The three things Google looks at
Google says local results are based mainly on three things: relevance, distance and prominence.
Relevance is how well your business matches what someone searched for. Distance is how far you are from the person searching, or from the place they named. Prominence is how well known your business is, online and off.
No business can pay to rank higher in these map results. Ads can appear above them, but they're labeled as ads and work separately.
Why your ranking changes from block to block
Because distance is one of the three factors, the same search can give different results a few blocks apart. You might be first in the map when a customer searches from across the street, and invisible to someone searching a mile away.
That's why a single search from your own phone tells you very little. A more honest picture comes from searching the same term from many points around your business, for example a grid of 49 points over a few miles, and noting your position at each one.
What that looks like in real life
For K'Chapas, a restaurant in Doral, a 49-point scan for “cachapas” in July 2026 showed it in Google's top 3 at none of the points, with an average position of 14.4. On the same map and search in September 2026, it was in the top 3 at 89.8% of the points, with an average position of 2.2.
The map didn't change and the restaurant didn't move. What changed was how clearly its profile, website and listings told Google what it was and where.
What you can control
Relevance: pick the right primary category, list every service you offer, and keep your hours and details accurate. Your website should say the same things, in the words customers use, in English and Spanish if your customers speak both.
Prominence: reviews matter, both how many and what they say, and replying to them shows you're active. Being listed consistently in other directories (same name, address and phone everywhere) helps Google trust that the information is right.
Distance: you can't move your business, but you can make sure your address or service area is set correctly, so Google knows where you are and who you serve.
Measure it the same way every time
Whatever you change, check the result the same way: the same searches, from the same points, on a regular schedule. That's the only way to tell a real change from a lucky search.
Source for the three ranking factors and for paid ranking: Google Business Profile Help, the article on improving your local ranking on Google.