Search "cafe" or "brunch" plus a suburb on your phone and Google shows a map with three places under it. Most people pick one of those three. They rarely tap "More places", and almost nobody scrolls to the websites further down. If your cafe isn't in that group, you are invisible to the people standing a few streets away deciding where to eat.
This is the checklist we work through when a cafe or restaurant asks us to get them into those three spots. It is in the order we do it, because the first items move rankings fastest.
First, find out where you actually stand
Before changing anything, write down where you appear today. Search on your phone, with location on, for five or six phrases a customer would use: "cafe [suburb]", "brunch [suburb]", "breakfast [suburb]", "coffee [suburb]", and your street name with "cafe". Note your position in the map list for each, and the name, rating and review count of the three places above you.
Most cafes find a pattern. They rank well for their street or for catering, and they are missing entirely from "brunch" or "coffee", which are the searches that fill tables. That tells you which searches to work on.
What Google looks at
Google is open about this. Local results depend on relevance (does your listing match what was searched), distance (how close you are) and prominence (how well known you are, which includes your reviews and your presence across the web). You can't move your cafe closer to everyone, so everything below works on relevance and prominence.
1. Get your categories right
Your primary category on Google Business Profile carries a lot of weight. "Cafe" and "Coffee shop" are different categories, and so are "Breakfast restaurant" and "Brunch restaurant". Pick the primary category that matches the search you most want to win, then add the others that are true as secondary categories. Don't add categories you don't serve; Google will show you for searches you then disappoint.
2. Build a steady flow of reviews
Review count is the gap we see most often. A cafe with a 4.6 rating and 180 reviews will usually sit below one with a 4.3 rating and 600. Volume and recency both count.
- Put a small card with a QR code on tables and at the counter that opens your Google review page directly.
- Have staff ask regulars in person when they pay. A real request from someone they know works far better than a sign.
- Aim for 20 to 30 new reviews a month rather than one big push. A sudden spike followed by silence looks odd and fades.
- Never offer a discount or freebie in exchange for a review. It is against Google's rules and can get reviews removed.
Our guide on getting more Google reviews covers the wording and timing in more detail.
3. Reply to every review
Replies show Google and customers that the place is looked after. Keep them short and specific: thank the person and mention what they ordered ("glad you enjoyed the smashed avo"). For a bad review, apologise once, say what you have changed, and offer to make it right offline. Don't argue in public.
Want to know where your cafe ranks?
Send us your cafe's name and suburb. We'll check your Maps position for the searches that matter, compare you with the three places above you, and send you the first three things we'd fix. Free.
Get a free cafe check4. Fill in every part of your profile
An incomplete profile ranks worse and converts worse. Check each of these:
- Hours, including public holidays. Wrong holiday hours cost you the customer and earn you a one-star review.
- Menu: add your items in the profile's menu editor, not just a link to a PDF.
- Attributes: dine-in, takeaway, outdoor seating, vegetarian and vegan options, dog friendly, wheelchair access. People filter by these.
- Description: say what you are and where, in plain words. See how to write a profile description.
- Booking and ordering links, if you take bookings or orders online.
5. Add real photos every week
Listings with plenty of recent photos get more clicks for directions and calls. Upload a few new photos each week: dishes, coffee, the room at a busy moment, the front of the shop so people recognise it from the street. Phone photos in good light are fine. Stock images are not.
6. Post on your profile weekly
Google Business Profile posts appear on your listing to people who are already looking at you. Post once a week about something specific: the new seasonal dish, the weekday breakfast special, the pastry that sells out by ten. Use the words people search for, such as brunch, breakfast and coffee, naturally. Our guide to writing Google Business Profile posts has examples.
7. Make your website back up your listing
Google reads your website to check what your listing claims. Three things matter most for a cafe:
- The homepage title should name the cafe, what it is and the suburb, for example "[Cafe name] Fitzroy | Brunch and Specialty Coffee". A title that just says "Home" or your name alone wastes the most important line on the page.
- The menu as text on the page, not only as a PDF. We explain why in why a PDF menu costs you customers.
- Your address, phone and hours on the site, matching your Google listing exactly.
8. Keep your details the same everywhere
Your name, address and phone number should match across Google, your website, Facebook, Instagram, TripAdvisor, Yelp and the delivery apps. An old phone number or a previous address left on one of them makes Google less sure the listings are the same business. Writing "St" on one and "Street" on another is fine.
What results look like
For Desi Adda, an Indian restaurant in Surfers Paradise, this kind of work took Google profile views up 99% year on year three months after we started, with direction requests up 63% and calls up 36%. It now sits in Google's top three for "indian restaurant surfers paradise", next to competitors with ten times as many reviews. We wrote up how that happened step by step.
Expect the profile and review work to show in Maps positions within 4 to 8 weeks, and website changes to take a few months. Track the same six searches every month so you can see it move.
FAQs
How does Google decide which cafes show in the Maps top 3?
Google says local results are based on three things: relevance (how well your listing matches the search), distance (how far you are from the person searching or the area they named) and prominence (how well known and well reviewed you are). You can't change distance, so the work goes into relevance and prominence.
How many Google reviews does a cafe need to rank?
There is no fixed number. What matters is how you compare with the cafes around you. Look at the three places that show up for "cafe [your suburb]" and note their review counts. If they average 500 and you have 180, reviews are probably your biggest gap. A steady 20 to 30 new reviews a month closes it faster than a one-off push.
How long does it take to get into the Google Maps top 3?
For a cafe with a decent rating and a complete profile, changes to the profile and a steady flow of reviews usually show in Maps positions within 4 to 8 weeks. In a crowded suburb with strong competitors it can take three months or more.
Does my cafe's website affect Google Maps rankings?
Yes. Google uses your website to understand what you are and where you are. A homepage title that names your cafe and suburb, a menu written as text on the page, and your address and hours on the site all help your listing rank for the right searches.
Should I pay for Google Ads to get into the Maps top 3?
Ads can put you above the map results straight away, marked as sponsored, but they stop the day you stop paying. The organic top 3 is earned through the profile, reviews and website. Many cafes use a small ad budget for quiet weekdays while the organic work builds.