A plumber with fifteen years’ experience and dozens of loyal customers searches “plumber near me” on his phone while standing outside his own workshop. Three competitors appear in the map results at the top of the page. He doesn’t. One of them only opened eight months ago.
He’s baffled. He’s better established, more experienced and, he’s fairly sure, cheaper. Surely Google should show him first?
For local businesses, appearing in those map results, often a small group of three listings with a map, can make an enormous difference to how many people call. It can feel like a mysterious lottery. In fact, Google has published a fairly clear explanation of what it considers, and most of it is within a small business’s control.
One Like insight: Google can only show customers what it knows about you. Tell it clearly, and keep telling it.
Relevance, distance and prominence
Google’s help pages for business owners state that local results are based primarily on three factors: relevance, distance and prominence. (Some versions of the page now use the word “popularity” instead of prominence, but the meaning is the same.)
Relevance is how well a business profile matches what someone is searching for. If your profile says little about the specific services you offer, Google has less to match against a search like “geyser replacement Randburg”.
Distance is how far each business is from the location used in the search, either the searcher’s current location or a place they name. You can’t move your premises to improve this, but you can make sure your address and service areas are accurate.
Prominence is how well known a business is, both online and offline. Google says this draws on information from across the web, such as links, articles and directories, and that review count and review score factor into local search ranking. It also notes that a business’s position in ordinary web results is a factor, so general search optimisation still matters.
Google doesn’t publish exactly how it weighs these factors, and it updates its systems regularly. It also states that businesses can’t pay to improve their local ranking. But the three factors explain a lot about why a newer competitor might appear first: a complete, detailed, actively managed profile with plenty of recent reviews can outweigh years of experience that Google simply can’t see.
What you can influence
Google’s own recommendations, combined with the three factors, point to a short list of practical actions.
Claim and verify your Business Profile. This confirms to Google that you’re authorised to represent the business, which Google says makes it more likely to appear in results.
Complete every relevant section. Choose the most accurate primary category and add relevant secondary ones. List your services in plain language, set your service areas, add opening hours, including holidays, and write a clear description of what you do and for whom. Each detail gives Google more to match against searches.
Add real photos and keep them current. Photos of your work, premises and team help customers and show that the profile is active.
Earn reviews steadily, and reply to them. As we explored in Your Best Reviews Might Be Too Old to Count, recent reviews matter to customers, and Google says review count and score affect local ranking. Never buy or fake reviews.
Keep details consistent everywhere. Make sure your name, address and phone number match across your website, directories and social profiles.
Strengthen your website and local presence. Pages that clearly describe your services and areas, plus genuine mentions from local news, associations and partners, all contribute to prominence.
[Infographic placement] The three local ranking factors. Three columns. Relevance (does your profile match the search?): categories, services, description. Distance (how close are you?): accurate address and service areas. Prominence (how well known are you?): reviews and ratings, links and mentions, website strength. Caption: Based on Google’s Business Profile help page, “Tips to improve your local ranking on Google”.
A thirty-minute profile check
Open your Google Business Profile and check it against the three factors. For relevance: are your categories, services and description complete and specific? For distance: are your address and service areas accurate? For prominence: how many reviews do you have, how recent is the latest one, and have you replied to them? Then search for your main services in your area on a phone, as a customer would, and note which competitors appear. Look at their profiles for anything yours is missing.
After that, make profile maintenance a small, regular habit: a new photo each month, a prompt reply to every review, updated holiday hours and a fresh post when you launch something new. Little and often keeps the profile complete and active.
A few questions can help:
- Is our Business Profile verified, complete and accurate?
- Do our categories and services match the words customers actually search?
- How many reviews do we have, and how recent is the latest one?
- Do our name, address and phone number match everywhere online?
Which brings us back to the plumber outside his workshop. His fifteen years of experience were real, but Google couldn’t see them. A verified profile with detailed services, a steady stream of recent reviews from his loyal customers and photos of his work would let Google, and the people searching, see what his customers already know.
Sources
- Google, “Tips to improve your local ranking on Google”, Google Business Profile Help. Source of the three ranking factors and the statements on reviews, verification and web position.
