How do you rank at the top of Google Maps?

When someone searches for “hair salon near me” or “boiler repair Camden”, Google usually shows three businesses under the map. In this article we explain what you can do to be one of those three.

How are rankings decided?

Google ranks local results on three main factors: relevance (how well your business matches the search), distance (how close it is to the searcher or the searched location) and prominence (how well known and trusted your business is). You can't change distance, but the other two are largely in your hands.

Complete your profile

• The right primary category: Choose the category that best describes your business, such as “Dentist” or “Boiler repair service”.
• Opening hours: Keep holiday and public holiday hours up to date too.
• Phone and website: So searchers can reach you with a single tap.
• Services and photos: Your premises, your team and your work.

Reviews

The number and content of your reviews directly affect “prominence”. Ask happy customers for reviews; a QR code at the till or on the invoice works well. Give every review, positive or negative, a short and polite reply.

Bought or fake reviews are against Google's policies; when detected, reviews can be removed and the profile restricted.

Consistent details

Your business name, address and phone number must be written exactly the same on your website, on Google, on Yandex and Apple Maps and in local directories. Even small differences like “St.” versus “Street” can cause confusion.

Area pages

If you serve more than one area, create separate pages on your site with genuinely useful information for each: your service there, how to get there, common questions. Don't copy the same text and just swap the area name.

Summary

There's no magic trick to standing out on Maps: a complete profile, genuine reviews, consistent details everywhere and a useful website. Do these consistently and the results follow.