How to get your trade business into Google's map pack
The three map results at the top of local searches win most of the calls. Here's what actually decides who appears there, and what you can do about it.
Search "electrician near me" or "plumber in Rawtenstall" and Google usually shows a map with three businesses underneath it before any normal website results. That block is known as the map pack (or local pack), and for trades and local services it's where a large share of calls come from.
The good news: it isn't reserved for big companies. A one-person business in Bacup can outrank a national chain here, because Google is mostly trying to answer one question — which nearby businesses are most relevant and trustworthy for this search?
What Google looks at
Google says local results are based on three things:
- Relevance — how well your listing matches what someone searched for.
- Distance — how close you are to the searcher, or the area they named.
- Prominence — how well-known and trusted your business looks online.
You can't change where a customer is standing, so the work goes into relevance and prominence.
1. Get your Google Business Profile right
Your Google Business Profile is the listing that actually appears in the map pack, so it matters more than anything else here.
- Choose the most accurate primary category — "Electrician", not "Contractor".
- Fill in every field: services, service areas, opening hours, description, photos.
- Keep your business name exactly as it appears on your van and invoices — don't stuff keywords into it.
- Post updates and new photos regularly so the listing looks active.
2. Make your name, address and phone number consistent
Google cross-checks your details across the web: directories, social profiles, your own website. If one site says "Unit 3", another "Unit 3B" and a third has an old phone number, it's harder for Google to be confident about you.
Pick one exact version of your name, address and number, and make every listing match it.
3. Build up genuine reviews
Reviews are one of the clearest trust signals you have, both to Google and to the customer comparing three businesses side by side.
- Ask every happy customer — a short text with your review link after the job is done works well.
- Reply to every review, good or bad. A calm, helpful reply to a bad review often reassures people more than the review worries them.
- Never buy reviews or offer incentives for them; it breaks Google's rules and can get your listing suspended.
4. Give your website a page for each service and area
Your website supports your listing. A single "Services" page rarely ranks well. Separate pages — "Rewiring in Rossendale", "EV charger installation in Bury" — give Google clear, specific pages to connect with specific searches.
5. Be patient, and be consistent
Local rankings usually move over weeks rather than days. The businesses that win the map pack tend to be the ones that keep their profile active, keep collecting reviews and keep their details tidy month after month.
If you'd rather have this handled for you, our Local SEO service covers all of it for £99 a month, with no lock-in.
James Pickles is the founder of Click Converters in Rossendale, building and ranking websites for tradespeople and local businesses across East Lancashire. More about James
