Can your neighbors even find you?
When someone nearby searches for what you do, Google shows three businesses before everything else. These twelve checks are what decides whether you're one of them. Answer honestly; the grade is instant.
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Your local visibility grade
F
0/100 · check the boxes that are true today
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How the math works
Each box you tick adds its points, out of 100. Your total sets the letter.
grade = the points of every box you tick
A 90+ · B 75+ · C 55+ · D 35+ · F under 35
- The points are my judgment. Google doesn't publish weights. It keeps "the search algorithm details confidential."
- Each box is all or nothing. 24 reviews earn none of the 12 points; 25 earn all of them.
- Every business is scored alike. The emailed gap list orders your misses for your kind of business.
Source: Google Business Profile Help, checked Sep 2026.
The twelve checks, in plain words
Google says local results are "mainly based on relevance, distance, and popularity." No box changes where you are. The checks cover the other two: how well your profile matches the search, and how well-known you are. More in how to get into the map pack.
Your profile
- Claimed and yours: 12 points. Verifying "tells Google that you're authorized to represent the business."
- Primary category: 10 points. The plainest way you tell Google what you do. Pick the most specific one that fits.
- Hours, phone, address: 6 points. Google says businesses with complete, accurate info are "more likely to show up." A wrong number loses the call.
- Photos: 7 points. Photos "show customers what you offer," as Google puts it. Ten, with one from the last 3 months, is my line.
- Services and areas: 7 points. Google asks for "complete and detailed business info" to match you to relevant searches.
- Q&A: 7 points. Google's Maps help says it "is only available in certain countries and regions." None on your profile? Leave the box empty; the other eleven still reach 93, an A.
- Posts: 5 points. Google's ranking tips don't mention them. A recent post shows customers you're open.
Your reviews
- 25 or more reviews: 12 points. BrightLocal's Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 found 47% of people won't use a business with fewer than 20.
- A new review in 30 days: 10 points. The same survey: 74% only care about reviews written in the last three months.
- Replies: 8 points. Google says a reply "shows that you value their feedback." 80% in that survey said they're likely to use a business that responds to all of its reviews.
Beyond the profile
- Your website: 8 points. The website button sends people there. A slow page, or one that hides what you do and where, can lose them.
- Matching listings: 8 points. Google says prominence draws on "how many websites link to your business." A wrong number on Yelp loses the call.
Sources: Google Business Profile Help, Google Maps Help, and BrightLocal's Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (1,002 US adults), all checked Sep 2026.
What to fix first
- Access, 12 points. Can't log in? Recover the profile first. Every other profile fix runs through it.
- The desk work, 35 points. Category, hours, services, photos, and a post take one sitting. The Google Business Profile checklist walks each field.
- The review habit, 30 points. Reviews come one customer at a time, so start this week: ask everyone, reply to everyone. The Google Review Calculator shows what that does to your pace.
- The rest, 16 points. Match your Yelp, Facebook, and directory listings, and make your site say what you do and where.
A worked example
A roofer's profile is claimed, with the right category and current hours, and his fast site names his city and trade on the homepage. He has 60 reviews, none in four months, and no replies. His three photos are old, his services are blank, and Yelp shows an old phone number.
- Today: 12 + 10 + 6 + 12 + 8 = 48 points, a D.
- One afternoon: ten photos, his services, a post, and a reply to all 60 reviews. 7 + 7 + 5 + 8 = 27 more: 75, a B.
- A new review this month adds 10, and fixing Yelp adds 8: 93, an A.
Load his starting point and tick along. A grade isn't a ranking: distance and the roofers near him still count.
How to read your grade
Dialed in
Keep it fresh. Three checks expire: photos after 3 months, reviews and posts after 30 days.
Solid
Fix your unchecked boxes, biggest points first.
Leaking
Start with the group above where you lost the most points.
Barely visible
Fundamentals are missing. Do access and the desk work this week.
Invisible
Start with access. Most of this list runs through your login.
AI assistants are a separate list. In SOCi's 2026 Local Visibility Index, across 350,000+ locations of multi-location brands, ChatGPT recommended 1.2% of them, against an average 35.9% appearance rate in Google's local 3-pack. The AI Visibility Check covers that side.
Source: SOCi, 2026 Local Visibility Index, checked Sep 2026.
Questions people ask
Why isn't my business showing up in Google's map pack? +
Because other businesses matched the search better, sat closer, or were better known. Google names "relevance, distance, and popularity," and says a verified profile is "more likely to show up in search results."
Can I pay Google for a better local ranking? +
No. Google's help page says "There's no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google." What you control is on this checklist.
How many Google reviews does my business need? +
At least 20, and recent ones. BrightLocal's Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 found 47% of people won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews, and 74% only care about reviews written in the last three months.
Does replying to Google reviews help? +
Yes, with the people reading them. In BrightLocal's 2026 survey, 80% said they're likely to use a business that responds to all of its reviews. Google lists replying as a ranking tip but doesn't say how much it counts.
Grade lower than your work deserves?
Local visibility is checklist work: profile, reviews, citations, done in order. It's part of every Growth Engine month. Free call, and you leave with your gap list either way.