To improve your Google Maps visibility, start with your Business Profile and Google reviews, then fix your listings, build local pages and earn local links. Google says local results are based mainly on relevance, distance and popularity. Distance is fixed by where you are, so the work is on the other two.
I first wrote this post in 2017. Most of it still holds, but the order was wrong, the reviews advice was incomplete, and it never mentioned the Business Profile itself. This version fixes that. Where a claim comes from research or from Google, the source and date are next to it.
How the local results page works now
A search like “plumber near me” returns several layers: paid ads at the top, a map section with a short list of businesses, then the regular organic results. AI answers are now a fourth place a local business can show up.
BrightLocal’s study of local AI citations (August 26, 2026) found that Google Business Profile made up about 28.6% of the local citations it collected, and that Yelp was the source ChatGPT cited most. Some of the sources used in local search also appear in AI answers. Our AEO services page explains that work.
Google also states that there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Paid ads sit above the map section, but they do not move your listing inside it.
What matters most, according to the research
Whitespark publishes a yearly survey of local SEO experts. Its 2026 edition (published November 6, 2025) scores each ranking factor. The table shows where the five strategies below sit in that ranking. Our local SEO index sets the same survey next to Google’s own guidance.
| Factor | Rank in the Whitespark 2026 survey | Strategy in this post |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Google Business Profile category | 1 | 1. Business Profile |
| Highly rated Google reviews | 6 | 2. Reviews |
| Number of Google reviews with text | 9 | 2. Reviews |
| Recency of reviews | 11 | 2. Reviews |
| Citation consistency on the main map platforms | 28 | 3. Citations |
| Quality of links to the profile’s landing page | 25 | 5. Links |
Proximity ranks second and the business title ranks third, but neither is a lever you can pull freely, for reasons covered below. The order in this post follows the table.
1. Set up the Business Profile first
The Business Profile is the listing that appears in the map section, and the 2017 version of this post never mentioned it. In the Whitespark survey, the primary category ranked first of all factors. Pick the category that matches what you sell most of, and add secondary categories only when they describe services you offer. Google’s own guidance is to use as few categories as possible to describe your core business.
Add accurate hours and contact details, list your services, and upload photos of the business. Google says that businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up in local results.
One trap: keywords in the business title ranked third in the survey, so some agencies stuff them in. Google’s rules say the name should match how your business is known offline. Adding keywords that are not part of the name can lead to a suspended profile, so use the name on your signage and legal documents.
2. Earn Google reviews steadily
The 2017 post told readers to collect reviews on Yelp for a better ranking. For Maps rankings, Google reviews are the ones that count. Whitespark’s survey ranks the star rating sixth, review count ninth and recency eleventh, and a steady flow of reviews over time ranks fourteenth, ahead of a burst of them.
Yelp still matters, but for a different reason. BrightLocal’s data above shows ChatGPT citing Yelp more than any other source, so a good Yelp presence helps AI answers while Google reviews help the map.
You may ask customers for reviews. Google says you can share a link or QR code for that. It also says that offering free or discounted goods or services in exchange for reviews is strictly prohibited. A card at the register or a text after the job works. A coupon for a five-star rating gets you in trouble.
3. Keep citations consistent and skip the mass submissions
A citation is any mention of your business on another site that lists your contact details. When those details conflict across the web, Google has a harder time confirming which version is right. Search your business name along with any old address or phone number, and fix every mismatch you find.
Citations carry less weight than they did when I wrote the first version. Whitespark’s 2026 report notes that citations lost about half a percentage point of weight in its group scoring, continuing a decline from earlier editions. Consistency across the major map platforms ranked 28th, and the quality of structured citations ranked 49th.
Prioritize correcting existing listings over buying hundreds of new ones. A citation tool makes the clean-up faster. BrightLocal and Whitespark both sell one, and I wrote about combining tools like these in 2017. A tool can identify inconsistent listings, but you still need to correct the information.
4. Build a local page for each place you serve
Relevance is how well your business matches the search, and your website is where you prove it. If you serve more than one city, each one needs its own page with original content: the services you offer there, directions, landmarks you know firsthand and the staff who work there. Duplicating one page across ten cities adds nothing. A page copied from another site is worse.
Include local information that helps customers, such as the services available in that city and directions to your location. Directions from the main road or from a nearby neighborhood also tell Google where you are. Our own city pages show the format: Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and West Palm Beach.
5. Earn links from local sources
Google says prominence depends partly on how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have. Whitespark’s survey puts the quality of links to the profile’s landing page at 25th, and local links to the domain at 27th. They are lower than the Business Profile and reviews, which is why this strategy comes last.
Good local links come from places that know you: your chamber of commerce, a charity you sponsor, a supplier that lists its dealers, a local news story. Look for links from local organizations and publications that have a legitimate reason to mention your business. The comment-section links and bought links that 2017 SEO advice warned about are still a waste of money.
AI recommendation checks on local clients
The two results below are AI recommendation checks, and they are not Google Maps rankings. On October 15, 2026, Komba Jiu Jitsu was the first recommendation on both ChatGPT and Perplexity for a beginner looking for a jiu jitsu academy near Sunrise or Plantation. It was second on Gemini for the best gym in Sunrise.
Also on October 15, 2026, Moke American Naples was the first recommendation from both Gemini and Perplexity for renting a Moke in Naples, Florida.
I will not give you a date for a map ranking. How long it takes depends on your market and where your listing starts. Our guide to how SEO works and how long it takes explains why.
What Google Maps marketing costs with us
Business Profile management runs $450 to $650 a month, and the full price list shows every service in one place. The cost side has its own guide: How much Google Business Profile management costs. It works best on a site that can rank. The Google Maps marketing service page describes what the service covers.
FAQ
How do I rank higher on Google Maps?
Start with the Business Profile: the right primary category, complete details and the name on your signage. Then earn a steady flow of Google reviews, correct any conflicting listings, add pages for each area you serve, and collect links from local sites. Ad budgets do not buy a higher spot in the map section.
Are Google reviews or Yelp reviews better for Maps?
Google reviews are the ones that count for Maps. Whitespark’s 2026 survey ranks Google star rating, review count and recency among its top factors. Yelp reviews help elsewhere, because BrightLocal found ChatGPT cites Yelp more than any other source, so a business that wants AI answers should keep both profiles current.
Do citations still matter for local SEO?
Less than they used to. In Whitespark’s 2026 survey, citation consistency on the main map platforms ranks 28th, well behind the profile category and reviews. Fix wrong listings on the major sites, then spend the time you would have put into mass submissions on reviews and your profile.
Can I put keywords in my Google Business Profile name?
Use the name on your signage and legal documents. Whitespark’s survey ranks keywords in the title third, which is why some agencies add them, but Google’s guidelines warn that unnecessary extras can lead to suspension. The ranking gain is not worth risking the profile.
Can I pay Google to rank higher in the map section?
Google Ads is a separate paid product, and running ads does not change where your Business Profile ranks in the map section. Google’s help page says local ranking cannot be bought. If you want ads as well, our Google Ads management page covers it.
Is it okay to offer customers a discount for a review?
Never exchange a discount or freebie for a review, because Google bans that. Asking is allowed, and a link or QR code makes it easy for the customer. A thank-you message after the job is fine, and a coupon tied to a five-star rating is not.
Related reading
- How to Get More Google Reviews Without Breaking Google’s Rules
- 5 Signs Your Google Business Profile Is Costing You Customers
- Why Your Local SEO Stopped Bringing In Customers
Next step
If you want to know where your business stands in Google and in AI answers, Get your free AI-visibility audit. The free AI-visibility audit comes first, then a 15-minute call with Donnie Strompf to talk through what it found. You can also Book a 15-minute call directly. We meet clients by Google Meet or Zoom.
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