Google says local results are based mainly on three things: relevance, distance and prominence. Everything you can do to rank locally fits under one of them. See Google's own explanation of local ranking.
Relevance: do you match the search?
- The right primary category on your Business Profile
- Services listed on your profile and a page for each on your site
- Page titles and headings that use the words customers search
Distance: how close are you?
Google considers how far your business is from the searcher or the location in the search. You can't move your address, but you can make your service area clear, build suburb pages for areas you cover, and earn reviews from customers in those areas.
Prominence: how well known are you?
- Review count, rating and how recent they are
- Links and mentions from other sites, especially local ones
- Consistent listings across directories
- Your website's overall strength in normal search results
Things that don't help
- Adding keywords to your business name. It breaks Google's rules and risks suspension.
- Fake addresses or multiple profiles for one business
- Buying reviews
See how to rank higher on Google Maps.
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