Embedded GBP Map Affect Rankings?

[valentinb13]

Question about embedding the GBP map on a page: is there any research that has been done regarding if it affects rankings in local pack/maps?

I'm having an internal discussion about this — someone says they're seeing ranking improvements when they embed the map on a page. They say they have noticed upticks in rankings (on trackers) after embedding a map on the site.

I'm saying it doesn't help/affect maps rankings — if it did, why wouldn't we just build/add links to the GBPs?

Referring to embedding a map like this:

(not my client)

The thing is, I have no research or haven't found any good info one way or the other (maybe I haven't researched enough).

I'm all for embedding it as a tool to help users if they need to find directions/get an idea where the company is located but aside from that I can't see it being of much value.

 

[JS Girard]

In five years I've been collecting articles, I've seen no test going in that direction. I have recently seen one test indicating that it can be good for organic web results though. SearchPilot saw a statistically significant dip in traffic after removing embedded maps from location pages.

 

[fisicx]

There is only one way to find out. Embed the map and see what happens.

But...

There is a difference between embedding the GBP map and using the map API.

You may need to test both especially as one uses an iframe (which Google doesn't like) and one doesn't.

The search pilot article seems to suggest the embedded map used the API rather than the GBP link.