How to Rank Higher on Google Maps: A Guide for Local Businesses

Why Google Maps Rankings Matter More Than Ever

The Google Maps local pack appears in 93% of searches with local intent. That is nearly every search where someone is looking for a product or service nearby. And the businesses that appear in those top three spots capture 44% of all clicks. Everything below the fold, including regular organic results, splits the remaining attention.

For a local business, this is the single most important piece of digital real estate. It is more valuable than any social media following, any directory listing, or any paid advertising campaign. A top-three Google Maps position delivers a steady stream of high-intent customers who are actively looking for exactly what you offer, in your area, right now.

The good news is that Google Maps ranking is not a mystery. Google has publicly stated the three main factors it uses to rank local businesses: relevance, distance, and prominence. You cannot change your physical distance from searchers, but you can significantly improve your relevance and prominence. Let us break down how.

Step 1: Claim and Fully Optimize Your Google Business Profile

This is the foundation. If you have not claimed your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business), do it today. Go to business.google.com and verify your ownership. This is free and gives you control over how your business appears on Google Maps and in search results.

Once claimed, fill out every single field. This is where most businesses fail. They add their name, address, and phone number, then stop. But Google rewards completeness. Fill out your business description with relevant keywords naturally woven in. Add your services or menu items individually. Set your business hours, including special holiday hours. Select every relevant category, starting with the most specific primary category you can find.

Your primary category is one of the strongest ranking signals. Instead of choosing “Doctor,” choose “Dentist” or even “Cosmetic Dentist” if that is your specialty. Instead of “Restaurant,” choose “Italian Restaurant” or “Seafood Restaurant.” The more specific your category, the better Google understands who you are and when to show you.

Add photos. Businesses with more than 100 photos get 520% more calls and 2,717% more direction requests than the average business, according to BrightLocal data. Upload photos of your exterior (so people can find you), interior, team, and your work. For a salon, that means styled hair. For a restaurant, that means your best dishes. For a dental practice, that means your modern, clean office. Update photos regularly. Google tracks activity and favors active profiles.

Step 2: Build a Review Strategy That Actually Works

Reviews are the second most important ranking factor for Google Maps. Both the quantity and quality of your reviews directly affect where you appear. A business with 150 reviews and a 4.7 rating will almost always outrank a competitor with 12 reviews and a 5.0 rating. Volume matters.

The key is making it effortless for happy clients to leave a review. Create a direct review link (you can generate one in your Google Business Profile dashboard) and share it at the right moment. The best time to ask is immediately after a positive experience, while the good feeling is fresh. For a salon, that is right after the client sees their new style in the mirror. For a restaurant, that is when the server drops the bill and the table is smiling. For a dentist, that is in the follow-up message after a successful appointment.

Respond to every review, both positive and negative. Thank people for positive reviews with a personal, specific response, not a generic copy-paste. For negative reviews, respond professionally, acknowledge the concern, and offer to make it right offline. Google explicitly states that responding to reviews improves your local ranking because it signals that you are an active, engaged business.

One tactic that works well: include keywords naturally in your review responses. If someone reviews your Italian restaurant, you might respond with “Thank you for visiting our Italian restaurant in Barcelona! We are glad you enjoyed the homemade pasta.” This reinforces your relevance signals for Google without feeling forced.

Step 3: NAP Consistency and Local Citations

NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number. Google cross-references your business information across the entire internet to verify legitimacy. If your business name is listed differently on your website, your Google profile, Yelp, your local chamber of commerce, and various directories, Google gets confused and your ranking suffers.

Audit your NAP across the web. Your business name, address format, and phone number should be identical everywhere. Not similar. Identical. “123 Main Street” and “123 Main St.” are different in Google's eyes. Pick one format and use it everywhere.

Build citations on relevant directories. For European businesses, this includes Google Business Profile, Yelp, TripAdvisor (if applicable), your country's local directories (like Pages Jaunes in France or Das Telefonbuch in Germany), industry-specific directories, and your local chamber of commerce. Each consistent citation is a trust signal to Google that your business is legitimate and established. Aim for at least 30-50 quality citations with consistent NAP information.

Step 4: Connect a Professional Website

Your Google Business Profile has a website field, and what you put there matters significantly. Google uses your website as a major signal for understanding what your business does, where it operates, and how authoritative it is. A business with a professional, well-optimized website linked to its Google profile will consistently outrank one without.

Your website should include several local SEO essentials. Your full business name, address, and phone number in the footer of every page, matching your Google profile exactly. A dedicated services page with detailed descriptions using natural language that matches how people search. An embedded Google Map on your contact page. Schema markup (structured data) that tells Google exactly what type of business you are, your hours, your location, and your services.

Page speed is a ranking factor. Google has confirmed that faster websites rank higher, both in regular search results and in the local pack. Your website should load in under two seconds on mobile. Use Google's PageSpeed Insights tool to check your score and identify issues.

If you do not yet have a website, or if your current site is slow, outdated, or not mobile-friendly, this is the single most impactful investment you can make for your Google Maps ranking. A fast, modern website built specifically for local SEO and integrated booking gives Google strong signals about your relevance and legitimacy. Services like Belvair build these specifically for local businesses, with proper schema markup, mobile-first design, and fast load times out of the box.

Step 5: Use Google Posts and Updates

Google Business Profile allows you to publish posts directly to your profile. These appear in your knowledge panel when people search for your business and can include text, photos, and call-to-action buttons. Most businesses ignore this feature entirely, which is exactly why using it gives you an advantage.

Post weekly updates about special offers, new services, events, or seasonal promotions. Each post is an opportunity to include relevant keywords and demonstrate to Google that your business is active. Active profiles rank higher than dormant ones. Think of Google Posts as a mini blog directly on your Google profile.

The Q&A section on your Google profile is another underused tool. You can pre-populate it with questions that potential customers frequently ask, along with helpful answers. “Do you accept walk-ins?” “Is parking available?” “Do you offer online booking?” Each answered question adds relevant content to your profile and reduces friction for potential customers.

Step 6: Local Content and Backlinks

Google wants to show the most relevant local results. Creating content on your website that targets local keywords reinforces your geographic relevance. A dentist in Lisbon could write a blog post about “best practices for dental care in Portugal” or a page about “emergency dental services in Lisbon.” A salon in Vienna could create content about “hair color trends popular in Austria this season.”

Backlinks from local websites are powerful ranking signals. Get featured in local news outlets, sponsor a local event and get listed on their website, join your local business association, or partner with complementary businesses for cross-promotion. A link from your city's tourism website or a local blog is worth far more for local ranking than a link from a generic international directory.

Engage with local community events and causes. Beyond the SEO benefit of local backlinks, genuine community involvement builds your reputation and creates word-of-mouth referrals that no amount of digital marketing can replicate. Sponsor a local sports team, participate in neighborhood events, or offer workshops related to your expertise. These activities generate local press mentions, social media shares, and links that Google interprets as strong local relevance signals.

Putting It All Together

Ranking on Google Maps is not about a single tactic. It is the compound effect of doing many things well. Fully optimize your Google Business Profile. Build a consistent review stream. Ensure NAP consistency across the web. Connect a fast, professional website with proper local SEO. Publish regular updates. Create local content and earn local backlinks.

The businesses that dominate the local pack are not doing anything magical. They are simply more thorough and more consistent than their competitors. Most local businesses do one or two of these things. The ones that do all of them reliably appear in the top three.

Start with the highest-impact actions first: claim and optimize your Google Business Profile, and make sure you have a professional website linked to it. These two steps alone will put you ahead of 70% of local competitors. Then layer on reviews, citations, content, and backlinks over time. Local SEO is a marathon, not a sprint, but the rewards compound and last far longer than any ad campaign.