UK map-pack ranking factors — what the data actually shows
We pulled 5,952 live Google Maps listings across 20 UK cities and 15 "near me" queries, then measured what actually separates the top 3 from everyone else. No secret formula for sale — just the numbers, the method, and an honest note on what they can't tell you.
In short
The top of the map pack does carry more reviews — but the lead is smaller than most sales pitches imply, and 42.4% of top-3 seats belong to profiles with under 50 reviews. Claiming your profile and running a website barely tell the pack apart. What varies enormously is what a seat is worth: a click ranges from cents to tens of pounds depending on the search. Every figure below traces to a single data file we generated and link at the end.
The five things the numbers say
92 vs 57
Reviews matter — but by less than you'd think.
Median reviews in the top 3 versus ranks 4–20. A real gap, not a chasm — reviews are one signal among several, not the whole game.
For your business: chasing a four-figure review count isn't the only way up. Check your real gap, free →
42.4%
Review count is not destiny.
Of top-3 seats are held by profiles with fewer than 50 reviews. Plenty of businesses reach the pack without a four-figure review count.
For your business: under 50 reviews? The pack is still winnable. See where you stand, free →
7.6%
You don't need a flawless rating.
Of top-3 listings rank with a star rating below 4.0. A perfect score helps, but it clearly isn't a gate to the map pack.
For your business: a dip below 4.0 isn't a dead end. See how we work the pack →
92.1% vs 86.6%
Claimed & website: surprisingly close.
Claimed profiles: 92.1% in the top 3 vs 86.6% below. Having a website: 87.4% vs 85.4%. Both are table stakes almost everyone already meets — so neither explains who wins.
For your business: the basics won't separate you — the work behind them will. See what actually moves the pack →
$48.10 → $0.23
The same map-pack seat is worth wildly different money.
The priciest advertiser click in the set — "emergency plumber london" — costs $48.10, while "indian restaurant nottingham" goes for just $0.23. Ranking organically in the pack is most valuable exactly where paid clicks are dearest.
For your business: the dearer the click, the more an organic seat saves you. Find your seat's value, free →
By sector — where reviews decide, and where they don't
Median review counts for the top 3 (green) against ranks 4–20 (grey), for each query we measured. The gap swings hard by trade — and in one sector it flips the other way.
| Query | Median reviews — top 3 vs rest | Gap | Top-3 rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indian restaurant |
724
529
|
1.4× | ★ 4.7 |
| restaurant |
648
794
|
0.8× top‑3 lower | ★ 4.7 |
| dentist |
298
157
|
1.9× | ★ 4.7 |
| dental implants |
251
165
|
1.5× | ★ 4.7 |
| hair salon |
155
99
|
1.6× | ★ 4.8 |
| MOT test |
112
115
|
1× top‑3 lower | ★ 4.6 |
| conveyancing solicitor |
88
76
|
1.2× | ★ 4.5 |
| solicitor |
84
35
|
2.4× | ★ 4.5 |
| plumber |
76
30
|
2.5× | ★ 4.8 |
| locksmith |
63
40
|
1.6× | ★ 4.7 |
| emergency plumber |
61
34
|
1.8× | ★ 4.8 |
| electrician |
52
17
|
3.1× | ★ 4.9 |
| roofer |
28
15
|
1.9× | ★ 4.8 |
| accountant |
23
7
|
3.3× | ★ 4.8 |
| EV charger installation |
10
2
|
5× | ★ 3.7 |
The honest outlier: for a plain "restaurant" search the top 3 actually hold fewer median reviews than the businesses ranked below them (648 vs 794) — a 0.8× "gap" that points the wrong way. In a saturated, high-review category, other factors — proximity, relevance, freshness — take over. Reviews are decisive in some trades and almost incidental in others.
What a pack seat is worth, by query
Median advertiser cost-per-click (Google Ads data) for each query across all 20 cities. It's the closest public proxy for what one map-pack click is worth — and it's where organic ranking pays back the most.
How much the pack moves
We scanned the same 300 query–city pairs twice, roughly 24.2 hours apart, and checked how many top-3 line-ups changed.
28.7%
Of packs had at least one new name in the top 3 between the two scans.
11.8%
Of individual top-3 slots changed hands across the window.
24.2h
Average gap between the two scans of each pair.
How we did it
We ran 300 live Google Maps searches — 20 cities × 15 queries — each captured at city-centre level (zoom 14) to a depth of 20 results, all in English, on 6 July 2026. For every listing we recorded its rank, review count, star rating, whether the profile is claimed and whether it links a website. That's 5,952 listings in total. A second, identical sweep followed roughly 24.2 hours later to measure how much the pack moves.
Cost-per-click comes from Google Ads advertiser data for the same query-and-city keywords, reported in US dollars.
The 20 cities
London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow, Liverpool, Bristol, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Newcastle, Nottingham, Leicester, Southampton, Portsmouth, Brighton, Coventry, Bradford, Stoke-on-Trent and Hull.
The trail from raw data to this page
Raw Google Maps JSON → an aggregation script (analyze.mjs) → a single stats file this page reads directly. Every number on this page traces to that file — nothing is typed in by hand.
What this study does not claim
- →Correlation isn't causation. A pattern in the pack doesn't prove that changing one signal moves your rank. These are associations, not levers.
- →One point per city. The map pack changes as the searcher moves; we measured from a single coordinate per city, not the whole grid a real service area covers.
- →English queries only. Every search was in English, in 20 named cities — not a full map of UK local search.
- →Two snapshots, one narrow window. We measured each pack twice, roughly 24.2 hours apart — enough to catch overnight churn, nowhere near a longitudinal study of how packs move over months.
- →Visible metrics aren't the whole story. Reviews, ratings, claim status and websites are what we can see — proximity, relevance and Google's own signals we can't, and they clearly matter.
- →No secret formula. We're describing what the map pack looks like, not claiming to know Google's algorithm. Anyone selling certainty about it is guessing with confidence.
See where you rank in your own patch
Aggregate data is one thing; your postcode is another. A human checks exactly where you sit across your service area — free, and honest about whether the pack is winnable for you.