Their Google Business Profile
With your first client onboard, log into Google and claim their My Business listing.
Key profile optimization elements include:
- Complete all location fields (full address, phone number etc) for 100% verification
- Write keyword-rich business descriptions
- Upload engaging photos showcasing staff, products/services and premises
- Expand service options and attributes for discoverability
- Add store hours, parking options, payment modes and other details
- Integrate posts to share latest offers and updates
- Install review generation tools
The more comprehensively complete and optimized that listing, the better visibility and engagement.
Step 4: Generate Reviews
In parallel to optimizing their profile itself, prioritize accelerating online ratings and reviews.
These testimonials directly influence search rankings and click-through rate. According to BrightLocal:
- 88% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses
- 92% read them regularly
- star rating increase brings ~5.7% more site traffic on average
Install review management software like Podium or Birdeye to send customer review requests via SMS and email. This simplifies and expedites generating positive sentiment.
Also actively pursue reviews on Google, Facebook, Yelp and industry vertical sites. Strong cumulative ratings across networks bolster overall perceptions.
Additional Services To Upsell
Beyond the initial Google Maps optimization itself, this engagement represents an opportunity to gradually upsell clients on additional digital services including:
- Website building – develop a quality online hub to drive search traffic, social followers, email signups and sales
- Search engine optimization (SEO) – expand organic visibility and keyword rankings in Google
- Social media marketing – strategically manage channels like Facebook and Instagram to boost awareness, engagement and conversions
- Online ads – well-targeted Google/Bing Ads, Facebook Ads and other networks to amplify results
Over time, cement your position as an expansive online visibility advisor helping them grow through diverse channels and strategies.
How Much Income Can This Generate?
Let‘s look at realistic revenue projections from this business model:
- Google Business Profile Optimization
- $100-$200 initial setup fee
- $50-$100 monthly management fee
- Website Building
- $250+ one-time build cost
- $50-$100+ monthly hosting & maintenance fees
- Review Management
- $100 per month
- Other Services
- $500+ monthly for ad management
- $100+ monthly for social media & SEO
Conservatively, that‘s $200-$300+ in recurring revenue per month per client.
To understand how quickly that compounds, consider scaling to:
- 10 clients = $2,000-$3,000+ MRR
- 25 clients = $5,000 $7,500+ MRR
- 100 clients = $20,000-$30,000+ MRR
That equates to $240,000 to $360,000+ per year with a full pipeline.
And the great thing? This business model seamlessly applies to any location – whether New York, Cleveland, Miami or Dallas. The process remains the same to effectively monetize Google Maps.
Streamline Delivery By Outsourcing
Managing 100+ clients cleary requires effort. But much of the workload can be systemized or outsourced to simplify execution.
For all initial and recurring Google Business Profile needs, virtual assistants on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr handle the heavy lifting . Tasks ripe for delegating include:
- Claiming and verifying listings
- Writing & optimizing descriptions
- Adding imagery and location details
- Monitoring metrics and visibility
Pay just $5-$10 per task, with full guidelines provided. This preserves healthy margins while you focus purely on sales and customer relations.
You can take a similar approach to streamlining website builds leveraging white label SaaS solutions with templatized setup flows. This simplifies onboarding new clients at scale.
Review management and ad platforms also minimize manual efforts via automation tools for request distribution, performance tracking etc.
The key is identifying repetitive tasks for handoff to systems and delegated talent. That way, only value-driven activities remain on your plate as the business grows.
Ready To Tap Into This Opportunity?
As you can see, leveraging Google Maps optimization as a base service presents immense potential to build a lucrative localization business.
You don’t need any prior marketing experience or software expertise. And barriers to continuously add more customers across services are low once processes are in place.
Check out Jason‘s step-by-step YouTube tutorial showing exactly how he built a $100K+ Google Maps empire.
Then shoot me a message so we can map out your own winning game plan!
I look forward to helping you capitalize on this emerging opportunity – let‘s connect via email or DM.
To your success!
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