How Google Maps decides who ranks at the top
Google itself names three factors for local results: relevance, distance and prominence. You cannot change distance, but you can change the other two. Here is how to work on both.
New to this topic? Start with How to get found locally in the Netherlands: the complete guide
Three factors, named by Google itself
Most search algorithms are the subject of a lot of guessing. About local results, Google is remarkably open. In its own explanation for business owners, it names three factors that decide which businesses appear in the map and the local pack:
| Factor | What Google means |
|---|---|
| Relevance | How well your profile matches what someone is searching for |
| Distance | How far your business is from the searcher, or from the place in the search |
| Prominence | How well known your business is, online and offline |
Distance is a given. You cannot move for a better position, and someone searching on the other side of town will sooner see a business near them. The other two factors are in your hands, and that is where the work is.
Relevance: show exactly what you do
Google needs to understand that your business is the answer to the search. It gets that mostly from your business profile.
Choose the right primary category. This is the heaviest lever you have. "Plumber" and "Heating contractor" bring in different searches. Choose the category that best describes what customers call you for, and add secondary categories for what you do on top of that.
Fill in your services. A short description per service. These are exactly the words people search for.
Write a description that says something. Not a row of keywords, but what you do, for whom and in which area.
Keep opening hours and details up to date. A profile with outdated details is less relevant, and a customer who finds the door closed leaves a review that underlines it. Why your details need to match everywhere is explained in consistent business details.
Your website counts for relevance too. A page per service, with your town in it, helps Google connect what you do with where you do it. Which words to choose for that is covered in finding local keywords.
Prominence: show that others know you
Prominence is what Google knows about your business outside your own profile. Google itself says that review count and rating count, as does what the web says about your business: links, articles and mentions.
Reviews
Reviews are the most direct way to build prominence. Three things matter at once:
- Quantity. A profile with many reviews inspires more trust than one with three.
- Recency. Reviews from two years ago say less than last month's.
- Replies. An owner who responds, even to criticism, shows the profile is alive.
Most satisfied customers do not leave a review because nobody asks. How to tackle that systematically is covered in getting more Google reviews.
Mentions and links
An article in the local paper, a listing on your trade association's site, a partner page from a supplier: every place your business is named contributes. Links from local and relevant websites carry the most weight.
Prominence beyond the web
Google also says real-world prominence plays a part. A famous museum or a department store in the centre ranks higher more easily because many people know it. For a small business that mostly translates into reviews and mentions, but it explains why an established name nearby often has a head start.
What does not work
A few things you often hear that do not help, or even do harm:
- Putting keywords in your business name. It breaks Google's guidelines and can lead to suspension.
- Fake reviews or buying reviews. Google filters them, and it undermines exactly the trust reviews are supposed to build.
- Several profiles for the same address. It splits your reviews and makes you less clear.
- Just waiting. A profile you fill in once and then leave alone sinks against profiles that are actively kept up.
A profile that is alive
What the factors have in common: Google rewards a business that is active. Publishing posts, adding photos, answering questions, replying to reviews. Each of those actions makes your profile more complete and more current.
That sounds like a lot of work, and that is where most business owners give up. It does not have to be much: one post a week and a reply to every new review keeps a profile alive.
How dGENIX helps
With the Google Business Profile skill, GENI reads your reviews, writes a fitting reply, publishes updates and keeps your opening hours right. Anything that becomes publicly visible asks for your approval first.
The Reputation Engine sends your own customers a proper invitation to leave a Google review, with the direct link included, and keeps track of who responded. And in the GEO Engine you see the rating, review count and profile status for yourself and your competitors side by side.
The full picture of local visibility is in getting found locally in the Netherlands.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I rank at the top when I search, but not when a customer does?
Because distance counts. When you search from your own business, you are the closest. A customer a few kilometres away sees other businesses. Use a search with a place name, or ask someone elsewhere to search, for a fairer picture.
Does it help to update my profile often?
Keeping it active helps, changing things for no reason does not. Posts, photos and replies to reviews count. Repeatedly changing your primary category or name can actually trigger a review by Google.
How long before I move up?
An improved profile can have an effect within weeks. Building prominence through reviews and mentions takes months. Start with the profile, and make reviews a fixed habit.
