Most advice about ranking in Google's Map Pack is opinion. We wanted numbers, so in October 2026 we looked at 500 real listings: the first 25 Google Maps results for "HVAC [city]" and "plumber [city]" in 10 US cities. We then checked the website each listing links to.
Key findings
- Businesses in the top 3 had a median of 1,736 Google reviews. Businesses ranked 4th or lower had 591, about 2.9 times fewer.
- The top 3 had more reviews than the rest of the list in 19 of 20 city-and-trade groups.
- None of the 50 top-3 listings had fewer than 100 reviews.
- Star ratings were the same: a median of 4.8 for the top 3 and for everyone else. Review volume separated them, not the rating.
- Website basics helped a little. 91% of top-3 sites had the city in the homepage title, compared with 80% of the rest.
- About 1 in 6 websites mentioned their city in neither the homepage title nor the main heading.
- 2 of the 500 listings linked to websites that now serve gambling spam. The businesses likely don't know.
How we did it
- Cities: Tampa, Charlotte, Columbus, Phoenix, Denver, Nashville, Kansas City, Sacramento, San Antonio and Indianapolis.
- Trades: HVAC ("HVAC [city]") and plumbing ("plumber [city]"). We took the first 25 results in each city, 500 listings in total.
- What we recorded: map position, review count, rating, category, whether the business is a franchise or chain, and the website linked from the profile.
- Ads: Sponsored map results (13) were removed from the position analysis.
- Websites: We opened the homepage linked from each Google profile. 422 sites loaded. The rest had no website, were down, or blocked automated visits.
- Limits: Map rankings change with the searcher's location, and these searches weren't run from inside each city. This shows correlation, not cause. The results describe businesses that already appear in the top 25.
Finding 1: Reviews separate the top 3 from everyone else
| Map position | Median Google reviews |
|---|---|
| 1–3 | 1,736 |
| 4–10 | 1,026 |
| 11–20 | 437 |
| 21–30 | 385 |
The pattern held in both trades. HVAC companies in the top 3 had a median of 3,367 reviews, compared with 449 for positions 21–30. Plumbers in the top 3 had 1,458, compared with 314 for positions 21–30.
Ratings didn't explain the gap. Almost everyone in the top 25 sits between 4.6 and 5.0 stars. With ratings that similar, volume and steady new reviews look like the real difference.
What this means for you: a single big review push won't be enough. Ask every customer after every finished job, every week. The top 3 got there over years of doing this.
Finding 2: Website basics are table stakes, not the tiebreaker
| Check | Top 3 | Positions 4+ |
|---|---|---|
| City in homepage title | 91% | 80% |
| 3 or more separate service pages | 91% | 85% |
| City in neither title nor main heading | 9% | 16% |
The top 3 do the basics slightly better, but the gap is small compared with the review gap. Most businesses in the top 25 already have a decent site. A good website gets you into the list, and reviews decide who leads it.
Still, about 1 in 6 sites miss the simplest local signal: the city name in the title or main heading. If yours is one of them, it's a 5-minute fix and free.
Finding 3: Common gaps on HVAC and plumbing websites
- Homepage title doesn't mention the city: 20% of sites
- Fewer than 3 dedicated service pages: 15%
- No meta description on the homepage: 14%
- No LocalBusiness structured data: 36% of HVAC sites (we checked this on HVAC sites only)
- Typing http:// doesn't redirect to the secure https:// version: 8%
- "Home" as the page title (e.g. "Home - Company Name"): 5%
- Click-to-call phone link: most sites have one (90% of HVAC and 97% of plumbing sites)
Finding 4: Check the website your Google profile points to
Two of the 500 profiles linked to domains that now show Indonesian gambling pages instead of the business. One looks like an expired domain someone else bought, and the other looks like a hacked site. Six more plumbing profiles linked to a domain that redirects somewhere else.
Customers who click "Website" on these profiles land on spam. Google may also treat the site as compromised. Click your own Website button on Google Maps once a month and make sure it opens your site.
What to do with this
- Ask for reviews after every job. Steady volume is what the top 3 have in common.
- Protect the reviews you already have. In 2026 Google removed or hid reviews from many profiles without warning. Our free Google Review Drop Alert checks your review count every week and emails you if it drops.
- Fix the basics once: city in the homepage title, one page per main service, and LocalBusiness schema. Our HVAC SEO guide walks through each one.
- Click your own Google profile's Website link to make sure it still goes to your site.
If you'd like us to check where your business stands against your local top 3, request a free audit.
Frequently asked questions
How many Google reviews do you need to rank in the top 3?
There isn't a fixed number. In our sample, the top-3 median was 1,736 reviews, and none of the 50 top-3 listings had fewer than 100. In smaller cities and less competitive trades the bar will be lower.
Does star rating affect Map Pack ranking?
In our data, top-3 and lower-ranked businesses had the same median rating of 4.8, so rating didn't separate them. Review volume did. A low rating can still cost you calls even if it doesn't move your ranking.
Are franchises taking over the Map Pack?
Not in our sample. Chains held 10 of 50 top-3 spots, and independent companies held the other 40.
Can I use this data?
Yes. Please cite "RankVigor Map Pack Study, October 2026" and link to this page.
