How to rank higher on Google Maps as a local business

1. Understand what it takes to rank higher on Google Maps

Google's help page "Tips to improve your local ranking on Google" sets out the factors in plain words. It says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence, which it also calls popularity.

• Relevance: Google describes it as "how well a Business Profile matches what someone is searching for". Complete, detailed business information helps Google make that match.
• Distance: how far each business is from the person searching. If the searcher doesn't share their location, Google uses what it knows about where they are.
• Prominence: how well known a business is. Google says this is based on information like how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have, and that more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking.

Two things follow from this. First, you can't move your business closer to every customer, so distance is out of your hands. Relevance and prominence are where the work goes. Second, Google states that "there's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking". Anyone who guarantees a top spot on Maps is promising something Google says it doesn't sell.

2. Pick the most accurate primary category

Of everything on your profile, the primary category does the most to tell Google what you are. Google says directly that the categories you select affect your local ranking. Its guidelines ask you to choose categories that complete the sentence "This business IS a", not "This business HAS a".

• Be specific. Google's own example is choosing "Nail salon" rather than "Salon". A specific category can still show for broader searches. Google's example is a "Pizza restaurant" appearing for Restaurants, Italian Restaurants or Pizza.
• Use as few categories as possible. Google asks for the fewest it takes to describe your core business, not one for every service you offer.
• Don't use categories as keywords. Google's guidelines say not to pick categories solely as keywords or to describe attributes of your business.

Your services and products are where you list the individual things you do. The category answers one question: what kind of business is this?

3. Complete every field and keep your hours accurate

Google is plain about this one: "Businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results." It also warns that if your information isn't accurate, your profile might not show up for relevant searches in your area.

• Address or service area: your full address if customers can visit, or a service area if you go to them.
• Hours: your regular hours plus special hours for public holidays and closures. Google lists both in its ranking tips.
• Attributes: details such as parking or Wi-Fi availability, where Google offers them for your category.
• Services and description: plain names for what you do, in the words customers use.
• Website and phone: a link to your own site and a phone number you answer.

Hours deserve special care. A profile that says you're open when you're closed sends people to a locked door, and those customers rarely give you a second chance. Google's guidelines ask for the hours customers can actually visit or call, and for seasonal businesses to mark themselves temporarily closed in the off-season.

4. Keep your name, address and phone consistent with your website

Google doesn't only read what you type into your profile. Its help page on business information says profiles are compiled from several sources, including crawled web content such as your business's official website, licensed data from third parties and contributions from users. When those sources disagree, you're relying on Google to guess which one is right.

Google's guidelines also say your business name should reflect your real-world name "as used consistently on your storefront, website, stationery, and as known to customers". So the name on your profile, your signage and your website should be the same name.

• Name: spelled the same everywhere, with no added keywords or suburbs.
• Address: the same street address and format, or the same suburbs if your address is hidden.
• Phone: one main local number, shown as text on the website, not inside an image.
• Directories: check the listings you control, such as industry directories, social pages and booking sites, and fix any old address or number.

This matters beyond Google Maps. AI assistants draw on the same public information, which is why consistent details are a core part of getting found by Google and AI assistants.

5. Earn and reply to reviews, and add photos and updates

Reviews feed directly into prominence. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking, and that "positive reviews and helpful replies can help your business stand out". The work here is steady, not clever: ask every customer, the same way, and reply to what they write.

• Ask every customer. Use your profile's review link at the moment the job is done. Our guide on how to get more Google reviews covers the link, the timing and message templates.
• Reply to every review. Google says replying shows customers you value their feedback. Keep replies short, specific and polite, including to the bad ones.
• Add real photos and videos. Google's ranking tips include adding photos and videos to show what you offer. Google's photo guidelines ask for images that are in focus, well lit and represent reality.
• Post updates. Business Profile posts let you share news, offers and events on Search and Maps. They show customers the business is active.

Google's review policy bans offering anything in return for reviews and bans asking only happy customers. A slower, honest flow of reviews is worth more than a burst that gets removed.

6. Build a strong location or service page on your website

Your profile links to your website, and Google reads that website when it builds your profile. A thin homepage with a logo and a phone number gives Google little to work with. A clear page for each main service, saying where you do it, gives Google and customers the same message your profile does.

• One page per main service, written for customers, naming the suburbs or area you serve.
• Your name, address and phone exactly as they appear on your profile, plus your hours.
• Real proof: photos of your own work and a few genuine reviews quoted word for word.
• LocalBusiness structured data: Google's Search Central documentation explains how this markup tells Google about your business hours, departments and more.
• A clear next step: a call button or booking link near the top of the page.

Don't go the other way and publish dozens of near-identical suburb pages. Google's spam policies name "multiple domain names or pages targeted at specific regions or cities that funnel users to one page" as doorway abuse. A few genuinely useful pages beat a pile of copies. For what your main page needs, see what to put on a small business homepage. If your site isn't appearing in search at all, start with why your website isn't showing up on Google.

Prominence also counts how many websites link to your business. Local links come from real-world activity: suppliers, industry associations, local news and community groups you're already part of. Ask them to link to your service page, not just your homepage.

7. Avoid tactics that get profiles suspended

Some shortcuts seem to work for a while. They can also cost you the profile. Google's guidelines for representing your business state that Google "reserves the right to suspend access to Business Profiles" for businesses that break them.

• Keyword-stuffed business names. Google's guidelines say adding unnecessary information to your business name isn't permitted and could result in suspension. Its examples of what not to add include marketing taglines, hours, phone numbers and service details.
• Fake addresses. Google doesn't accept PO boxes or remote mailboxes, and virtual offices only qualify if they're staffed and receive customers during business hours.
• Duplicate profiles. Google allows one profile for each location. Extra profiles for the same business cause problems with how your information shows on Maps and Search.
• Bought or filtered reviews. Paying for reviews, offering discounts for them, or only asking happy customers all break Google's policy.
• Paying for rank. Google says there's no way to pay for a better local ranking, so a service that sells one is selling something else.

If a competitor's profile breaks these rules, for example a name stuffed with keywords, Google lets anyone suggest an edit or flag a profile that's inaccurate. Report it once with the facts and get on with your own profile. Our FAQ covers how Lumeen looks after websites once they're live, and how to get your business recommended by ChatGPT covers the AI side of being found.

Key takeaways

1. (01)

   Google ranks local results mainly on relevance, distance and prominence, and says there's no way to pay for a better local ranking.

2. (02)

   Choose the most specific primary category that describes what your business is, and use as few categories as possible.

3. (03)

   Complete every field, keep hours accurate, and make your name, address and phone identical on your profile and website.

4. (04)

   Earn and reply to genuine reviews, back your profile with a strong service page, and never stuff keywords into your business name.

Frequently asked questions

More answers on price, hosting and timing in our FAQ.