Google reviews and your spot on the map: what Google really looks at

What Google says about the order on the map

Google's help pages for Business Profile name three things that local results depend on: “Local results are mainly based on relevance, distance, and prominence.”

• ●Relevance - how well your profile matches what someone is searching for. Your categories, the description of your services and everything else in the profile count here.
• ●Distance - how far you are from the person searching. You have no say over this one.
• ●Prominence - how well known the business is. Google says that here it takes into account, among other things, the number of reviews and the ratings.

Google also says it plainly: “More reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking.” And: “There's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google.”

What's in your hands

You can't change the distance. Relevance and prominence you can influence - and without any ads.

• ●Category: your main one should match what you actually make your living from. If you mostly do PPF and ceramic coatings, don't set car wash as your main category.
• ●Services and description: list what you do in the words clients search with: PPF, ceramic coating, paint correction, window tinting.
• ●Photos: real cars in your bay, not catalogue pictures.
• ●Opening hours and phone number: always up to date, so a client doesn't turn up to a locked door.
• ●Reviews: coming in regularly, from real clients, with your reply under every one.

Number of reviews or average rating?

The client sees the rating and the count right next to the business name, before tapping anything. It's hard to predict which they'll pick: 4.9 from 23 reviews or 4.7 from 200. One thing is certain: with 23 reviews, one weaker review moves the average much more than with 200. That's why a steady flow of new reviews matters, not a one-off push once a year.

Freshness counts too. If the latest review is a year old, a client may wonder whether the studio is still open.

How many reviews do you need?

There's no magic number. Look at the three businesses that show up above you when you search for your main service and your town. See how many reviews they have and how often new ones come in. That's your benchmark.

What not to do

• ●Don't buy reviews and don't ask friends for made-up ones. Google's rules forbid content that doesn't describe a real experience, and reviews like that get removed.
• ●Don't give discounts or freebies for a review. Google's rules forbid incentives in exchange for reviews.
• ●Don't ask only your happy clients. Selectively asking for positive reviews also breaks Google's rules.
• ●Don't leave reviews on your competitors' profiles. That's forbidden too, and it can backfire on you.

How to collect reviews honestly and regularly

Ask every client, at the right moment, with one short SMS and a link that goes straight to the review form. Ideally just after they've picked up the car and can see the result. Reply to every review - Google puts it like this: “When you reply to customer reviews, it shows that you value their feedback.”

If you don't have time to remember it, we can do it for you: an hour after pick-up, every client gets one review request. If something wasn't right, they can message you first.