When somebody searches for “dentist near me”, Google does not return ten websites: it returns a map with three listings. That block takes most of the clicks, and getting into it is not down to one thing. Google summarises it as three: relevance, distance and prominence.
The temptation is to treat that as a list of tricks. It is a list of priorities, and two of the three can be worked on.
Relevance: make it clear what you are and where
Relevance starts in the business profile, not on the website. The primary category is the most direct signal you have: a mechanic with “auto parts store” as its primary category is competing for a different query. Services, hours, photos, the description and the questions then tell the system which intentions you can answer.
The website does the rest. If the profile says “dental clinic” and the home page only talks about “integral aesthetics”, you are sending two different signals. What works is boring: one page per service or per location, with the real name, address, phone number and hours, in the same language customers use. No “the best”, no list of cities you do not serve.
Consistent details (name, address, phone) across the profile, the website and directories are not a ranking factor in themselves, but they help Google identify the right business. When the same site has three different addresses, the problem stops being SEO and becomes identity.
Prominence: reviews, photos and signs of life
Prominence is, in Google’s words, how well known a business is. That covers reviews (how many, how good, how recent), recent photos, owner replies and general profile activity. There is no magic number of reviews, and anyone who promises one is selling smoke. There is, however, a clear difference between a profile with twelve reviews from 2023 and one with reviews from this month.
Two things we always do: ask for the review at the moment the customer is happy, with a direct link, and reply to every review, including the bad ones. A reply to a negative review does not persuade Google; it persuades the next person who reads it.
Distance: the part that is not negotiable
The distance between the person searching and the business cannot be changed. That is why a single-location business should not spend budget ranking for “plumber in Manchester” if it works in Salford. You can show up, but you will be competing with businesses ten minutes from the user.
With several locations, each one needs its own profile and its own page, with its own content. Copying the same page and swapping the city name is easy to detect and does not help. If you work across areas, set the service areas on the profile and accept that the real radius is always smaller than you would like.
What we do on a local project
- Audit the profile: primary category, services, hours, photos and duplicates.
- Align the website with the profile: one page per service and per location, with real details.
- Set up the review loop and answer the reviews.
- Measure with Search Console and with the calls and directions coming from the profile, not only with positions.
The order matters. Without the first part, the third has nothing to stand on.