What moves a Google Maps ranking

Google says local results are based mainly on three things: relevance, distance and prominence. Knowing which you can change saves a lot of wasted effort.

Relevance

Relevance is how well your profile matches what someone searched for. A complete profile with accurate categories, services and descriptions helps Google understand what you do.

Distance

Distance is how far you are from the searcher, or from the location they typed. You cannot change it, but it explains why your ranking differs from one street to the next, and why checking from your own office does not tell the whole story.

Prominence

Prominence is how well known your business is. Google points to information such as reviews, links and mentions across the web. More and better reviews, and a stronger web presence, can help.

What you can influence

• Choose accurate primary and secondary categories.
• Fill in every relevant profile section and keep it current.
• Earn steady, genuine reviews and respond to them.
• Keep your details consistent across the web.
• Earn relevant links and local mentions.

Common mistakes

• Adding keywords to your business name, which goes against Google’s guidelines and risks suspension.
• Choosing the wrong primary category.
• Using an address that does not represent a real location for your business.
• Ignoring reviews or leaving criticism unanswered.

A sensible order of work

Fix relevance first, because it is fully in your control. Then build prominence through reviews, links and mentions. Measure calls and direction requests so you know the work is paying off.