The free hour that beats most of what you can buy

Search for almost any local service and look at what fills the screen above the ordinary blue links: a map with three businesses. That is the map pack, and it is drawn from Business Profiles, not websites.

For a great many searches, being in those three is worth more than being first in the regular results underneath.

Work through it in order. Most of it is filling in fields that are already there.

The non-negotiables

• Exact business name. What is actually on the door. Do not stuff keywords into it — "Joe's Plumbing" not "Joe's Plumbing | Emergency Plumber London 24/7". Keyword stuffing here risks suspension.
• Correct primary category. This matters more than almost anything else. Search for competitors who rank well and see what they use. Add secondary categories, but get the primary one exactly right.
• Address and service area. If customers come to you, the address. If you go to them, set the service area instead and hide the address.
• Hours, including holidays. Wrong hours generate one-star reviews from people who turned up to a closed door. Set special hours in advance.
• Phone number that rings somewhere answered.
• Website link. Point it at the most relevant page, not always the homepage.

The parts that get skipped

• Photos, and keep adding them. Listings with photos get substantially more clicks and direction requests. Interior, exterior, the team, the product, the work. The exterior shot matters more than people expect — it is how someone recognises the place when they arrive. Add a few every month.
• Services or products, itemised. Each one is a chance to match a search. This section is nearly always left empty.
• The description. 750 characters. Write what you do and who for, in plain language.
• Attributes. Wheelchair access, outdoor seating, free wifi, appointment required. These feed filters people actually use.
• Opening date. Small trust signal, takes ten seconds.

The ongoing part

• Reply to every review. Every one, good and bad. A calm, specific reply to a bad review does more for you than the review costs. Prospective customers read the replies to judge how you handle problems.
• Ask for reviews properly. Not "please leave a review" on a flyer — a direct link, sent by text or email, at the moment someone is happy. Google gives you a short link in the dashboard for exactly this.
• Post occasionally. Offers, news, new products. Modest effect on ranking, real effect on how current the listing looks.
• Answer questions. You can post your own FAQ here, and answer it. Most businesses do not realise this section exists until a customer posts something wrong in it.

Inconsistent details across the web. Your name, address and phone number should be byte-identical everywhere they appear — your site, directories, Facebook, old listings. "Street" in one place and "St" in another is a small signal of uncertainty, repeated across dozens of sites.

A dead or misdirected website link. If the profile points at a page that 404s or redirects three times, that is a wasted click and a bad signal. Check it after any site change.

The map pack is the most valuable free placement on the internet for a local business, and it is awarded largely on completeness and consistency, which are both entirely within your control.

Changes take days to weeks to show up. Photos and reviews compound slowly.

The single most reliable indicator you are winning: the "Discovery" number in your profile insights — how many people found you without searching your name. That is new customers. Watch it monthly. If it climbs, the listing is doing its job.