Your Google Business Profile is probably the single most underutilized marketing asset your business has. Most small business owners set it up once, never touched it again, and assume it’s “handled.” Meanwhile their competitors — who are actively maintaining their profiles — are showing up in the map pack and getting calls that should be going to you.

This guide covers exactly what Google looks at when deciding who shows up in local map results, and what you can do right now to improve your chances. This applies to every type of local business in Minnesota — contractors, service businesses, retailers, professionals — anyone who wants customers in their area to find them.

First: What is the Google Map Pack and why does it matter?

When someone searches for a local service — “roofer near me,” “web design Cambridge MN,” “concrete contractor Isanti County” — Google shows a map at the top of the results with three businesses pinned on it. That section is called the map pack, or local pack.

The map pack gets the majority of clicks for local searches. Studies consistently show that the three businesses in the map pack capture more attention and more clicks than the organic website results below them. If you’re ranking #1 in regular Google search but not in the map pack, you’re still losing a significant portion of potential customers to whoever is in those three spots.

Getting into the map pack requires a properly optimized Google Business Profile — and it’s one of the highest-ROI things a local business can do with their time.

1. Claim and verify your profile if you haven’t already

This sounds obvious, but a surprising number of Minnesota businesses are running on auto-generated Google profiles they’ve never claimed. Google creates basic profiles for businesses automatically from public data — and those profiles are often wrong, incomplete, or missing entirely.

Go to business.google.com and search for your business. If a profile exists, claim it. If one doesn’t exist, create it. Verification typically happens by postcard (Google mails a code to your business address) or by phone or video depending on your business type.

You cannot fully optimize or respond to reviews on an unclaimed profile. This is step zero.

2. Choose the right primary category

Your primary business category is one of the most important ranking signals in the map pack. Google uses it to decide which searches to show your profile for. Get it wrong and you’ll rank for searches that don’t bring you customers — or not rank at all for the searches that matter.

The rule: choose the most specific category that accurately describes your main business, not the broadest one. “Roofing contractor” beats “contractor.” “Website designer” beats “marketing agency” if website design is your primary service. “Concrete contractor” beats “construction company.”

You can add up to 9 additional categories — use them to cover the other services you offer. But your primary category should be the one thing you most want to rank for.

3. Fill out every single field completely

Google rewards completeness. An incomplete profile signals to Google that you haven’t invested in this channel and may not be actively running your business. A complete profile signals legitimacy and relevance.

Fields that matter most:

• Business name — use your real business name exactly as it appears on your website and other listings. Don’t keyword-stuff it (“Bob’s Roofing | Best Roofer Cambridge MN” is against Google’s guidelines and can get you suspended).
• Address and service area — if you serve customers at their location (contractors, photographers, etc.), set up a service area instead of or in addition to a physical address. Add every city you actually serve.
• Phone number — must match exactly what’s on your website. This is NAP consistency and it affects rankings.
• Website URL — link to your homepage or a relevant landing page.
• Hours — keep these accurate and updated. Include special hours for holidays.
• Description — write a clear, keyword-rich description of what you do and where you do it. 750 characters max. Don’t stuff keywords unnaturally — write for a human first, but naturally include your main services and location.
• Services — add every service you offer using Google’s services feature. This helps you show up for specific service searches.
• From the business — the attributes section that lets you describe your business (“Woman-owned,” “Locally owned,” etc.). Fill these in — they show in your profile and add credibility.

4. Add photos — real ones, regularly

Profiles with photos get significantly more clicks and direction requests than profiles without them. Google tracks engagement with your profile — how many people click, call, or ask for directions — and uses that as a ranking signal. More photos means more engagement means better rankings.

What to upload:

• Cover photo — your best, most professional image. Should represent your business clearly. For contractors: a great finished project photo. For service businesses: your workspace or team.
• Logo — clean, high-resolution version of your logo.
• Interior and exterior photos — if you have a physical location.
• Work photos — for contractors and service businesses, before-and-after photos of completed projects are gold. Real work builds real trust.
• Team photos — people trust people. A photo of you or your team makes the business feel real and approachable.

Upload new photos regularly — at least once a month. This signals to Google that your profile is active and maintained. Profiles that haven’t been updated in months lose ranking ground to profiles that are actively managed.

If you need professional photos of your work or team, we offer on-location business photography across Minnesota. It’s one of the highest-ROI investments you can make in your Google Business Profile.

5. Get more Google reviews — and respond to all of them

Reviews are the most powerful ranking factor in the map pack that you can directly influence. Google looks at three things: review quantity, review quality (star rating), and review recency. All three matter.

A business with 50 reviews averaging 4.8 stars will almost always outrank a business with 10 reviews averaging 5.0 stars. Volume combined with quality wins.

How to get more reviews:

• Get your direct review link from your Google Business Profile dashboard (“Ask for reviews” button) and save it.
• After every completed job or project, text or email the customer that link with a simple ask: “If you were happy with the work, I’d really appreciate a Google review — it helps a lot. Here’s the link: [link]”
• Make it a habit, not a one-time campaign. One review a week over a year is 50 reviews.
• Don’t offer incentives for reviews — Google prohibits it and it can get your profile penalized.

Respond to every review — positive and negative. Google considers response rate as a signal of business activity. For positive reviews, a short genuine thank-you is enough. For negative reviews, respond professionally, acknowledge the concern, and offer to make it right. Never argue or be defensive — future customers are reading your responses as much as the reviews themselves.

6. Use Google Posts regularly

Google Posts are short updates you can publish directly to your Business Profile — they show up in your profile in search results and on Google Maps. Most businesses never use them. That’s a missed opportunity.

Post about:

• Recently completed projects with a photo
• Seasonal promotions or services
• New services you’re offering
• Blog posts or useful tips
• Local events or community involvement

Posts expire after 7 days so you need to post consistently. Once a week is ideal — once every two weeks is the minimum to stay active. This is one of the signals Google uses to determine if a business is actively operating.

7. Keep your NAP consistent everywhere

NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone — the three core pieces of identifying information Google uses to verify your business. If your NAP is inconsistent across your website, Google Business Profile, Facebook, Yelp, and other directories, Google loses confidence in your listing and it hurts your map pack ranking.

Your business name, address, and phone number should be identical everywhere — same formatting, same abbreviations, same everything. If your website says “763-415-7502” and your Yelp listing says “763.415.7502,” that inconsistency matters. Pick one format and standardize it everywhere.

This is also why we recommend getting listed in local directories — Yelp, BBB, Thumbtack, and industry-specific directories. Each one is a citation that reinforces your NAP data and signals to Google that your business is real and established.

8. Answer questions in the Q&A section

Google Business Profiles have a Q&A section where anyone can ask questions — and anyone can answer them. If you’re not monitoring this, competitors or random people might be answering questions about your business incorrectly.

Proactively add your own questions and answers covering the things customers most commonly ask — pricing ranges, service areas, turnaround times, whether you’re licensed and insured. This also adds keyword-rich content to your profile that can help with rankings.

How long does it take to see results?

Some improvements are fast — updating your hours, adding photos, responding to reviews — and you may see movement in the map pack within a few weeks. Building up review volume takes longer, typically 2-4 months of consistent effort before you see significant ranking improvement from reviews alone.

The businesses that win in local search are the ones that treat their Google Business Profile as an ongoing marketing channel — not a one-time setup. Fifteen minutes a week maintaining your profile will outperform a business that set it up two years ago and never touched it again.

Want help with your Google Business Profile?

At Wyfi Marketing we help Minnesota contractors and small businesses get their local SEO dialed in — Google Business Profile optimization, website design built for local search, and professional photography that makes your profile stand out. We serve businesses across Cambridge, Isanti, Elk River, Forest Lake, North Branch, and across Minnesota.

If you want a free look at your current Google Business Profile and honest feedback on what’s holding you back, reach out here or call us at 763-415-7502.