Search "plumber near me" and the first thing you'll usually see, above the regular results, is a map with three business listings next to it. That's the map pack — and for most local searches, it's where the decision gets made before anyone scrolls further.
Google says three factors decide who shows up there:
Relevance
How well your Google Business Profile matches what was searched. This is why category selection and accurate service listings matter more than most contractors realize — a profile filed under the wrong category can be invisible for searches it should easily win.
Distance
How close your business (or your listed service area) is to the searcher. This one is mostly outside your control, but an accurate, complete service-area setting helps Google understand where you actually work.
Prominence
How well-known and well-reviewed your business is — both on Google and across the web generally. This is the factor most within your control, and it's where reviews, citations, and an active profile do the real work.
Why an incomplete profile keeps you out
A profile with missing hours, no photos, an unclaimed status, or a vague category is handing an easy win to whichever competitor bothered to fill theirs out completely. Most of the map pack battle is won or lost on details this basic.
Why reviews matter more than people think
Review count and rating factor into prominence, but the bigger effect is often on the searcher, not the algorithm — most people scan reviews before they scan anything else in the map pack. A profile with recent, positive reviews wins the click even when it isn't ranked first.
See our Google Business Profile service for how we handle all of this for contractors.