When someone in your area searches "plumber near me" or "cafe Newtown," Google shows a map with three businesses at the top — the local pack. Landing in those three is often worth more than ranking #1 in the regular results, because that's where the calls come from. Here's how it's actually decided, and what you can do about it.

The three things Google is weighing

Local rankings come down to relevance (does your business match the search), distance (how close you are to the searcher), and prominence (how well-known and trusted you are). You can't change your distance from every searcher — but relevance and prominence are very much in your hands.

1. Your Google Business Profile is the foundation

Your Google Business Profile (the old "Google My Business") accounts for roughly a third of what decides the map pack. Get the basics right before anything else:

• Verify the listing — an unverified profile won't rank well.

• Pick the most specific primary category you can, then add secondary categories.

• Fill in every field: hours, services, a description with your real keywords, and photos.

• Post updates regularly — Google rewards active profiles.

If you want the full walkthrough, I've broken it into a step-by-step setup on my local SEO page.

2. Reviews are the second-biggest lever

Review signals make up around 15% of local ranking. Volume, recency, and your responses all count. The simplest system that works: ask every happy customer at the moment they're happiest, make it one tap with a direct review link, and reply to every review — good or bad — within a day or two.

3. Keep your name, address and phone identical everywhere

Your NAP (name, address, phone) needs to match exactly across your website, your Google profile, and every directory you're listed in. "St" in one place and "Street" in another is the kind of small inconsistency that quietly drags your ranking down. Pick one format and use it everywhere.

4. Put local signals on your website

Google cross-checks your profile against your site. Help it by naming your suburbs and service areas in your page copy, adding structured data (your site should already describe your business as a local business in the code), and publishing genuinely local content — posts that mention your area, your clients, and the work you do nearby.

5. Be patient, then consistent

For a competitive Sydney category, expect three to six months of steady work before you see meaningful movement. The businesses that win aren't the ones who do everything in week one — they're the ones still posting, still collecting reviews, and still publishing local content in month four.

If keeping that up on top of running your business sounds like a lot, that's exactly what my local SEO service handles. Get in touch and I'll tell you honestly whether you need help or just a checklist.