How to rank higher on Google Maps: a checklist for cafés, restaurants and salons
How to rank higher on Google Maps: the three factors Google uses to rank local businesses, 15 steps for a café, restaurant or salon, and what to avoid.
To rank higher on Google Maps, show Google three things: your business matches the search, it is nearby, and people know it. Google calls these relevance, distance and prominence. Google says you cannot pay for a better local ranking; what helps is a complete, accurate Business Profile, the right category, reviews with replies, photos and websites that link to you.
Below are 15 steps you can do yourself, plus a list of things that hurt your Google Maps ranking or break the rules. If you are still setting up your profile, add and verify it first, then work through this checklist.
How Google ranks businesses on Maps
Google's Business Profile Help describes three main local ranking factors:
Google Maps ranking = relevance + distance + prominence
- Relevance: how well your profile matches what someone is searching for. Google advises giving complete and detailed business information.
- Distance: how far the business is from the person searching. If they do not share their location, Google uses what it knows about it.
- Prominence: how well known the business is. Google includes how many websites link to you and how many reviews you have. According to Google, more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking.
You cannot change distance. That is why the same café comes up first on its own street and not two neighbourhoods away. Relevance and prominence are in your hands, and that is what this checklist is about.
Checklist: your profile details
1. Verify your profile
Google says a verified profile is more likely to appear in results. Without verification you also cannot edit your details or reply to reviews.
2. Choose the most specific primary category
Google states plainly that the categories you select affect your local ranking. Your primary category should say exactly what the business is. Google's own example: choose Nail salon instead of Salon. Add extra categories only for real parts of the business, such as a bakery with a café. Do not pick a category for every product, and do not use categories as keywords.
3. Use your name exactly as it appears on your sign
Your business name should be your real world name and nothing else. No taglines, no city, no opening hours, no "best coffee downtown". Google says unnecessary information in the name could lead to your profile being suspended. If competitors stuff keywords into their names, do not copy them.
4. Keep your name, address and phone consistent
Enter a precise address and a phone number that connects directly to your location. Use the same name, address and phone on your website, Facebook, Instagram and business directories. Guests who find the same details everywhere do not get confused, and consistent details make sense to search engines too. Google does not list this as a numbered rule; it is common good practice.
5. Opening hours, including holidays
List your regular customer facing hours and set special hours for holidays and exceptional days. A guest who arrives at a locked door does not come back, and often writes a review about it.
6. Description, attributes, menu and services
The description can be up to 750 characters: what you offer, what sets you apart and how long you have been open. No links, promotions or prices. Fill in the factual attributes your profile offers, such as outdoor seating. Cafés and restaurants add a menu with the menu editor, salons add services with prices. Google says complete and detailed information helps it match a business to the right searches, and a menu with items like breakfast or gluten free cake is part of that. If your menu does not look good yet, build one with the free restaurant menu maker.
Checklist: reviews
7. Ask everyone for reviews, regularly
Reviews feed prominence, the third factor. A steady flow of new reviews helps more than one big push a year. You find your review link in the profile under Read reviews and Get more reviews. Make a counter poster with a QR code for free with the Google review QR code generator.
Regulars write the best reviews because they have something to say. How to ask them without pressure is covered in How to get Google reviews from your regulars. If you run a loyalty card with Rewardly, you can send all card holders a message with your review link (Advanced plan and above). Everyone the same message, and no reward.
8. Reply to every review
Google lists responding to reviews among its tips to improve local ranking. Keep replies short, polite and specific, with no ads or offers. For criticism, say thank you, own the mistake if there was one, and move complex issues to a phone call or email. Never put a customer's private information in a reply. Examples for positive, mixed and negative reviews are in How to respond to Google reviews, even the bad ones.
9. Report reviews that break the rules
A review that breaks Google's policies, such as spam or profanity, can be reported from your profile under Read reviews with the report icon next to it. Evaluation usually takes several days. Do not report a review just because you disagree with it: Google does not get involved in conflicts between businesses and customers. A calm reply works better for a bad but honest review.
Checklist: photos and content
10. Add real photos
Google recommends adding photos and videos so customers can see what you offer. Show the entrance from the street, the interior, the food, products or finished work. Keep photos sharp, in daylight and without heavy filters. Add a new photo whenever the menu or the season changes.
11. Publish posts
A post can be an update, an offer or an event, and you can schedule it ahead. Google does not say posts improve ranking. They do show guests that the place is alive and help them decide. One post every week or two is enough.
12. Keep the profile current
Google advises keeping your information complete and up to date. Once a week, check your hours, menu prices and new questions. Enter any change you know about in advance, not on the day it happens.
Checklist: website and mentions
13. A website the profile points to
Add your website to the profile, or at least a page that belongs to you. Show the same name, address, phone and hours as on the profile, a map link and the menu as text, not just as an image. Guests clicking through from Maps are looking for exactly these details.
14. Local links and mentions
Google says prominence also depends on how many websites link to your business. For a small business that means local sites: the town portal, local news, a food blog about your area, a neighbouring business you work with, the organiser of a market or event you took part in. Add yourself to business directories once, with correct details.
15. Be known offline too
Prominence is about how well known a business is, including what Google knows about it from across the web. Events, partnerships and happy regulars lead to articles, mentions and reviews. A regular who keeps coming back recommends you and writes a review sooner than someone who visited once.
What does not work, or breaks Google's rules
- Keywords in the name. A name like "Lipa Café, coffee and breakfast downtown" breaks the rules and can get your profile suspended.
- Paid or fake reviews. Google's policies ban reviews paid for with money or in kind, and such reviews are removed. For policy violations Google can restrict or terminate the account.
- Rewards for reviews. No discount, free coffee or stamp for writing, changing or removing a review.
- Asking only happy customers. The policies ban discouraging negative reviews or selectively asking guests you know will praise you. Do not pressure people on the premises either.
- Reviews from staff and family. Google treats them as a conflict of interest, including reviews from former employees.
- Several profiles for one location, or a virtual address. One location gets one profile. A virtual office or a mailbox is not eligible for a profile.
- Paying for a better position. Google says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Anyone promising you the top spot on Maps for a fee is promising something Google itself rules out.
How to tell if you are moving up
Open Performance in your profile. It shows how many people viewed your profile, which terms they searched, how many asked for directions, called, or clicked your website or menu. Search terms update at the start of each month, so compare month with month.
Take your own phone searches with a pinch of salt. Results depend on where you stand, so from behind your counter you will always see yourself first. It is more useful to watch whether searches, direction requests and calls are growing.
Example: a café had 400 direction requests in September and 500 in November. That is a quarter more people heading to it from Maps. These are made up numbers for illustration, not data from a real business.
Google tells you how many people found you. It does not tell you whether they come back. Your till or your loyalty card does.
FAQ
Can you pay for a higher ranking on Google Maps?
No. Google's Business Profile Help says there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking. Your position depends on relevance, distance and prominence.
How long does it take to rank higher on Google Maps?
Google gives no timeframe. Reviews and links build up gradually, so watch Performance month by month and compare whole months rather than single days.
Do more reviews help, or only the star rating?
According to Google, both: more reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking. Ask all guests regularly and reply to every review, including the critical ones.
Why does another business show up above me?
Because distance is one of the three factors, and everyone sees results based on where they are. Compare your Performance numbers over time rather than judging by a single search.
Can I add "café" or my city to my business name?
Only if it is part of the real name on your sign. If the business is called Lipa, the profile says Lipa. Added keywords break Google's guidelines and can lead to suspension.
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