Being found on Google Maps and in nearby searches depends neither on the size of your company nor on your advertising budget. Three levers do most of the work: a complete, regularly fed Google Business Profile, recent customer reviews you reply to, and consistent local information between your site and the rest of the web. It is that trio that determines your place in the 'local pack', the block of three businesses Google displays with a map above the classic results.

According to Google, 76% of people who run a nearby search on a smartphone go to a business that same day, and 28% of those searches lead to a purchase. According to BrightLocal's 2024 Local Consumer Review Survey, 50% of consumers now trust online reviews as much as recommendations from those close to them.

Empty listing, wrong hours or reviews without a reply: those ready-to-buy customers leave for the visible competitor. Conversely, it is one of the rare arenas where a neighbourhood business can overtake a national chain: proximity is part of the algorithm.

The local pack: Google's most contested shop window

Type 'bakery Wavre' or 'plumber near me': the local pack appears before the classic results, as soon as Google detects an intent of proximity, even without a city name.

Everything happens directly in the listing: call, directions, hours, reviews, photos. 'Near me' or 'open now' searches grow year after year. Being absent means letting three competitors share your potential customers.

How does Google rank local businesses?

Google communicates three official criteria: relevance (does your activity match the query?), distance and prominence (reviews, mentions, online presence). According to Whitespark's 2023 Local Search Ranking Factors study, the Google Business Profile is the top ranking factor in the local pack, ahead of review signals and site content. You do not choose your address; the rest is in your hands.

Your Google Business Profile: the priority job

The Google Business Profile is free and is managed in a few minutes a week: it is what appears in Maps, in the local pack and when someone searches your name.

The fields that really count

• The primary category: the most decisive field. 'Bakery' and 'Pastry shop' do not trigger the same queries: choose your core activity, then secondary categories.

• The opening hours, including Belgian public holidays: a listing announced as open on 21 July with the shutter down is a guaranteed negative review.

• The service area for home-based activities: a heating engineer from Nivelles covering all of Walloon Brabant must declare it, otherwise Google limits him to his municipality.

• The description and attributes: terrace, parking, free quote, languages spoken — all elements Google highlights.

• The photos: recent, real images of your team, your premises, your work. Illustrated listings generate noticeably more clicks and directions.

A living listing rather than a perfect listing

Google values activity: new photos, a post for a promotion or a finished job, hours adjusted to the holidays. A listing frozen for two years sends the opposite message. Fifteen minutes a week is enough.

Customer reviews: the trust currency of local searches

Reviews weigh twice: in the algorithm (volume, rating, freshness, keywords) and in the human decision. Still according to BrightLocal, 71% of consumers immediately rule out a business whose average rating is below 3 stars, and a majority believe it takes at least around twenty reviews to judge a rating credible, and nearly one consumer in two sorts reviews from the most recent to the oldest.

How to get reviews regularly, and by the rules?

• Ask systematically, at the moment satisfaction peaks: end of the job, delivery, payment.

• Simplify the action: a direct link to the review form, a QR code on the invoice or the counter.

• Follow up once, politely, by SMS or email: most satisfied customers simply forget.

• Never buy reviews and offer no discount in exchange: it breaks Google's rules, which blocked or removed more than 240 million fraudulent reviews in 2024.

Should you reply to all reviews, even negative ones?

Yes. It is the most profitable action of your local SEO. According to BrightLocal, 88% of consumers say they are willing to use a business that replies to all its reviews, against 47% only when it never replies, and 93% expect a reply to their own review. For a negative review: reply quickly, factually, without polemic, then continue in private. The reply is addressed less to the author than to the hundreds of prospects who will read it.

NAP and geolocated content: the work on the site side

NAP: three pieces of information to lock down everywhere

NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone: business name, address and phone must be strictly identical on your Google listing, your site, your social networks and the directories. An old number lingering around, an address sometimes 'street', sometimes 'st.': every inconsistency erodes the algorithm's trust. Think of the directories where your business appears without your knowledge and of the duplicates from old moves: one hour of auditing is enough to spot them.

Content that speaks about your towns, not just your trades

If you serve several municipalities, create a sincere page per area: local work, intervention times, a local testimonial. Avoid duplicated pages where only the town changes: Google ignores them. In Brussels and its outskirts, a serious Dutch-language version opens a second, often neglected customer pool. The fundamentals remain those of classic SEO, detailed in our article on the evolution of SEO in 2025.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to appear in the local pack?

For a new, well-filled listing: first effects within a few weeks on lightly contested queries. In the city, on competitive queries, count on several months of regular reviews and groundwork: faster than national SEO, never instant.

Do you have to pay Google to appear on Google Maps?

No. The listing and the presence in Maps are free. Paid local ads appear above the pack, marked as sponsored; they complement a solid listing when timing or competition demands it, without replacing it.

A competitor has many more reviews than me: is it catchable?

Yes, because freshness and regularity count as much as volume. Set up a collection routine and keep it up for six months: the gap closes faster than you think.

Priority action plan

1. Claim your listing on Google Business Profile, verify ownership and remove duplicates.

2. Fill in every field: exact primary category, up-to-date hours, service area, attributes, real photos.

3. Set up a review routine: systematic request after every job, direct link or QR code, single follow-up.

4. Reply to 100% of reviews, positive and negative alike, within a few days.

5. Lock down your NAP on all your materials, then create a sincere local page for each important area.

Nearby search is one of the rare channels where regular effort beats budget: a living listing, maintained reviews and a consistent site are enough against bigger players. A work of discipline more than of technique: the businesses that stick with it scoop the pot, query after query.

Need a hand structuring your local presence? NTO Digital supports Belgian shops and SMEs with SEO, local included: discover our way of working.