If you run a service business in Ireland, Google Maps is often the highest value place you can appear online. These are not casual browsers. They are people looking for a solution right now. They search “near me,” scan the top listings, check reviews, then call or message the business they trust most.
That is why it feels so frustrating when you know you do great work, but your competitor shows up first. You might even have a better website, better service and better pricing, yet Google Maps keeps favouring someone else.
The good news is that ranking higher in Google Maps is not about luck. It is usually about fundamentals. Google uses clear signals to decide who deserves to appear. Once you improve those signals, results often follow quickly.
This guide walks you through 10 proven ways to improve your Google Maps rankings in your county, using practical examples and clear actions.
Google Maps results are mainly influenced by three factors: relevance, distance and prominence.
Relevance means how well your business matches what a person searches for. Distance is how close you are to the searcher or the location they type in. Prominence is trust. It includes reviews, consistency across the web, business activity, photos and overall credibility.
You cannot control distance, but you can control relevance and prominence. That is where the wins come from.
Read More: Local SEO for Irish Businesses: A Complete Beginner’s Guide
Your primary category is one of the strongest ranking signals. Many businesses choose something vague, or they pick a category that feels accurate but does not match what customers search.
For example, a contractor might choose “Construction Company,” but most customers search for “Builder,” “Renovations” or “Home Improvements.” A solicitor might choose a broad legal category, but they actually want to be found for “Conveyancing” or “Probate solicitor.”
Your category should match the service you most want to rank for. You can add secondary categories too, but the primary category carries the most weight.
NAP means Name, Address and Phone number. Google cross-checks this information across the internet.
If your Google profile says “Main Street” and a directory says “Main St.” or an older listing has a previous phone number, it creates confusion. Confusion lowers trust, and trust affects rankings.
This is one of the most common reasons businesses do not rank. They are not doing anything wrong today, but old listings from years ago are still out there.
A simple fix is to standardise the same business name, address formatting and phone number across Google, your website and top directories.
If you serve multiple towns or counties, set your service areas correctly in Google Business Profile. However, avoid adding every county in Ireland unless you truly serve them. Google wants accuracy.
If you are based in Mayo but claim you serve Dublin, Cork, Galway and Waterford, the profile becomes less believable and less relevant.
A better approach is to list your actual service radius or the key counties you realistically cover, then support those areas with website content and proof.
Many Google Business descriptions are either empty or full of generic marketing language. This is a missed opportunity.
A good description should clearly state what you do, who you serve and where you serve, in natural language.
For example, an electrician might write: “We provide domestic and commercial electrical services across County Galway, including emergency call-outs, rewires and inspections.”
This helps relevance and builds trust. It also aligns your profile with real search behaviour.
Photos are not just for appearance. They signal activity, legitimacy and real-world presence.
Businesses that upload consistent, real photos often rank higher than businesses with no photos or only stock images. Photos also improve conversions because customers trust what they can see.
Aim to upload photos of your team, work, premises, vehicles, before-and-after results and anything that proves you are real. It does not need to be perfect, but it must be authentic and updated.
Reviews are one of the strongest drivers of both rankings and conversions. A business with consistent, recent reviews often outranks a business with older reviews, even if the total number is lower.
The best approach is to build a simple review system. After every completed job or happy client moment, send a review request link. Make it routine.
If you have ten five-star reviews but they are all from two years ago, it does not feel active. If you have three new reviews this month, it signals momentum.
Replying to reviews is often overlooked, but it matters. It shows customers that you care and it shows Google that you are active.
The replies should sound human. They should mention the service where relevant, and they should thank the customer properly.
For example: “Thanks so much, John. Delighted we could help with the boiler service in Castlebar. If you ever need anything again, give us a shout.”
This strengthens trust and improves conversion rates, even beyond ranking impact.
A common issue is that businesses try to rank on Maps for multiple towns, but their website has no pages supporting those locations.
If you want to rank for “solar installer Clare,” your website should clearly mention County Clare, include relevant work examples or proof, and ideally include a dedicated page supporting that location.
These pages should not be thin or repetitive. They should be useful and specific. They should explain how you work in that county, what services are common there, and what customers can expect.
When Google sees alignment between your website and your Google profile, it increases confidence.
Read More: Local SEO 101: How to get your business discovered locally
Google Business Profile allows you to list services, add products, post updates and answer questions.
Most businesses ignore these features, but they are powerful because they increase relevance and engagement.
Add your main services as structured services. Add short descriptions. Use wording similar to how customers search.
Then add FAQs that answer real questions. This improves trust and helps your profile feel complete.
Google trusts businesses that appear across reputable platforms. This includes directories, local associations, trade bodies and credible listings.
Citations act like confirmations. They reinforce that your business exists and operates where you say it does.
This is where link building and local directory consistency become foundational. It is also one of the quickest wins for many Irish SMEs once done properly.
Read More: The Digital Foundations Checklist Every Small Business Should Have Online
To make this easy to action, here is what a “Google Maps dominance” plan looks like in real life:
1: Fix category, NAP, service areas and description
2: Upload photos, add services, add FAQs, start review system
3: Clean up directory listings and citations
4: Build supporting location pages on the website and strengthen internal linking
5. Ongoing: Reviews, replies, photos and small weekly improvements
It is not complicated. It is consistency.
There is no fixed number, but in most Irish local markets, businesses with 20–50 genuine reviews tend to outperform competitors with fewer reviews. More important than the number alone are recency, response rate and relevance. A steady flow of new reviews signals to Google that your business is active and trusted, which directly supports Maps visibility.
No. You cannot pay Google to improve your organic Google Maps ranking. Paid Google Ads do not influence Maps results. Google Maps rankings are earned through optimisation, reviews, relevance and trust signals. Any service claiming it can directly pay Google to boost Maps rankings should be approached with caution.
The most common mistakes include choosing the wrong business category, having inconsistent contact details across the internet, neglecting reviews, leaving the Google Business Profile incomplete and failing to support Maps rankings with a strong website. Many businesses also stop updating their profile, which signals inactivity. These issues are usually easy to fix once identified, which is why a proper GMB checkup often leads to quick improvements.
In many cases, Google Maps improvements can be seen within a few weeks once the main issues are fixed. Optimising categories, correcting business details, adding photos and beginning a consistent review strategy often lead to noticeable movement quickly. However, competitive areas and larger counties may take longer, especially if competitors have strong authority and review volume. Sustainable rankings come from ongoing consistency rather than one-off changes.
Yes. Buying or artificially boosting Google reviews violates Google’s guidelines and can result in reviews being removed or profiles being suspended. Beyond the risk, fake reviews also damage trust with real customers. The safest and most effective approach is to build reviews naturally by asking real customers at the right time and responding to them properly. Authentic reviews perform better for both rankings and conversions over time.
