How does Google Maps work? In the first part of the article, we already figured out that this is not an additional option, but a separate lead generation channel. Let’s move on to the main question: by what rules does Google choose the three who end up in the Local Pack?
Unlike classic SEO, where algorithms remain complex and partially closed, Google acts quite transparently in local search. The company officially confirms three key factors that affect business rankings in Google Maps.
They are called the “big three”.
These three criteria determine whether you will be in the top 3 or remain out of sight.
- Relevance – how well your profile meets a specific user request.
- Distance – how physically close you are to the person looking for a service.
- Visibility or authority – how well your business is known, active, and confirmed by reviews and mentions.
Let’s take a closer look at them!
The “Big Three” of Google Maps Factors
Unlike classic SEO, where algorithms remain closed, Google openly names three key factors of local ranking.
These are:
- Relevance – how well your profile matches the user’s query.
- Distance – how close you are physically to the person searching.
- Visibility (authority) – how well your business is known and confirmed by reviews, mentions, and activity.
The “Big Three” of Google Maps: how your ranking is actually formed
Unlike classic SEO, where algorithms remain semi-closed, in Google local search, the algorithms are quite transparent. The company has officially confirmed three key factors that affect the position of a business in Google Maps.
They are the ones that determine whether you will be in the top 3 or remain out of sight.
1. Relevance
About 25% of the impact on the algorithm Relevance is the answer to a simple question: how well does your business match what the user is looking for? Google analyzes whether your profile matches the query. And it does this quite specifically.
What is taken into account?
- Accuracy of the main business category
- Company name
- List of services or products
- Business description
- Activated attributes
- Keywords in reviews
How does it work in practice?
A person enters the query “vegan restaurant Kyiv”. Google looks at:
- Do you have a main category “Vegan restaurant”
- Does the description mention “vegan cuisine” or “plant-based menu”
- Are there relevant services or dishes in the list
If your main category is simply “Restaurant”, the algorithm perceives this as too general a wording. And you lose relevance points.
How to optimize relevance?
- Choose the most specific main category
- Add 3-5 relevant additional categories
- Fill out the business description as completely as possible, up to 750 characters
- Include all relevant attributes, such as “summer terrace”, “accessible for people with disabilities.”
- Add specific services with clear names
2. Proximity
Approximately 15–20% of the impact. The second factor is physical distance to the user. Google literally looks at where a person is when searching and shows the closest options.
What is taken into account?
- User’s GPS location
- Physical address of the business
- Center of the company’s geographic point
- Service radius for service businesses
What can be done?
- Provide an exact physical address, without abstract formulations
- For service businesses, clearly define the service radius
- Work with hyperlocal queries, add names of areas
- Use Google Posts to mention specific areas that you serve
And most importantly, don’t try to “beat” proximity. It cannot be bypassed. Instead, work on accuracy and specificity.
3. Visibility
About 55–60% of the impact on the algorithm. This is where the fun begins. Visibility or authority is how well-known, active, and trustworthy your business is in the eyes of Google. And it is the biggest factor in the entire system.
If relevance answers the question “are you relevant to the query”, and proximity is “are you nearby”, then visibility answers the main question: can you be trusted?
What does visibility consist of?
1) Google Business Profile Signals
The largest block of influence. Google literally evaluates the state of your profile. What matters:
- A fully completed profile
- Verified business status
- Current opening hours
- Number and freshness of photos
- Regularity of publications
- User interaction
Verified businesses rank significantly higher. And a profile that looks “empty” or abandoned is perceived as less trustworthy.
2) Reviews
The second most powerful factor. In competitive niches, the top 3 usually have hundreds of reviews. But it’s not just about the number.
Google looks at:
- Volume of reviews
- Dynamics of new reviews
- Freshness
- Presence of keywords in the texts
- Average rating
- Does the business respond to comments
Interestingly, a rating of 4.2–4.5 often works better than the “perfect” 5.0. Absolute perfection looks suspicious, while a moderate range creates a sense of reality. Businesses that respond to all reviews demonstrate significantly higher engagement. For the algorithm, this is a signal of a live company.
3) Citations and mentions
This is about the consistency of your NAP — name, address, and phone — across different online platforms. Google checks this data. If they differ, trust drops. It is recommended to have dozens of identical mentions in catalogs, marketplaces, and industry directories.
4) Links
Yes, backlinks still matter, but in local SEO they play a smaller role than in classic SEO. Important:
- Local sites
- Industry directories
- Domain authority
5) Behavioral signals
A factor that is actively growing in 2025–2026. Google analyzes how people interact with your profile.
- Do they click on the site
- Do they call
- Do they get directions
- Do they view photos
- What does traffic look like during peak hours
The more real interaction, the stronger the signal for the algorithm.
How to increase visibility systematically?
In short, you need to work in the following sequence:
- Start with reviews. This is the most controllable factor.
- Provide complete and perfectly accurate information in the profile.
- Check the consistency of contacts in directories every month.
- Add new photos regularly.
- Publish updates every week.
- Respond to all reviews within 24 hours.
Because visibility in competitive niches is the deciding factor. If you are not the best in terms of distance, but have a strong profile, active reviews, and high trust, you can bypass those who are physically closer.
And here is the main conclusion for businesses and marketers: Google Maps in 2026 is not just a “guidebook”. It is a full-fledged lead generation channel. And if you systematically deal with it, it can become one of the most stable sources of local customers.