If someone in Lewes searches for a plumber, the first thing they’re likely to see is the map pack: three businesses with a map, star ratings and a call button. For most local businesses, that’s where the enquiries come from. Your Google Business Profile decides whether you’re in it.
Every year, Whitespark surveys local SEO specialists about what influences local rankings. The 2026 results contain a few surprises, so here’s what they mean for Sussex businesses and what to change first.
Your Primary Category Comes First
Your primary category was rated the single most important factor for the map pack in 2026, and its score rose compared with 2023.
It’s also one of the easiest things to get wrong.
Pick the category that matches the service you most want to be found for, not the broadest one available. Add secondary categories for your other services, but keep them relevant. Every category you add tells Google you want to appear for those searches, so a long list of loosely related categories can blur the picture.
A Worked Example
Say you fit kitchens in Haywards Heath. You also do the odd bathroom and some general joinery. Here’s how we’d approach the categories:
- Start by searching for the service you most want to win, such as “kitchen fitter Haywards Heath”, and look at the three businesses in the map pack.
- Check which primary category each of them uses. It appears under the business name on the listing.
- If they all use a specific category such as “Kitchen remodeler”, that’s a strong sign Google links that category to the search.
- Choose the most specific category that describes your main service as your primary category.
- Add secondary categories for bathrooms and joinery, because you offer those services and want to appear for them.
- Leave out broad categories such as “Contractor” unless they describe what you do, because they put you up against every builder in the county.
Free browser extensions can also show you the secondary categories your competitors use, which Google doesn’t display on the listing.
Your Hours Count More Than You’d Think
“Business is open at the time of the search” is a new entry in the top five factors. If your profile says you close at 5pm, you’re less likely to appear for someone searching at 6pm.
Make sure your hours are accurate, and use special hours for bank holidays and Christmas so your profile doesn’t show you as open when you’re not. Don’t list hours you don’t keep, though. Customers who ring and get no answer may not try again.
Location Still Counts
Having a physical address in the town someone searches from was ranked fourth. That’s frustrating if you’re based in East Grinstead and want work in Brighton, but it’s how the map pack works. Your profile will always perform best close to home.
If you visit customers and don’t serve them at your premises, Google’s guidelines say you should hide your address and set service areas instead. Service areas tell customers where you work, but they won’t put you in the map pack for a town miles from your base.
For towns further away, your website has to do more of the work. Our post on town pages and doorway pages covers how to do that without breaking Google’s rules.
Keep Your Business Name Clean
Your profile name should match the name on your signage, stationery and website. Adding keywords, such as “Smith & Co Plumbing Brighton Emergency Plumber”, breaks Google’s guidelines and can get your profile suspended. It may look like a quick win, but it isn’t a risk to take.
How We Optimised an Architects’ Practice Profile
Here’s how this works in practice. We optimised the Google Business Profile for an architects’ practice, and the first job was the categories. We matched the primary category to the service their home page targets, and matched the secondary categories to the services covered by their main secondary pages. That way, the profile and the website tell Google the same story about what the business does.
Next, we optimised the profile with the keywords their customers search for. Then we added posts and images to keep the profile fresh, so anyone looking at it can see the business is active.
Reviews Have Moved Up the List
One of the biggest jumps in the survey was review recency. It climbed from 93rd place in 2023 to 11th in 2026.
A steady stream of new reviews now counts for much more than a big pile of old ones.
A 15-Minute Profile Check
Set aside 15 minutes and work through this list:
- The primary category matches the main service, and secondary categories cover the rest.
- Opening hours are accurate, and special hours are set for upcoming holidays.
- The business name matches your signage and website, with no keywords stuffed in.
- Your address is shown only if customers visit you, and service areas are set if you travel to them.
- Services and products are listed with clear descriptions in your customers’ language.
- The business description uses its 750 characters to explain what you do, who for and where.
- Photos show your premises, your team and your work, not just stock images.
- Your latest post and newest photos are recent enough to show the business is active.
- The website link goes to the most relevant page.
- Every review has a reply.
A complete profile also feeds Google’s AI features, so the same work helps you show up in AI answers.
If you’d like your profile reviewed alongside your website, take a look at how we handle local SEO in Sussex.
Review recency has become one of the strongest signals there is, so it’s the subject of the next post: how to get Google reviews when your clients stay for years.