How to rank higher on Google Maps in Dubai

Someone in Jumeirah Lakes Towers types “barber near me” on the way home. Google shows a short list on a map, with ratings and opening hours. The barbers who are on that list get the call. The rest are further down, or nowhere.

What Google says decides the ranking

Google's help page on local ranking names three factors.

• Relevance. How well your Business Profile matches what the person searched for.
• Distance. How far your business is from the person searching.
• Prominence. How well known your business is.

The same page is clear on one point: there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google. Ads are a separate product and are labelled as ads.

What you can control

You cannot move your shop closer to the customer. You can work on the other two factors, and Google's guidance gives a plain list.

• A complete profile. Address, opening hours, category and attributes such as parking or Wi-Fi, all filled in and accurate.
• The right category. Google asks for as few categories as possible that describe your core business, and for categories that say what the business is, not what it has.
• Hours that are true. Regular opening hours, and special hours for public holidays and for Ramadan, set in advance.
• Reviews. More reviews and positive ratings can help your local ranking, and Google recommends replying to them.
• A website that matches. The same name, address and phone number on your website as on your profile.

The name rule that gets profiles suspended

Google asks for the real-world name of your business, the one on your signboard and your website. Marketing taglines, hours, phone numbers, web addresses, service descriptions and location details such as “near the Marina” do not belong in the name, and Google says including them can lead to suspension. Adding a keyword to the name to rank higher is the usual way owners get this wrong.

Reviews: ask for them, never pay for them

After a good haircut, a good meal or a good appointment, send a short WhatsApp message with the link to your review page. Reply to every review, the good and the bad, in a calm tone.

Google's contribution policy forbids offering payment, discounts or free goods or services in exchange for a review, and forbids asking for content that does not reflect a genuine experience. It also prohibits offering an incentive to have a negative review changed or removed. Google says it removes fake engagement and can restrict profiles that break the rules, for example by blocking new reviews or showing a warning on the profile.

If you serve customers at their door

A plumber, a mobile salon or a cleaning company works at the customer's address. Google calls these service-area businesses and asks them to hide their own address and show the areas they serve instead. A service area should stay within about two hours of driving from where the business is based. Businesses that are not eligible include a virtual office, meaning a rented mailing address that you do not operate from.

Your website supports your profile

Google reads your website to understand your business. Put the same name, address, phone number and opening hours on the site, add a page for each service, and mark the details up with structured data. We explain how in structured data for a local business. Answering the questions customers ask also helps with SEO.

Questions