Google Maps ranking hinges on three core factors: relevance, distance, and prominence. You can't control distance, but you own the other two. Start by completing every field in your Google Business Profile—business category, attributes, hours, services, photos, posts. Incomplete profiles rank worse than complete ones, period. Reviews carry massive weight. Aim for 20+ reviews minimum to compete in moderately competitive niches, and keep them coming monthly. A business with 50 recent reviews outranks one with 200 old reviews. Respond to every review within 48 hours—Google tracks engagement. Never buy reviews or use review-gating software that filters out bad ones before customers see Google; both violate guidelines and risk suspension. Local citations matter more than most think. Get your NAP (name, address, phone) listed identically on 30–50 directories—Yelp, Yellow Pages, BBB, industry-specific directories, local chambers. Inconsistent NAP data confuses Google and dilutes your signal. For Ottawa businesses, citations on Ottawa Tourism, Ottawa Board of Trade, and neighborhood BIAs add local authority. Backlinks from local sites amplify prominence. A link from Ottawa Citizen, a local college, or a Chamber of Commerce page signals you're legitimately embedded in the community. Even links from other local businesses help. Quality beats quantity—one link from a DA 50+ local news site outweighs ten directory spam links. Post weekly Google updates—events, offers, new services. Google favors active profiles. Add new photos monthly; businesses with 100+ photos get more engagement and rank better. Use your primary keyword in your business description naturally, but don't stuff it. At Ottawa SEO, we've seen Maps rankings jump 5–10 positions in 60–90 days just from profile optimization and review velocity improvements. The biggest mistake is treating your GBP like a set-it-and-forget-it listing. It's a living asset that rewards consistent effort and local embeddedness over time.