Maps and local search

A listing ranks higher when the category is right, there are plenty of genuine reviews, and every field is filled in — hours, services, photos, description. The category decides the most: with the wrong one you simply will not appear for the query, however close you are. Setup takes a day, the first visits arrive within a week.

A Yandex listing brings visits and calls even without a site, and the rating affects your position more than anything else. Fill in categories, services with prices, hours and photos — and set up a routine for collecting reviews. Reply to every review, negative ones included: those replies are read by the people still choosing.

2GIS works without an internet connection and remains the main directory in many cities, so even businesses that live on Google keep a listing there. Completeness matters most: categories, entrance and floor, opening hours, photos. It is worth stating exactly where the entrance is — that cuts the number of clients who never made it to you.

The minimum for a listing is eight to twelve photographs: the entrance from outside, the interior, staff, work in progress and the result. Put the entrance first — that is how people recognise the place when they arrive. Stock images and pictures taken from the internet do more harm than having no photos at all: people spot them instantly and lose trust.

Ask for a review right after a good result and give a direct link — that is the only way to get them consistently. A rating of 4.6–4.8 works better than a perfect five: flawless scores arouse suspicion. Answer a negative review calmly and factually within a day: that reply is read by future clients, not by its author.

Answer every review within a day, positive ones included. For negatives, follow the pattern: thank them for the signal, acknowledge the fact, explain the cause without excuses, name a concrete action, and move to a private channel. Do not argue, do not accuse the author, and do not use templates: an argument in the comments is read by dozens of people, and the company always loses it.

These queries go to directory listings rather than websites, and three factors decide them: distance, how complete the listing is, and reviews. You cannot change the distance; you can change the other two. Do not check your positions from the office: next to your own address you will always see yourself first.