When someone looks for a hairdresser, a plumber or a pizzeria on a phone, Google often shows a map with a few nearby businesses next to the results. Google decides which businesses appear there by three things, namely how well the business matches the search, how close it is and how well known it is. No one can influence distance, but the other two can be influenced, mostly through a free Google Business Profile. A place on the map cannot be paid for. Shortcuts such as extra words in the business name or bought reviews can lead to the profile being suspended.
Google Maps is used by more than two billion people a month. Google suggests the question “zasto se moj sajt ne pojavljuje na google maps” to people typing in Serbian. It means “why doesn’t my website show up on google maps”, and the reason is simple. The map does not show websites at all. It shows Google Business Profiles, which in Serbian Google also calls “Google profil preduzeća”. The details on a profile are changed by the business owner after claiming and verifying it.
How does Google choose which businesses to show on the map?
In its explanation of local results, Google lists three criteria. The first is relevance, which simply means how well a profile matches what someone is looking for. That is why Google advises complete and detailed profile information, since a profile that clearly says what the business does is more easily matched with the right search. The second is distance from the person searching, and there the business can do nothing. The third is popularity, meaning how well known the business is. It grows with reviews and with the number of websites that link to the business.
Until the middle of 2025 the same page had one more sentence, saying that the position of the website in regular search also affects the place. Google removed it, but that does not mean the website no longer affects the map. Popularity is still partly calculated from links to the business.
Google does not publish how much each profile field is worth. The best known estimate is a survey by Whitespark, in which local search experts rate what most affects the place on the map. At the top of their list are the primary category, distance and words in the business name. That is the opinion of people who work on this every day, not Google data, but it shows well where it is smartest to start.
“Local results are mainly based on relevance, distance, and popularity.”
Why is the category the most important field on a profile?
The category says what the business is, and Google writes explicitly that categories affect the place on the map. A profile has one primary and up to nine additional categories, chosen from a Google list. A precise category also covers broader searches, so a pizzeria, in the Google example, also shows up when someone searches for a restaurant, an Italian restaurant or pizza.
A simple rule from the Google guidelines helps with the choice. The category should complete the sentence “this business is”, not “this business has”. It is better to choose fewer but more precise categories and not to add them only for the words people type into search. A mistake here is costly. In the estimate of experts, only a label saying the business is permanently closed is worse than a wrong primary category.
How this looks in practice can be seen on Google Maps in Belgrade. In October 2026, for the search “izrada sajtova beograd”, meaning “website building belgrade”, seven of the first ten businesses were shown under the category for website designers. Google links the words of the search to the category and the name of the business, which sometimes gives unexpected results. For “digitalna agencija beograd”, meaning “digital agency belgrade”, print shops were in first and fifth place, only because their category includes digital printing.
Before changing the category it is good to know that Google may ask to verify the business again after the change. That is why the category is changed rarely and for a reason.
What may the business name contain?
The name on the profile must be the real name of the business, the same as on the sign, the website and documents. A slogan, a service description, a city or a phone number in the name are not allowed and can lead to the profile being suspended. One more rule matters for Serbia. The name must not appear in two scripts, Latin and Cyrillic, even when it is written that way on the sign.
Why then do so many businesses have extra words in their name? Because it seems to work. A large Whitespark study from 2026 showed that profiles with the searched word in the name are more often among the first three businesses on the map. The same is seen in Belgrade. For “izrada sajtova beograd”, nine of the first ten businesses had the word “izrada” or “sajt” in the name.
Still, the fact that something works does not mean it is allowed, and the advantage disappears easily. In a test by the agency Sterling Sky, a business was first while its name had an added word. Two days after Google removed that word, it dropped to seventh place. A name that breaks the rules can also be reported by competitors. A search word in the name is therefore safe only when it really is part of the registered name of the business.
Which profile fields move the place on the map?
Besides the category and the name, opening hours, services and attributes also affect the place.
Opening hours matter more today than before. Google gives the example of a salon that shows up when someone looks for salons open at that moment, precisely because it entered its opening hours. This year the experts in the Whitespark survey singled out for the first time whether a business is open while someone is searching. They put it straight among the five most important things. A test by Sterling Sky showed the same from the other side, since a profile without opening hours loses its place exactly while the business is working.
Opening hours must be real. The Google rules ask for the hours in which the business receives customers, and businesses that work only by appointment do not enter them. Longer hours than the real ones break the rules and bring the customer to a closed door.
Services listed on the profile can be highlighted when someone searches for exactly that service. Sterling Sky saw in its tests that services Google itself suggests can move the place for related searches within one to three days. In Serbia Google suggests few services and some do not fit the line of business. The category for internet marketing, for example, offers only telemarketing. In that case the business enters its services itself.
Attributes are short labels, such as wireless internet or outdoor seating, and they help the business show up when someone looks for a place with that feature. Finally, the address should be accurate and the pin on the map in the right place.
“Businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results.”
What does not move the place but helps the customer?
Some profile fields have almost no effect on the place, but they affect whether a customer chooses the business. That is why they should not be neglected. First place is not worth much if the customer goes to a competitor after looking at the profile.
The business description can have up to 750 characters and must not contain links, prices or promotions. Experts consider stuffing search words into the description a myth, because it does not move the place. Customers still read the description, and so does Google AI. In one test of Serbian questions, it carried over the profile description of one business almost word for word.
Photos are shown only once the profile is verified. A photo of the outside helps the customer recognize the premises, and Google asks for sharp, well lit pictures without strong filters. The number of photos means almost nothing for the place on the map. According to experts, however, good photos are one of the more important reasons a customer chooses that particular business.
Posts on the profile, as Google says, help the customer decide to come, and after six months they are archived. Google does not claim that posts affect the place, and experts put them almost at the bottom of the list.
Profile details also end up in answers from artificial intelligence. For its AI features Google writes that answers can include details about local businesses and that a Business Profile helps visibility there too. On Maps itself there is also a conversation with AI called Ask Maps. It answers based on place details and reviews, and it is available in English.
How does a business without premises show up on the map?
Asked in Serbian how to show up on Google Maps, the Google AI Overview first asks whether this is about premises with an address or a field service. The question makes sense, because only a business that meets customers in person, at its own place or at the customer’s, is eligible for a profile. A business that works only online cannot have a profile on the map.
A business that goes to customers, such as a plumber who works from an apartment, hides its address and enters a service area, according to the Google rules. The area is set as a list of cities, postal codes or other areas, not as a circle around the address. In total it should not reach further than about two hours of driving from the base. The customer then sees only the area on the profile. A rented address where the business does not actually work, known as a virtual office, does not make it eligible for a profile.
A bigger service area still does not mean a better place on the map. Sterling Sky tracked profiles and saw that the place is still calculated from the address where the profile was verified. The area only shows customers where the business works.
Verification of a profile today often goes through a video recording, also for businesses without premises. The video is recorded live, without editing, and lasts at least half a minute. It should show the place of work, tools and proof that the business belongs to the person recording, for example unlocking a vehicle with the business name on it. Google reviews it within five working days.
How much do reviews matter and how to get them without breaking the rules?
Google writes that more reviews and better ratings can help the place on the map. Experts put the rating, the number of reviews and how recent they are among the more important things. Still, the number of reviews is not everything. In Belgrade, for “marketing agencija beograd” the first business had only one review, while a business with 200 reviews was only sixth. Reviews matter, but they are only one part of the picture.
The rules for asking for reviews are strict. Google forbids any reward for a review, whether a discount or a free service, as well as a reward for changing or deleting a bad rating. According to the content rules, reviews must not be requested only from satisfied customers and unhappy ones must not be discouraged. Reviews by employees, relatives and competitors are also forbidden. It is allowed to ask every customer who really used the service, without a reward and without influencing the rating. The Google AI Overview in Serbian still advises exactly what the rules do not allow, to ask “satisfied clients” for reviews.
For fake reviews Google penalizes the business by banning new reviews for a while, hiding existing ones and warning customers on the profile. In 2025 alone, Google blocked or removed more than 290 million reviews that break the rules. Fake reviews are also against the law in the European Union and the United States. In Serbia the Consumer Protection Law from 2026 counts them as a misleading business practice.
Replies to reviews do not move the place much, but they affect the choice. In a BrightLocal survey of customers in the United States, four of five said they would probably choose a business that replies to all reviews. Replies that sound like a template, on the other hand, put off half of those asked.
“Instead of sending the same ‘thank you’ to everyone, focus on reviews where you can share a helpful update or answer a question.”
For most small businesses the start is the same. An accurate primary category, the real name, true opening hours and listed services are the basis. Reviews, photos and replies then help over time so that the customer chooses that particular business. How a profile is put in order, from the category to services and reviews, is described on the Google Business optimization page.