How to rank your restaurant higher on Google Maps

When someone searches "sushi near me" or "best butter chicken Surrey", Google shows a map with a handful of restaurants. That map pack is where most diners decide where to eat, often without ever visiting a website. If you're not in it, you're mostly invisible for that search.

How Google decides who shows up

Google says local results are based mainly on three things (Google):

• Relevance: how well your profile matches what someone searched for.
• Distance: how far you are from the searcher, or from the area they searched.
• Prominence: how well-known you are, including how many reviews you have, your ratings and how many websites link to you.

You can't move your restaurant closer to every customer. But relevance and prominence are largely in your control, and that's where every fix below comes in.

1. Get your profile basics exactly right

• Use your real name. Google's guidelines say your business name should match your real-world name, and that adding unnecessary information to it isn't permitted (Google). "Raj's Kitchen" is fine. "Raj's Kitchen Best Indian Food Surrey Halal" risks a suspension.
• Choose your primary category carefully. Pick the most specific category that describes what your restaurant is, such as "Indian restaurant" rather than just "Restaurant". Google advises using as few categories as possible and not using them as keywords (Google).
• Keep hours accurate, including holidays. Wrong hours lead to bad experiences and bad reviews.
• Fill in every attribute that applies: dine-in, takeout, delivery, patio, vegetarian options, wheelchair access, reservations and so on. Attributes help you match more specific searches.

2. Put your menu on Google

Food and drink businesses can add a menu directly to their Business Profile with Google's menu editor, upload menu photos or a PDF, and add a menu link (Google). A complete menu helps Google match you to searches for specific dishes, not just your cuisine.

• Add your signature dishes with clear names and short descriptions.
• Upload clear menu photos as a backup, and remove outdated ones.
• Check what Google has pulled from your website. Google may transcribe menu data from your site, and you can edit or remove incorrect items (Google).

3. Post photos every week

Photos are often the first thing diners look at. Upload real photos of your dishes, your dining room, your patio and your exterior so people recognize you from the street. Aim for a few new photos every week rather than a big batch once a year. Recent photos show the restaurant is active and help diners know what to expect.

4. Build a steady stream of reviews

Reviews feed directly into prominence: Google says "more reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking" (Google). Ask every guest, make it easy with a QR code on the table or the receipt, and reply to every review. Never offer a discount or a free dessert in exchange. Our guide on how to get more Google reviews covers exactly how to do it within Google's rules.

5. Make it easy to order and book

Add your reservation and online ordering links to your profile. If you take orders on your own website, link to that first. It keeps the customer, and the margin, with you instead of a delivery app. Restaurants on Clover can do this with commission-free online ordering that prints straight to the kitchen.

6. Back it up with your website

Your Google profile and your website work together. Make sure your website shows the same name, address and phone number as your profile, loads fast on a phone, has your menu as real text (not just a PDF), and clearly says what neighbourhood you're in. Mentions and links from local food blogs, news sites and community pages also add to your prominence.

7. Keep the profile active

• Publish a Google Post every week: a new dish, a special, an event or a holiday menu.
• Check your profile regularly for edits suggested by Google or the public, and correct anything wrong.
• Watch your ranking for your top two or three searches each month to see whether the changes are working.

A quick checklist

1. Business name matches your sign, with no extra keywords.
2. The most specific primary category, plus a few relevant secondary ones.
3. Hours, holiday hours and attributes complete and accurate.
4. Full menu on Google, with no outdated items.
5. New photos every week.
6. A review QR code at every table or on every receipt, and a reply to every review.
7. Reservation and ordering links added.
8. Website matches your profile and loads fast on mobile.

Want us to run it for you? Our Google Business Profile management covers all of this every week for restaurants across Metro Vancouver and Vancouver Island.