What Google says about local ranking
Google states that local results rely mainly on three criteria: relevance (how well your listing matches the search), distance (where the person searching is) and prominence (how well known your business is, notably through reviews and presence on the web).
You don’t control distance. You can act on the other two.
Relevance: a complete and precise listing
Choose the right main category, fill in your services, description, hours and phone number. An empty or approximate listing is less relevant than a detailed one.
Don’t add keywords to the business name: Google refuses it and may suspend the listing.
Prominence: reviews, photos, online presence
Recent, regular reviews, with replies, contribute to prominence. So do real photos, posts and a website consistent with the listing.
Consistent details (name, address, phone) between your listing, your website and your other directories avoid blurring the signals.
What to do this week
- 1
Check that your listing is claimed and verified.
- 2
Complete categories, services, hours, description and photos.
- 3
Set up the review request after every service.
- 4
Reply to the reviews already there.
No single step gives an immediate result: it is the accumulation that counts.
Check your listing
Our check-up turns these points into a checklist and shows you what to do first. Free, no account.
Open the check-upWhat to avoid
Creating several listings for the same address, using an address where you don’t welcome customers or travel from, or buying reviews. These practices break Google’s rules and can get the listing suspended. Check the official help page, which can change.