Short answer: Google ranks local businesses on three things: relevance (how well you match the search), distance (how close you are to the searcher), and prominence (how well known and trusted you are). The contractors at the top usually win on prominence: more reviews, a more complete profile, a stronger website, and more mentions around the web.
It is frustrating to see a competitor with worse work outrank you. But Google cannot see the quality of your work directly. It can only see signals, and some businesses send much stronger ones.
Google has said publicly that local results are based mainly on three factors. Understanding them tells you where to put your effort.
1. Relevance: do you match what they searched?
Relevance is how well your business matches the search. If someone searches “ice dam removal” and your profile only says “Roofing,” Google has less reason to show you.
- A precise primary category, like “Roofing contractor.”
- Every service listed individually on your profile.
- A dedicated page on your website for each main service.
- Reviews that mention the work you do.
Relevance is the easiest factor to improve, and most contractors leave it half done.
2. Distance: how close are you?
Google considers how far your business is from the person searching, or from the town they mention. A contractor based in Shrewsbury has a natural edge for searches in Shrewsbury.
You cannot change where you are based, and you should not fake an address to look closer. That breaks Google’s guidelines and can get your profile suspended. What you can do is be the strongest choice in the towns near you, and build genuine pages for the towns you serve.
3. Prominence: how well known are you?
Prominence is how established and trusted your business looks across the web. This is usually what separates the top three from everyone else.
- The number and quality of your Google reviews, and how recent they are.
- How complete and active your Google Business Profile is.
- Your website’s strength, including links from other sites.
- Consistent business details on directories and listings.
- Mentions in local news, associations, and supplier sites.
Why a newer competitor can outrank you
Years in business do not automatically count. A newer company that collects reviews after every job, posts weekly, and has a clear website will often outrank an established contractor whose profile has not changed in years.
The good news is that works in your favor too. Prominence is built by habits, not by luck.
What you can change this month
- Fix your categories and list every service on your Google Business Profile.
- Ask every customer from the past month for a review.
- Make sure your name, address, and phone match everywhere.
- Add photos of recent jobs and start posting weekly.
- Create or improve the page for your most profitable service.
Why rankings look different for different people
If you search on your phone at home and a customer searches from across town, you will often see different results. Local rankings depend on where the searcher is, so there is no single “rank” for your business.
That is why checking your own position once from your office can be misleading. Look at results from a few different towns you serve, or use a local rank tracking tool that checks from multiple points on a map.
How to see what the leaders are doing
Search for your main service in your town and look at the top three. Count their reviews, check their categories and photos, and look at their websites. The gap between you and them is your to-do list. We walk through this in more detail in why competitors show up before you.
Related reading
- Why Are My Competitors Showing Up Before Me on Google?
- How to Rank in Worcester’s Google Map Pack
- How to Optimize Your Google Business Profile for More Calls
Want to know exactly why a competitor outranks you? Tell us who it is. We will compare your profile and website side by side and show you the gaps that matter most.
Written by
Mardochee Carries
Managing Director | Brandcastl
Mardochee leads Brandcastl, a Worcester, MA marketing agency that helps local businesses get found on Google and turn searches into booked jobs.
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