Most businesses don’t realise they can add detailed service descriptions to their Google Maps profiles. They list their business name, maybe upload a photo, then wonder why they’re invisible in local searches.
I’ve discovered something critical: many of those service fields are in the background. You can’t actually see them when viewing a profile, but they determine whether you’re even eligible to appear in search results. If you don’t tell Google you do “tree removal in Didsbury,” you’re not competing to rank for that search—you’re simply not in the running at all.
Even businesses with identical review counts see vastly different visibility. The difference? One filled in their services. The other didn’t know they could.
The Two-Tier Visibility Hierarchy
Here’s what actually determines whether you appear in local searches, and it operates on two distinct levels.
First, you must tell Google everything you do. Every service. Every location you cover. Every specific detail about what each service includes. This information goes into fields most business owners never fill because they assume it’s optional or can’t see where it displays. Much of it lives in the background—invisible to customers viewing your profile but absolutely critical for Google’s algorithm.
Without this foundation, you can’t even enter the race. If you haven’t told Google you do “emergency plumbing in Stockport,” you won’t appear when someone searches for that, regardless of how many five-star reviews you have.
Second, once you’re eligible, what customers say about you determines where you rank within those search results. When someone searches for a service in a specific location, Google displays review snippets alongside business listings. These aren’t random. The algorithm pulls reviews that mention the exact service and location someone searched for.
A customer writing “They removed three oak trees from my garden in Didsbury on Tuesday” provides algorithmic proof worth 17% of your Map Pack ranking—far more powerful than you simply stating “we do tree removal.”
You control tier one entirely. Tier two requires doing excellent work and systematically asking for detailed reviews.
The Practical System That Generates Detailed Reviews
Most businesses send a text saying “please leave us a review” and hope for five stars. What they get is either silence or two-word responses like “Great service.”
I use a different approach. When I complete work, customers receive a business card with a QR code that links directly to the Google review box. They scan it whilst I’m still there, and the act of reviewing becomes immediate rather than forgotten.
The follow-up SMS includes specific prompts: Who did you speak to? Why did you need our help? What did we do? What did you think of the service?
Ask and you shall receive. When you give customers a framework, they fill it with exactly the detail Google’s algorithm rewards.
The SMS also warns them they’ll need to log into Google. Sounds trivial, but that unexpected login screen stops more reviews than poor service does. People think it’s suspicious, put their phone down to make tea, and never return.
Content Consistency Across Every Platform
Here’s where most businesses create problems for themselves. The website says one thing, Google Maps says another, and customer reviews mention a third set of terms entirely.
Google sees this inconsistency and treats it as uncertainty about what you actually do.
I solve this through interviews. I ask businesses everything about their services, then use their exact language to create content for both their website and Google Maps profile. When customers later describe the work in reviews, they naturally use similar terminology because that’s how the service was explained to them.
The algorithm recognises this pattern. Website content, business profile, and customer testimonials all reinforce the same message. That’s when visibility increases 2.7 times compared to incomplete profiles.
Quality Creates Quantity
You’ve got to do five-star work to get five-star reviews. That’s the foundation. But if you’re doing excellent work and not asking everyone for reviews, you’re only hearing from people with complaints.
They’ll search you out specifically to leave one star. Meanwhile, your happy customers assume you’re doing fine and never think to help.
The businesses that rank highest don’t have perfect records. They have volume. Fifty reviews at 4.6 stars outranks ten reviews at 5 stars because Google understands that 61% of local searches convert to purchases, and consistent customer validation matters more than isolated perfection.
What you don’t mention can’t be found by Google. What customers mention becomes algorithmic proof that you deliver what you promise.
The system works because it’s honest. Do good work, make asking easy, prompt for detail, and maintain consistent language everywhere customers encounter you.
That’s how invisible profiles become visible.
