Google ranks local businesses on three things: relevance, distance and prominence. You can't change where your customers are, but you can improve how relevant and prominent your business looks compared to competitors nearby.
How Google decides
- Relevance: how well your profile matches the search. Categories, services and the words on your website matter here.
- Distance: how far you are from the searcher, or from the suburb in the search.
- Prominence: how well known and trusted the business is. Reviews, links, mentions and an active profile all count.
Steps that move rankings
- Choose the right primary category. It's the strongest relevance signal on the profile.
- List every service you offer in the profile, using the words customers search.
- Build a page on your site for each service and priority suburb. The profile links to your website, and Google reads both.
- Get reviews steadily. A regular flow matters more than a burst. See how to get more Google reviews.
- Add real photos of jobs, your team and your vehicle regularly.
- Keep your details identical on your site and directories like True Local and Yellow Pages.
- Earn local links from suppliers, associations, sponsorships and local news.
What not to do
Don't add keywords or suburbs to your business name, create profiles for addresses you don't operate from, or buy reviews. These break Google's guidelines and can get the profile suspended.
How to check your ranking
Search from a few different suburbs, or use a map-grid rank tracker, because results change with the searcher's location. Our local SEO plans include monthly map-pack tracking across your service area. Get a free audit to see where you rank now.
Want this done for you? See our Google Business Profile setup and management, or get a free audit.