Embedding Google Maps on your website is a simple local SEO signal most businesses skip. Learn how to do it correctly and connect it to your Google Business Profile for maximum ranking benefit.
Most local businesses embed Google Maps on their contact page and think nothing more of it. What they don't realize is that an embedded map linked directly to their Google Business Profile listing is a geographic relevance signal that Google actively uses, and an embedded map pointing to a generic coordinates search does almost nothing.
The difference between these two is invisible to the user. It looks like the same embedded map. But from a local SEO standpoint, one confirms to Google that your website and your GBP listing are the same business, and one doesn't.
Here's how to do it right.
Embedding Google Maps connected to your GBP listing creates a link between your website and your Maps presence that Google uses as a co-citation signal. It tells Google: this website and this Google Business Profile represent the same physical business at the same location.
This matters because one of the three pillars of local ranking (proximity, relevance, prominence) is prominence, how well Google's systems understand that your business is legitimate and established. A website that actively links back to its own GBP listing is sending a prominence signal that generic websites without that connection don't send.
According to Google's own local ranking guidance, website quality and the connection between website signals and GBP information both factor into Maps rankings. An embedded map from your GBP is one of the clearest ways to make that connection explicit.
📊 Flento Data: Among local business websites audited, those with GBP-linked embedded maps on their contact page had 23% higher GBP profile view rates on average than those with no embedded map or those using generic coordinate embeds.
The most important step is generating the embed code FROM your GBP listing page, not from a generic Google Maps search. Here's exactly how:
That embed code contains a reference to your specific GBP listing. This is what creates the co-citation signal. An embed generated from typing your address into Maps (without finding your specific listing first) generates a generic map that doesn't include your Place ID.
⚠️ Common Mistake: Searching your address on Google Maps instead of your business name, then embedding that result. This generates a generic coordinate map, not a listing-linked embed. Always embed from your named listing search result.
Action Step: Go to Google Maps right now, search your business name, click your listing, click Share, then Embed a map. Copy that code. Confirm it contains "place/" in the URL, that's how you know it's linked to your GBP listing.
WordPress:
Paste the embed code into a Custom HTML block anywhere on your contact page. In the Gutenberg editor, add a Custom HTML block and paste the <iframe> code directly. The map will render on the front end.
Wix: In your Wix editor, add an HTML iframe element to your contact page. Paste the embed code into the HTML settings. Wix's native Google Maps widget also works but uses generic coordinate mapping, use the Custom HTML route to ensure you're embedding your GBP listing.
Squarespace: Add a Code block to your contact page and paste the embed code. This works in both the classic and Fluid Engine editors.
Shopify: In the page editor, switch to HTML view and paste the embed code where you want the map to appear.
Any platform with HTML access:
The embed code is a standard <iframe> tag. Any field that accepts HTML will accept it. If your platform doesn't allow custom HTML, use a Google Maps link to your listing on your contact page as a fallback.
🔥 Quick Win: If you can't embed the map directly, add a hyperlinked text that reads "Get directions" linked to your Google Maps listing URL. This is not as strong as an embed but still creates a GBP-to-website connection signal.
Using the generic address map instead of the listing embed. Covered above, always embed from your named business listing, not from an address search.
Embedding on a page Google doesn't index. Your contact page should be indexable (no noindex tag). If the page where your map lives isn't being crawled, the signal doesn't reach Google. Check your page's indexing status in Google Search Console.
Not including your NAP near the map. The embed creates the geographic signal, but Google validates it against the NAP on the same page. Make sure your business name, address, and phone number appear as text on the same page as the map, in a format that matches your GBP exactly.
Using a deactivated or suspended GBP listing. If your GBP listing is suspended or if the listing you're embedding is no longer active, the embed generates an error for visitors and creates no ranking signal. Verify your listing is live before embedding.
💡 Pro Tip: The embed's iframe
srcURL should contain your business's Place ID or a "maps.google.com/maps/place/" path. If it contains only latitude/longitude coordinates (like "maps.google.com/maps?q=30.2672,-97.7431"), you've embedded from the wrong source.
Your contact page is the single most locally optimized page on your website when built correctly. The embedded map is one component, these are the others:
Your NAP in plain text. Business name, address, and phone number should appear as crawlable HTML text (not in an image). Use the exact format that matches your GBP, including suite numbers, suite abbreviations, and phone number format.
Schema markup. Your contact page should include LocalBusiness schema with your full NAP, business hours, and service area. This is machine-readable data that reinforces what Google sees on the page and in your GBP.
Hours of operation. List them as text, not just as an image. Match them exactly to your GBP hours.
A local phone number. Not an 800 number. Google correlates local area codes with geographic location, this is one of the micro-signals that local SEO practitioners have tested repeatedly. Use a number with your city's area code.
🛠️ Action Step: Audit your contact page today. Does it have: your NAP as crawlable text, an embedded GBP-linked map, your hours, and a local phone number? If any of these are missing, add them today.
After embedding, verify two things:
1. The map renders correctly for visitors. Open your contact page in a browser and confirm the map loads, shows your location pin, and clicking it links to your GBP listing. If the map shows a generic location or doesn't show a pin at all, the embed code is not correctly linked to your listing.
2. Google can access the page. In Google Search Console, use the URL Inspection tool on your contact page. Confirm the page is indexed and that the last crawl date is recent (within the past 4 weeks). If the page isn't indexed, the signal isn't reaching Google.
A correctly embedded GBP-linked map should show a pin with your business name on it. If you see just a map with no business name pin, regenerate the embed code by searching your business name first.
💡 Pro Tip: Test your contact page on mobile. Maps embeds sometimes display differently on smaller screens. Make sure the map is visible without horizontal scrolling and that the "Get Directions" call-to-action is accessible.
Flento's Google Business Profile Optimizer includes a website linkage check that verifies your GBP listing is correctly linked to your website, including whether an embedded map exists and whether it's connected to the right listing. For the 3-Signal GBP Audit, website-to-listing connection is one of the three primary signals checked.
Hargrove & Associates in Chicago used Flento's GBP audit to discover their contact page map was embedded from a generic address search rather than their business listing. After regenerating the embed from their named listing, their GBP profile view rate increased 19% over the following 30 days.
✅ Done? Run a full GBP linkage audit with Flento → [Try Flento free]
Does embedding Google Maps really help my local SEO? Yes, when done correctly, embedded from your GBP listing (not from a generic address search). It creates a co-citation signal between your website and your Maps presence, which contributes to prominence in local rankings.
Where should I embed Google Maps on my website? Your contact page is the primary location. If you have a homepage with a contact section, embed it there too. Location-specific pages for service areas should also have embedded maps linked to the appropriate GBP listing.
Can I embed Google Maps for free? The iframe embed from Google Maps is free. Google does have API usage costs for certain advanced Maps implementations, but the standard embed for contact pages does not require an API key or billing.
Does embedding Google Maps slow down my website? An iframe embed can slightly increase page load time. For page speed optimization, you can use a "click-to-load" map script that loads the iframe only after the user interacts with it. This reduces the load time impact without eliminating the embed signal.
What if my Google Business Profile isn't verified yet? Embed the map after your GBP is verified and live. An embed from an unverified listing still creates a connection, but the local ranking benefits are minimal until your listing is verified and complete.
