Case Study: Google Maps Ranking for a Sushi Restaurant

The Challenge

In the highly competitive food industry, especially in smaller cities like Évreux, France, Google Maps search results are crucial for local visibility and customer acquisition.

When potential customers search for a "sushi restaurant", they typically select the closest options with strong ratings and attractive visuals — often without scrolling past the top few results.

While this sushi restaurant had a presence on Google Maps, they faced several challenges:

• Visibility limited mostly to their immediate neighborhood.
• Difficulty ranking in surrounding areas and nearby towns.
• Increasing local competition threatening their customer share.

The restaurant owner sought a comprehensive local SEO strategy to audit and optimize their Google Business Profile, expand map coverage, and ultimately increase foot traffic and orders.

SEO Scan Setup & Methodology

To accurately assess their local map presence, we deployed a detailed GeoGrid scan focusing on key search terms and geographic data points:

• Search Term: "sushi restaurant"
• Scan Location: Évreux, France
• Grid Size: 11 x 11 cells covering 36 square miles
• Radius: 3.0 miles around central coordinates
• Center Coordinates: 49.0242603, 1.1259511
• Scan Date: May 5, 2025

This scan provided granular visibility insights, showing rankings block by block to highlight coverage gaps and strongholds.

📍 GeoGrid Visibility Scan

We used a Local Falcon-style GeoGrid to pinpoint visibility for the keyword "sushi restaurant" in Évreux. Each pin shows real-world ranking by location—block by block.

▶️ Click the image to view the full interactive scan report.

Baseline Audit Results

The restaurant was performing well overall but with room for growth in less visible zones:

Optimization Strategy

Our strategy focused on three pillars of local SEO to fill gaps and solidify dominance:

1. Google Business Profile Optimization
   Category updates, service area expansion, and optimizing attributes such as “Dine-In” and “Delivery”. The profile description was rewritten targeting relevant local keywords.
2. Reputation & Review Management
   Implemented a QR code review system at tables and in takeout menus to encourage more customer reviews. Crafted keyword-rich responses to reviews improving engagement and relevance.
3. Content & Local Engagement
   Regular weekly posts with geo-tagged images of dishes, kitchen scenes, and chef spotlights. Announced daily specials and promotions through Google Posts. Published location-tagged blog updates to improve local authority.

Results After 4 Weeks

• ✅ Maintained Top 3 Google Maps rankings across over 95% of the scanned area
• 📍 Strengthened rankings in peripheral zones previously vulnerable to competitors
• 🚗 Significant increase in user interactions with “Directions” and “Call” buttons
• 🧠 Noticeable brand authority growth, as reflected by improved engagement metrics and positive feedback

“We noticed more new customers telling us they ‘found us on Maps’ — and weekends started filling up fast.”
— Restaurant Manager

Key Insights for Restaurant Owners

• ✅ Google Maps visibility is not just about ranking high — it’s about dominating every local zone where your customers live or work.
• ✅ Consistent reviews, fresh photos, and local content continue to heavily influence local SEO rankings.
• ✅ Small but focused optimizations can protect your turf and help grow your customer base.