In the map pack: distance, relevance and prominence
Google ranks the map pack on three things: how close the business is to the searcher, how relevant it is to the search, and how prominent it is (reviews, links, mentions across the web).
You can't move your location, but you can win on relevance and prominence: the right primary category, every service listed, regular photos and posts, and more recent reviews than they have.
In normal results: pages, links and trust
Below the map, Google ranks websites. Competitors usually win here because they have a dedicated page for the exact search, more websites linking to them, and a site Google can crawl quickly and trust.
If they have a page called 'Roofing in Solihull' and you only have a homepage, they'll beat you for 'roofer Solihull' almost every time.
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How to see what they're doing
Search your main service and town in a private window. Click their Google profile and count their reviews and how recent they are. Look at their categories and photos.
Then look at their website: which service and area pages they have, how fast it loads on a phone, and whether they show prices, guarantees and projects. The gaps between their setup and yours are your to-do list.
How to overtake them
Match and beat their review count and frequency. Complete every field in your Google profile. Build better pages for each service and town they target, with real photos and proof. Earn links from local suppliers, associations and directories.
Most local competitors stop improving once they're on top. Steady, consistent work for three to six months usually closes the gap.
Quick answers
Why does my competitor rank higher on Google Maps?
Usually because they have more and newer reviews, a better-matched primary category, a more complete Business Profile, or they're simply closer to where the person is searching.
How can I outrank a competitor on Google?
Build a dedicated page for every service and town you want to rank for, collect reviews consistently, complete your Google Business Profile, speed up your website and earn links from relevant local websites.
How long does it take to overtake a competitor on Google?
For local searches, consistent work usually shows movement within 3 months and can overtake established competitors within 6 to 12 months, depending on how strong they are.
The bottom line
Competitors rank above you for reasons you can see and fix. Audit what they do better, then do it better and more consistently. If you want us to run that comparison for you, it's part of our free audit.