It's not possible to pay Google for a higher ranking in local results – the algorithm itself decides which listings to display. This is based on three main factors: the relevance of the search query to the company profile, the distance of the company from the user's location, and the online visibility of the brand . If a potential customer enters a query related to your industry, Google will analyze which companies have listings that best match that phrase and are closest to the search location. For example, for the query "cafe Warsaw Śródmieście," the algorithm will consider how close your location is to the city center and whether you've included coffee shop-related keywords in your profile.
Google also checks a company's reputation: user reviews and star ratings play a significant role . Listings with more positive reviews are more likely to brother cell phone list be viewed more effectively, so actively encouraging customers to leave reviews is part of effective SEO. The algorithm also analyzes NAP consistency – if the company's details (address, phone number, name) match on the listing and website, the profile gains credibility . Furthermore, the frequency of profile updates is crucial: regularly adding photos and entries (e.g., news, posts) shows Google that the company is active, which positively impacts the listing's ranking on Google Maps.
In practice, we refer to complete optimization efforts as Google positioning . Understanding how the Maps algorithm works allows us to better target SEO efforts for the business listing and other promotional channels. This is undoubtedly a crucial element of the overall website positioning strategy , regardless of the industry, website size, or reach.
