In the local three, not below them.
When people search nearby, Google shows a map and three businesses first. The Google Business Profile is completed, reviews are answered and listings are matched, to get into those three and stay there.
Map © OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap contributors
Six reasons local businesses miss out on the map.
Why it happensGoogle matches map searches to Business Profile categories and services. A profile whose categories do not match the search is not considered.
Why it happensGoogle favors complete, active profiles, and people trust them more. Gaps make a business look closed or careless.
Why it happensUnanswered reviews, good or bad, look like nobody is home, and give Google fewer signs the business is active.
Why it happensOld listings with a different phone or address make Google unsure which is right, and can send customers the wrong way.
Why it happensReviews are only part of it. Their profile may be more complete, their categories closer to the search, or they may simply be closer to the searcher.
Why it happensOut-of-date details send people to a closed door, and they rarely give the business a second try.
A plain report on what keeps a business off the map, from its profile, listings and public map results only. This is the kind of thing it finds.
Free local SEO checkExample account · Plumber, Makati · Public information only
Listings checked31
Suburbs missed7
The main category is Gas fitter, so the profile is left out of most plumber searches
Gas fittermain category
An old phone number is still on Yellow Pages, Bing Places and seven other listings
9listings with old details
Good and bad reviews alike, some more than a year old
23unanswered reviews
No new photos or posts, so the profile looks closed next to busier competitors
14months since the last photo
Map searches checked at nine points across the service area
2 of 9suburbs in the local three
Fix first · in this order
Gas fitter moves to an extra category, and the profile is considered for plumber searches
The same name, address and phone everywhere, so Google trusts the details
All 23 answered within a week, and new ones within two business days
On screen in seconds · Free · Public information only
Eight parts of the work, shown on one Google Business Profile. Each is in the monthly plan, so it is clear what was done and why.
The main category decides which searches the profile is considered for, so it is set to the trade customers search for, with extra categories for the rest. A new profile is set up and verified first.
Each service is listed by name, with a description in plain words that says what the business does and where.
Hours, holiday hours and the suburbs served are kept right, so nobody arrives at a closed door. Businesses that visit customers can hide their address.
Real photos of the work, the team and the vans, and a post most weeks for news and offers. Active profiles look open and get more clicks.
Every review is answered within two business days, and happy customers get a simple link to leave one. Reviews are never bought.
A page on the site for the main service in each area, linked from the profile, so Google and customers find more than one line about each suburb.
The name, address and phone are made the same on Apple Maps, Bing Places and the directories that list the business, so Google trusts the details.
Where the business shows on the map for its main searches, checked across the service area every month and shown in the report.
Google says it ranks local results on three things. Local SEO works on the two that can be changed, and sets up the third properly.
1Relevance
Google compares the search with the profile's categories, services and description. A plumber listed only as a gas fitter is not considered for plumber searches. Categories and services are set to match how customers search.
2Distance
Google favors businesses near the person searching, or near the suburb they name. Distance cannot be changed, but the service area and local pages are set so the business is considered further out.
3Prominence
Among nearby businesses that match, Google puts first the ones with more good reviews, matching listings and mentions around the web. Answered reviews and correct listings are that evidence.
Profile fixes can show within weeks, closest to the business first. Showing further out takes longer, and distance always limits how far.
| Search | Month 1Fix the profile | Months 2 to 3Clean up listings and reviews | Months 4 to 6Build local proof | Months 6 to 12Reach further out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| plumber near richmondHome suburb | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| blocked drain richmondHome suburb | Not ranking | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| plumber cremorneNext suburb | 9 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| plumber hawthorn3 km away | 18 | 12 | 7 | 4 |
| plumber kew5 km away | Not ranking | 24 | 15 | 9 |
1Month 1
The free check's fixes go in first: the main category, services, hours, description and photos. They are quick, and Google often picks them up within weeks.
What usually showsA complete, correct profile. Rankings in the home suburb often move first.
2Months 2 to 3
Old details are corrected across the directories, every review is answered, and happy customers start getting a link to leave one.
What usually showsSteadier rankings near the business, and more calls from the profile.
3Months 4 to 6
Local pages go up for the main service in each area, posts go out most weeks, and new reviews keep coming in.
What usually showsThe local three in the home and next suburbs, and higher in nearby ones.
4Months 6 to 12
Suburbs further away are worked on with their own pages, and the profile is kept active so it holds its place.
What usually showsNearby suburbs moving into the top ten. Distance still limits how far out a business shows.
Then, month after month
Reviews answered, posts added, and where the business ranks on the map, in plain words.
One email and a one-page report in plain words: where the business shows on the map, what the profile brought in, what changed and what is next.
kenjo.digitalto you
9:02 amHi there, October brought in 118 calls from the Google Business Profile, up from 41 in July. The report is attached, with what changed and what is next.
PDFoctober-report.pdfMonthly report
118 calls from the profile6 of 9 suburbs in the local three412 direction requests
Up from 4th for “plumber near richmond”.
Calls from the profile's call button, up from 41 in July.
Plumber is now the main category, with Gas fitter as an extra one.
The old phone number is gone from every listing found.
Every review now has a reply, and new ones are answered within two business days.
A page for blocked drains in Pasig, linked from the profile.
Each business is priced after the free check, because the work depends on where the profile starts. Set the four things below to see the rough size of the job.
Some local SEO agencies tie clients in with terms like these. Here is what changes.
Local SEOTerms
Agreed bykenjo.digital
Instead of: Profile set up under the agency's account
The business owns its Google Business Profile. kenjo.digital is added as a manager and can be removed at any time.
Instead of: 12-month minimum term
There is no minimum term and no contract to sit out.
Instead of: 30 days' notice and an exit fee
Ending the work takes three days' notice. Nothing else.
Instead of: Guaranteed top three in 30 days
Nobody controls the map, and the distance to each searcher cannot be changed. Progress is shown every month in the report instead.
Instead of: Reviews written or bought for the business
Happy customers are asked with a simple link. Fake or paid reviews break Google's rules and can get a profile suspended.
Instead of: Price set after the contract is signed
The fee is quoted after the free check, so the cost is known up front.
Instead of: Changes made before anyone checks the profile
Every profile starts with the free check, so the work is agreed before anything changes.
4.8
kenjo.digital sorted out our SEO from the ground up: the pages, the Google listing and the content. Every step was explained in plain words, and we can now see exactly where our visits come from.
kenjo.digital has been incredible to work with, so detail oriented, responsive to feedback, and quick. Can't wait to keep working together!
The same team can run the ads, creative and website, so search fits the rest of the marketing.
One report across Google, Maps and AI answers. No jargon, no dashboard to decode.
Pages and answers are written in the business's own voice and approved before they go live.
Nobody controls Google. What is promised is the work, shown in the report.
kenjo.digitalQuestions about Local SEOLocal SEOSelected
Every service reports into one monthly report. See SEO services in Manila
Your Google Business Profile, reviews and Google Maps position, on screen in seconds, with what to fix first. Free, with no obligation.
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