How to Rank Higher on Google Maps: What a Business Can Do
Plenty of business owners search for their own company on Google Maps, find a competitor sitting above them, and wonder what the competitor did. There isn't a secret setting. Google says plainly that there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. What a business can do is give Google accurate, complete information and give customers good reasons to choose it. This guide walks through what that looks like in practice, and is honest about the parts you can't change.
If you'd rather find out what's wrong with your own profile than read about what could be, our Google Business Profile audit does that. This page covers the other half: what you can legitimately improve.
How Google Decides Who Shows Up
Google's help page on tips to improve your local ranking says local results are mainly based on three things: relevance, distance, and prominence.
Relevance is how well your profile matches what the person typed. A profile with complete, detailed information gives Google more to work with when deciding whether you fit a search.
Distance is how far your business is from the person searching. If they haven't shared their location, Google uses what it already knows about where they are.
Prominence is how well-known your business is. Google says this draws on things like how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have, and that more reviews and positive ratings can help.
Google also says it keeps the details of its ranking system confidential, so anyone claiming to know the exact formula is guessing.
What You Don't Control
Distance is the big one. If someone searches from a spot closer to a competitor than to you, that competitor has an advantage you can't erase, and the same business can show up differently for two people standing in different places. You also don't control what competitors do, or how Google weighs the factors. It's worth knowing this up front so you don't judge your work by whether you rank first for a search made from across town.
What You Do Control
These steps come from Google's own guidance. None of them is a trick, and none comes with a promise.
Verify the profile. Google says verification tells it you're authorized to represent the business, which makes your profile more likely to appear in search results. If you haven't done this, start here. Our guide to creating a Google Business Profile walks through it, and Google's page on verifying your business has the current options.
Fill in your information completely and keep it current. Google says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up in local search, and that inaccurate information may keep a profile from appearing for relevant searches. That includes your address if customers visit you, your hours (including special hours), and your phone number and website. Google's page on editing your Business Profile shows where each of these lives.
Choose the most specific category that fits. Google says the categories you select affect your local ranking. Its advice is to pick a primary category that best describes your business and to be specific, for example choosing "Nail salon" rather than "Salon." You can add additional categories, but Google's representation guidelines say to use as few as possible to describe your core business, and not to use categories solely as keywords. See Google's page on managing your business category.
Get the name, address and service area right. Your business name should match how it's consistently represented in the real world, such as on your signage and stationery. If you travel to customers, set a service area that reflects where you genuinely work. If customers don't visit you, your street address generally shouldn't be shown. Google's guidelines for representing your business cover the rules in detail.
Add real photos. Google says photos and videos let you show customers what you offer, and its photo tips ask that images be in focus, well lit, and a true representation of the business, without heavy editing. Your team at work, your location, and your actual jobs are the kind of thing that fits. See Google's tips for business photos.
Ask for reviews, and reply to them. Reviews feed prominence, and replying shows customers you pay attention. Google's rules prohibit offering incentives such as free or discounted goods or services in exchange for reviews, so the way you ask matters. We cover the practical side in how to get more Google reviews, and Google's own tips to get more reviews are worth a read.
Make sure your website supports the profile. Google counts how many websites link to your business as part of prominence, and a site that clearly states what you do and where you do it gives your profile something consistent to point to. The name, phone number, services and area on your website should agree with your profile.
Things That Backfire
Google's guidelines say your name should reflect your real-world business name, that a virtual office or mailbox you don't actually operate from isn't an eligible address, that categories shouldn't be used solely as keywords, and that there should be only one profile per business location. Buying or faking reviews is prohibited too. Google says breaking its guidelines can lead to changes to your information or, in some cases, removal of your business information. Shortcuts aren't worth that risk.
A Sensible Order to Work In
Verify first, because the rest depends on it. Then correct the basics: name, address or service area, hours, phone, website and category. After that, add real photos and start a steady habit of asking for reviews and replying to them. Finally, check that your website agrees with your profile. Then revisit the profile now and then, since hours, services and staff change.
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When You Want to Know What's Specific to You
A guide can only cover what's true for businesses in general. Your own profile might have an unverified listing, a category that doesn't fit, hours that are out of date, or a website that contradicts it. The Free Website Audit looks at your actual Google Business Profile and website together, and your Free Report explains what it found in plain English. If you want exact instructions on what to change, Exact Fix ($149 one-time) provides them.
If your business isn't appearing at all, start with why your business might not be showing up on Google Maps.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I pay Google to rank higher in the Maps results?
- Google's own help page on local ranking says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Advertising on Google is a separate thing from your organic local ranking.
- Will more reviews guarantee a higher ranking?
- No. Google lists how many reviews you have and your ratings as part of prominence, and says more reviews and positive ratings can help. That's different from a guarantee, and reviews are only one factor among several.
- Why does a competitor show up ahead of me when I'm clearly better?
- Several things can play a part, and some are outside your control. Google weighs how relevant a profile is to the search, how far it is from the searcher, and how well-known the business is. A competitor who is closer to the person searching, or whose profile matches the search more closely, can appear first regardless of which business is better.
- How long does it take to see a change?
- Google doesn't publish a timeline, and the effect of any change depends on your market. It's more useful to treat these steps as maintenance you keep up than as a one-time fix with a deadline.
- How do I find out what's wrong with my own profile?
- A guide like this one covers what applies to businesses in general. The Free Website Audit looks at your actual Google Business Profile and website and shows you what is specific to your situation.
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