Start with NAP consistency
NAP stands for name, address, and phone number. Google, Bing, Apple Maps, and AI assistants like ChatGPT compare these details across the web to confirm you're a real business. When the details match, they trust you more. When they don't, they hesitate.
Small differences cause real problems. A few we see all the time:
- "Smith Plumbing LLC" on one site and "Smith Plumbing & Drain" on another.
- An old phone number left on Yelp after you switched carriers.
- A call-tracking number used as your main listing number.
- A previous office address still sitting on a directory you forgot about.
Pick one exact version of your name, address, and phone, then use it everywhere. Write it down. If you work from home and serve customers at their location, you can hide your street address on Google. Just keep the rest identical.
Set up your Google Business Profile properly
Your Google Business Profile (it used to be called Google My Business) is the listing that shows up on Google Maps and in the map results. For most local service companies, it brings in more calls than the website does.
Choose the right primary category
Your primary category matters more than almost anything else on the profile. If you're an HVAC company, "HVAC contractor" beats a vague "Contractor." Add secondary categories for the other work you actually do, and leave off the ones you don't.
Set your service area honestly
List the cities or ZIP codes you really drive to. Listing an entire state usually won't help you show up in towns far from your location.
Keep it active
- Upload job-site photos every week or two. Real photos, not stock images.
- Fill out your services list with short, plain descriptions.
- Answer every review, good or bad, within a few days.
- Keep holiday and after-hours schedules up to date.
Clean up your directory listings
Your business is probably already listed on dozens of sites, whether you created those listings or not. Data companies copy business details from one source to the next. So if one listing is wrong, the mistake can spread.
Start with the listings that matter most:
- Apple Maps (through Apple Business Connect)
- Bing Places
- Yelp
- Better Business Bureau
- Industry sites like Angi or Houzz, if your trade uses them
Check each one against your official NAP. Fix the wrong ones and claim any you don't control. If you find duplicates, merge them or remove the extra copies. This matters more now that people ask AI tools for recommendations. Those tools pull from the same listings, and they can repeat bad information.
How Google Maps decides who shows up
Google says it ranks local results using three factors:
- Relevance: how well your profile matches what was searched.
- Distance: how far you are from the searcher or the searched location.
- Prominence: how well known and trusted your business looks online.
You can't change distance. You can improve the other two. Relevance comes from accurate categories, services, and descriptions. Prominence comes from steady new reviews, consistent listings, and a website that clearly says what you do and where you do it. Nobody can promise a top spot, but these basics are what move you up.
A 30-minute local SEO check you can do today
- Google your business name. Does your profile show the right phone and hours?
- Search your main service plus your city. Are you in the top three map results?
- Look yourself up on Apple Maps, Bing, and Yelp. Do the details match?
- Count reviews from the last 90 days. Are new ones still coming in?
- Open your website on your phone. Can you find your phone number in five seconds?
If two or more of those answers were "no," you're probably losing calls to competitors who aren't any better at the work. They're just easier to find.
Want us to check it for you?
The free Local Authority Checkup looks at how your business shows up across search, maps, and reviews. It also tells you what to fix first. If you serve Melissa, McKinney, or other parts of Texas, see our service areas.