MEDIA

You search for one of your most important services on Google Maps, expecting to see your business near the top. Instead, a competitor appears above you. Maybe they have fewer years in business. Their website may not look particularly impressive. You might even believe you offer a better service.

So why are they getting higher visibility?

Google Maps does not rank businesses simply according to which company is closest or has the most reviews. Google says local results are primarily based on three considerations: relevance, distance, and prominence. Google evaluates these factors together to determine which businesses may be the best match for a particular local search.

Understanding those factors can reveal why a competitor is outranking you and, more importantly, where your local SEO strategy may need attention.

The Three Factors Behind Google Maps Rankings

Let's start with what Google tells us directly.

Relevance refers to how closely your Google Business Profile matches what someone searches for. Complete, detailed business information helps Google understand your company and connect it with appropriate searches.

Consider an HVAC company that performs air conditioning repair, heating repair, ductless system installation, and commercial HVAC work. If its profile simply identifies it as an HVAC contractor but provides little additional service information, Google has less context about the specific searches that business should match.

Distance considers how far a potential result is from the searcher's location. When a user does not specify a location, Google estimates distance based on what it knows about that person's location. 

You cannot optimize your way around geography. If someone searches for an electrician from 25 miles away, a qualified electrician two miles away may have a natural advantage.

But distance isn't everything. Google notes that a business farther away may sometimes rank higher if its other signals suggest it is a better match.

That brings us to prominence.

Prominence reflects how well known a business is. Google considers information from across the web, including links and reviews. Review quantity and ratings can contribute to local ranking, while traditional organic search position is another consideration. This is where your broader digital marketing strategy starts influencing your Maps visibility.

Your Business Profile May Be Telling Google Too Little

One of the first things we look at when evaluating local visibility is surprisingly basic: Is the Google Business Profile actually complete?

Missing information creates ambiguity. Google recommends maintaining complete and accurate information, including address, hours, business category and other applicable details.

Categories deserve particular attention. Your primary category should accurately represent your core business, while additional categories can provide appropriate context. Google recommends choosing categories that are specific and using as few as necessary to describe the business rather than treating categories like keywords.

Services add another layer of context. If you are a general contractor specializing in commercial office renovations, drywall installation and tenant prebuilds, those details help explain what you actually do.

The same principle applies to your website. Your profile and website should reinforce one another rather than present two different versions of your company.

Reviews and Photos Do More Than Make Your Profile Look Good

Imagine comparing two businesses. One has 18 reviews, several unanswered comments and a handful of old photos. The competitor has 140 reviews, regularly responds to customers and displays recent images showing its work, team and location. Which feels more active and credible?

Potential customers notice the difference, and reviews can influence local visibility as well. Google specifically states that more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking and recommends responding to reviews to demonstrate that customer feedback matters. 

Photos provide customers with another way to understand the business. Google encourages businesses to add photos and videos that show what they offer and tell their story. 

For a collision repair shop, that might mean repair work, the facility and equipment. A restaurant could show its dining room and dishes. A commercial contractor might feature completed offices, retail spaces or active projects. Specificity builds confidence.

Weak Profile vs. Properly Optimized Profile

A weak Google Business Profile is not necessarily an empty one. Often, it is a profile that was created years ago, filled out once and rarely revisited. The business name and phone number are there. The hours are probably correct. A few reviews have accumulated. Technically, the profile exists.

But an optimized profile is different: 

• Its primary and secondary categories accurately describe the business.
• Services reflect what customers actually purchase. 
• Hours and contact information remain current. 
• Reviews arrive consistently and receive thoughtful responses. 
• New photos provide evidence that the company is active. 
• The website supports the same services and locations described in the profile.

That consistency gives both customers and Google more useful information to work with.

A Seven Point Google Business Profile Audit

If a competitor keeps appearing above you, don't immediately assume you need more reviews or a larger SEO budget. Start by examining the profile itself.

Here are seven areas we recommend reviewing:

1. Business information: Check your name, address or service area, phone number, website, regular hours and special hours for accuracy. Google says complete and accurate information can make a business more likely to appear in local results. 
2. Primary and secondary categories: Does your primary category accurately describe your main business? Review secondary categories for legitimate additional areas of the business rather than adding categories simply to target more searches. 
3. Services: Review every major service you currently provide. Compare the profile against your website. If an important revenue generating service appears prominently on your site but is absent from your profile, address the disconnect.
4. Reviews: Look beyond your star rating. Consider review quantity, recency and whether you are responding. Never offer incentives for reviews. Google explicitly prohibits incentives in exchange for reviews, changes to reviews or removal of negative feedback.
5. Photos: Are your most recent photos from three years ago? Add current, useful images that genuinely represent your business, services, products, staff or completed work where appropriate.
6. Website alignment: Compare the information on your profile with the corresponding pages on your website. Google can source Business Profile information from public web content, among other sources, making consistency across your digital presence important. 
7. Performance: Look at your Business Profile performance data rather than relying solely on what you see when you personally search. Google provides data about searches, views and customer interactions with verified profiles.

One weak area may not explain everything; several weak areas together can tell a very different story.

Google Maps Visibility Is Part of a Larger SEO Strategy

Optimizing your Google Business Profile should not happen in isolation.

Prominence, in particular, extends beyond the profile. Google considers information about businesses from around the web, and organic search position can contribute to local ranking.

Your website content, local SEO, reviews, directory listings and broader online authority work together. This is why simply adding a few photos or changing your business description is rarely a complete local SEO strategy.

At Keen Insites, our approach begins by assessing the current state, looking at the competition and identifying where opportunities exist before developing the strategy to move a business toward its desired state. 

Sometimes the problem is obvious. Other times, the competitor ranking above you is doing several small things better. Those details add up.

Find Out Why Your Competitors Are Outranking You

If your business depends on customers in a particular geographic area, Google Maps visibility can put you in front of prospects at precisely the moment they are looking for what you offer.

Don't leave that visibility to chance.

Keen Insites offers a Google Maps visibility review to help identify potential gaps in your Google Business Profile and local search presence. We'll look at how your business appears, compare key elements against competitors and identify areas that may deserve attention.

Your competitor may be above you today. The first step toward changing that is understanding why.