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Google Map Pack ranking · Bromley & South East LondonGoogle Map Pack ranking: be one of the three businesses people see first.

The Map Pack is the box of three businesses Google shows at the top of almost every local search. Being in it, across the whole area you serve rather than just your own street, is what separates busy local businesses from quiet ones. We get you there and keep you there.

Free 20-minute call first. Then a free ranking map of your area, worth £300, showing exactly where you stand.

How Google chooses the three

Google says the Map Pack is ranked on relevance, distance and prominence. In practice that means: does your profile clearly match the search, how close are you to the searcher, and how much does the web trust you. You can influence two of the three a great deal, and the third more than most people think.

Relevance

category + services: the right primary category and a services list that matches real searches. The biggest single lever, and the most often wrong.

Distance

to the searcher: you can't move your premises, but service-area settings, citations and local content decide how far out you rank.

Prominence

reviews + web trust: review count, recency and replies, consistent listings, local links and a website that mentions where you work.

What actually moves Map Pack rankings

A lot is written about local ranking factors. From running this for South East London businesses, these are the ones that move the needle, roughly in order.

The first thing to understand is that there is no single Map Pack ranking. Google shows a different three businesses depending on where the searcher is standing, so a business can be number one in Orpington and invisible in Petts Wood, two miles away. That is why we track your rank on a grid of points across your service area, and why the goal is to widen the patch where you appear rather than to chase a single position.

The second is that the ranking factors interact with the category. In a category with little competition, a correct primary category, complete profile and a dozen good reviews will put you in the top three across a wide area within weeks. In a crowded category, in a town centre like Bromley or Croydon, the businesses above you have hundreds of reviews, years of activity and strong websites, and the plan has to build prominence steadily over months. The free audit tells you which situation you're in, so you can decide with facts.

The third is that the Map Pack is not separate from the rest of your marketing. Reviews come from happy customers and a system for asking. Web trust comes from consistent listings, local links and a website that says clearly what you do and where. Behaviour signals come from a profile that people actually click, call and get directions from. So while this page is about the map box, the work behind it touches your profile, your website and your reviews together.

  • Primary category auditchecked against what actually ranks for your searches in your area
  • Grid rank trackingyour position measured across a grid of points over your service area, monthly
  • Competitor teardownwhy the three above you are above you, factor by factor
  • Profile completeness and activityservices, photos, posts, Q&A and attributes kept current
  • Review velocitya steady flow of recent, replied-to reviews, the strongest prominence signal
  • Citation consistencyname, address and phone identical on Bing, Apple and the directories Google trusts
  • Website local signalslocation and service pages that tell Google where you work
  • Local linksa handful of genuine local mentions: networks, sponsorships, suppliers
  • Spam removalfake and keyword-stuffed competitor listings reported and taken down
  • Monthly ranking reportthe grid map, the movement, and what we’re doing next

How it works

Measure first, fix in order of impact, then keep widening the area where you show up.

Week 1

Baseline ranking map

We scan your rank across a grid over your service area for your main searches and show you the map: green where you appear, red where you don’t.

Weeks 2–4

Relevance fixes

Category, services, description, service area and citation consistency corrected. These usually produce the first visible movement.

Months 2–3

Prominence build

Reviews flowing and replied to, profile active weekly, local pages on your website, first local links.

Monthly

Track, widen, defend

Re-scan the grid, report the movement, push into the next neighbourhood, and deal with any spam or new competitor.

What it means for your business

The practical results owners notice.

Found across your whole patch

Appear in the top three in Beckenham and Chislehurst, not only outside your own door in Bromley.

You see what we see

The monthly grid map shows your rank point by point. No jargon, no vanity numbers, just where you show up and where you don’t yet.

Effort where it counts

We fix the factor that’s actually holding you back, in the order that produces movement, instead of doing everything at once.

Better enquiries

Map Pack searchers are ready to buy now. Ranking for your most profitable services brings the jobs you want, not just more of any job.

Defended

Rankings are won and then attacked, by new competitors and by spam listings. Monthly monitoring catches it before you notice the phone go quiet.

Priced around your budget

Part of Be Found First, from £300 a month. No fixed package: a plan sized to what you can comfortably invest.

Across South East London and North West Kent

We track and improve Map Pack rankings for businesses across Bromley, Orpington, Bexley, Greenwich, Lewisham, Southwark, Dartford, Sevenoaks and Croydon. Because the map box changes street by street, knowing these areas on the ground is part of the job.

BromleyOrpingtonBexleyGreenwichLewishamSouthwarkDartfordSevenoaksCroydon

Searches we work on

  • "emergency plumber near me"
  • "dentist Bromley"
  • "roofer Bexleyheath"
  • "physio Eltham"
  • "MOT Orpington"
  • "solicitor Croydon"

What it costs

Map Pack ranking is delivered as part of our Be Found First service. Plans start from £300 a month, built around your budget, with a three-month start and then rolling monthly. It begins with a free 20-minute call and a free ranking map of your area worth £300.

Questions owners ask us

What is the Google Map Pack?

The block of three businesses, with a map, that Google shows at the top of local searches such as "electrician near me" or "dentist Bromley". It appears above the normal website results and takes most of the clicks. It's also called the local pack or the 3-pack.

Why do I rank well from my office but not two miles away?

Because distance to the searcher is one of the three ranking factors, and because Google shows a different three businesses for every location. Your rank from your own postcode tells you very little. We measure across a grid of points over your service area so you can see, and widen, the real patch where you appear.

Can I pay to be in the Map Pack?

There are paid ads that can appear above or within the map results, but the three organic positions can't be bought. They're earned through relevance, distance and prominence, which is what this service works on. Ads can be a useful addition; they're not a substitute.

How long does it take to get into the top three?

It depends on the category and the area. Where competition is light, correct set-up and a dozen good reviews can do it within a month or two. In crowded town-centre categories it can take six months of steady work. The free audit shows you where you are and which it will be before you spend anything.

Do reviews really affect ranking?

Yes, strongly. The number, the recency, the star rating and whether you reply all feed the prominence factor, and a profile that gets a new review every week signals a live business. Reviews also decide whether a searcher chooses you once you're in the three.

Does my website affect the Map Pack?

Yes, through the prominence factor. Google uses your website to confirm what you do and where, and to gauge trust. A site with clear service and location pages, fast on mobile, helps; a broken or empty one holds you back. In competitive categories it's often the difference between fourth and third.

Free · no obligation

See how your profile and rankings look today

Send us your business name and postcode. We'll show you where you rank for your main searches across your area, who is beating you and why, and the three fixes that matter most. It starts with a free 20-minute call, and it's worth £300.

  • Your Google, Bing and Apple profiles checked
  • Rank across your area, neighbourhood by neighbourhood
  • Reviews, listings and website snapshot
  • A short plain-English report on WhatsApp