Google Maps decides more dinner choices in Prague than any food critic. Its algorithm is refreshingly public: relevance (does your profile clearly say what you are), distance (fixed), and prominence (reviews, activity, mentions). Two of three are yours to move.
Relevance: say it explicitly
Precise categories (not just “restaurant” — cuisine matters), menu uploaded, attributes ticked, description written in Czech and English with the dishes people actually search. Google can’t rank you for “vegan brunch” it never heard about.
Prominence: the compounding lever
Steady reviews with owner replies, fresh photos weekly, posts for seasonal menus, and a website that says the same things the profile does. Consistency between site and profile is trust; contradiction (different hours, dead menu link) is sabotage.
The habit beats the hack: fifteen minutes weekly outranks any one-time optimization. It’s exactly what we run in our local marketing service — ask where your restaurant ranks tonight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Relevance, distance and prominence — precise profile data and steady review activity move the two you control.
Strongly — volume, recency and owner replies are core prominence signals.
Critical — precise cuisine categories let you rank for searches your generic 'restaurant' label never enters.
Fresh photos correlate with more engagement — and engagement feeds prominence.
Yes — consistent hours, menu and details between site and profile build the trust the algorithm reads.
Profile fixes can move positions within weeks; reviews compound over months.
English 
Czech