Google Maps Ranking Case Study: From Not Found to Number One in 8 Months

Business owners often ask us what local SEO actually looks like once it starts working. The clearest proof is a Google Maps ranking map. It shows, street by street, where your business appears when customers search for what you do. This case study walks through the real maps for one of our clients, before and after eight months of work. We have kept the business name and town private, so the searches are shown with [town] in place of the location.

Where the business started

The business is a plumbing and heating company with a good reputation and plenty of happy customers. The problem was that new customers searching on Google Maps were not finding it. Competitors with stronger profiles were taking the calls instead.

When we first tracked its Google Maps ranking in March 2026, this is where it stood for its three most important searches:

• local plumber [town]: not found in the top 20 at any of the 34 points we check
• plumbing services [town]: 8th overall against local competitors
• plumber [town]: 6th overall, and outside the top 20 in large parts of the area

It also had just 5 Google reviews at the start of the year, which made it hard to compete with businesses that had dozens.

How to read a Google Maps ranking map

Your Google Maps ranking depends on where the customer is standing when they search. Someone searching from one side of town can see completely different results to someone a few miles away. A ranking map shows this by running the same search from a grid of points across the area and recording where the business appears at each one.

For this business we check 34 points covering roughly 20km around its base. Each circle on the maps below is one of those points, and the number inside is the business’s position in the Google Maps results from that spot.

• Green: positions 1 to 3, the top of the map results
• Orange: positions 4 to 10
• Pink: positions 11 to 20
• Dark red: not in the top 20 at all

Key point: the top three map results take the large majority of clicks and calls. Moving your Google Maps ranking from orange and red into green is where the enquiries start to come in.

The results eight months later

We compared the first Google Maps ranking scan on 2 March 2026 with the latest on 4 November 2026. The maps speak for themselves.

“local plumber [town]”: not found to number one everywhere

In March the business did not appear at all for this search. Every point on the map was dark red. Today it is number one at all 34 points, right across the area.

“plumbing services [town]”: 8th to 1st

The business started in 8th place overall, with an average map position of 13.7 and no points in the top three. It is now 1st overall, with an average position of 1.5. It ranks first at 23 of the 34 points and in the top three at 32 of them.

“plumber [town]”: 6th to the top two everywhere

This is the most competitive of the three searches. In March the business was 6th overall with an average position of 13.0, and only 4 of the 34 points were in the top three. Today every single point is in the top two, with an average position of 1.6.

Against local competitors

Across the whole area, here is where the business now ranks against every other plumbing business showing in the map results:

• local plumber [town]: not found to 1st
• plumbing services [town]: 8th to 1st
• boiler installation [town]: 5th to 1st
• plumber [town]: 6th to 2nd
• new boiler [town]: 6th to 2nd

What improved the Google Maps ranking

There was no single trick behind this Google Maps ranking improvement. Google ranks local businesses on how relevant they are to the search, how close they are to the person searching and how well known and trusted they are. Google explains this itself in its guide to improving your local ranking. We worked on the parts a business can influence, every month.

A website built to rank locally

We built a new, fast website around the services the business offers and the areas it covers. That gives Google a clear picture of what the business does and where, which is the foundation everything else builds on. You can read more about how we approach this on our local SEO services page.

Monthly local SEO

Rankings like these are not won in a week. Ongoing work every month strengthened the website and the business’s presence across the web, building up the trust signals Google looks for when it decides who to show first.

An active Google Business Profile

We manage the business’s Google Business Profile for it, with 29 posts published since March. A profile that is complete, accurate and regularly updated tells Google the business is active and relevant, all within Google’s own guidelines.

Reviews that keep coming in

The business went from 5 Google reviews in February to 72 today, all five stars. Steady, genuine reviews are one of the strongest local ranking signals there is, and they also help customers choose you once they find you. Our guide on how to get more Google reviews covers the approach.

Key point: each of these helps your Google Maps ranking on its own, but the results above came from all four working together, consistently, month after month.

What this means for your business

Every business starts from a different place, so it is worth being clear about what affects your own Google Maps ranking and how far the green spreads.

Distance from your base

Google measures map rankings from your business’s registered address, even if you have chosen to hide it on your profile. Green usually builds outwards from where you are based, so the areas closest to you are where results come first.

How competitive your searches are

Some searches have only a handful of strong competitors, others have dozens. In busier markets and city centres, steady movement up the map is the realistic aim before green, and your website can do a lot of the work there too. Our guide to getting into the Google map pack explains more.

Consistency

The businesses that see the biggest change are the ones that keep the work going month after month. That is why our ongoing SEO plans include the website, the Google Business Profile and regular content in one joined up package.

Want to see your own map?

If you are not showing up on Google Maps where your customers are searching, we can show you your Google Maps ranking today and what it would take to change it.

Start with our free SEO health check, book a free discovery call, or get in touch and we will take a look at your rankings with you.