You have probably searched for something on Google today. Maybe you searched for a restaurant, a shop, or a phone number. You typed a few words, hit search, and the results appeared. It feels instant and effortless.
But have you ever stopped to think about what Google actually shows when someone in your area types “plumber near me”? Understanding that results page — what appears where, and why — is the key to understanding why some plumbers are overwhelmed with work while others struggle to fill their diary.
This article walks you through exactly what happens, section by section, when a homeowner in your area searches for a plumber. By the end, you will understand why certain businesses appear and others do not, and what you can do about it.
The search results page, explained
When someone types “plumber near me” into Google, the results page is divided into distinct sections. Each section works differently and is controlled by different factors. Let us go through them from top to bottom.
Section 1: Paid ads
At the very top of the page, you will often see two or three results marked with a small “Sponsored” label. These are Google Ads. Businesses pay to appear here — typically somewhere between two and fifteen pounds per click, depending on the search term, the trade, and the area.
Ads appear immediately. You set a budget, create an ad, and within hours you are showing up at the top of the page. The catch is that you pay every single time someone clicks, whether or not they become a customer. And the moment you stop paying, you disappear completely.
For tradespeople, Google Ads can work for short-term lead generation — filling a quiet week or testing a new service area. But it is expensive as a long-term strategy. A plumber spending five hundred pounds per month on ads might get twenty to thirty clicks, of which maybe five or six become actual enquiries. The cost per lead adds up quickly, and there is no lasting benefit once you stop.
Section 2: The map pack (local pack)
This is the most valuable real estate on the entire page. Directly below the ads, Google shows a map of the local area with coloured pins marking businesses, and three listings below it. Each listing shows the business name, star rating, number of reviews, phone number, and basic details like opening hours.
These three businesses get the vast majority of calls from local searches. Research consistently shows that the map pack receives more clicks than any other section of the results page for local service queries. When someone needs a plumber urgently, they are not scrolling — they are calling one of these three.
The map pack results come from Google Business Profile listings, not from websites. Whether you appear here depends on three things:
Relevance: Does your Google Business Profile match what the person searched for? If your primary category is “Plumber” and the person searched “plumber near me,” you are relevant.
Distance: How close are you to the person searching? Google uses the searcher’s location to show nearby businesses. You cannot change where the searcher is, but having a service area that covers their location helps.
Prominence: How well-known and trusted is your business online? This is where reviews, directory listings, your website, and overall online presence come in. A plumber with eighty reviews, a proper website, and forty directory listings will outrank a plumber with four reviews and no website, even if they are the same distance away.
Our guide to getting on Google Maps covers exactly how to optimise for the map pack.
Section 3: Organic results
Below the map pack, you see the regular website results. These are the traditional blue links — ten website listings that Google has determined are the most relevant and authoritative for the search query.
For a search like “plumber near me,” these organic results typically include a mix of:
- Websites of local plumbing businesses
- Directory sites like Checkatrade, Yell, and Rated People
- Aggregate listing pages from platforms like Bark
The plumbers who appear here with their own websites — rather than just appearing through a directory — have a significant advantage. The searcher clicks through to their website, sees their services, reads their reviews, and calls them directly. No shared leads, no platform fees.
To rank in the organic results, you need a website with strong content targeting the searches people make. A single-page website that says “We offer plumbing services” will not rank for anything specific. A website with dedicated pages for each service (boiler repair, bathroom fitting, emergency plumbing) and each town (Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Dartford) gives Google specific pages to show for specific searches. Our article on whether tradespeople need a website explains this in more detail.
Section 4: More questions (People Also Ask)
You might also notice a section called “People Also Ask” — a list of expandable questions like “How much does a plumber charge per hour?” or “Do I need a plumber for a leaking tap?” Google generates these from common searches related to your query.
These questions are an insight into what homeowners are actually wondering about. And they represent an opportunity: if your website has content that answers these questions well, Google may feature your answer directly in this section, giving you visibility without even needing to rank in the traditional results.
Why the plumber at the top is there — and you are not
If you have ever searched for your own trade in your own area and found yourself missing from the results entirely, it can be frustrating. But once you understand the mechanics, the reasons become clear.
They have more reviews
The plumber in position one of the map pack might have seventy or eighty Google reviews. You might have eight. Google interprets that gap as a significant difference in trust and prominence. More reviews, posted consistently over time, signal an active, trusted business. Our article on getting more Google reviews explains exactly how to close this gap.
They have a bigger website
The plumber ranking in the organic results probably has a website with twenty, thirty, or more pages — each one targeting a specific service and location. Your website might have four or five pages. Google has far more to work with on their site, so it can match their pages to a wider range of searches.
They have more directory listings
Consistent listings across forty or more directories tell Google that a business is established and legitimate. If your details appear on only a handful of directories — or worse, if your details are inconsistent across them — Google has less confidence in your listing.
They have an active Google Business Profile
The top-ranking plumber probably posts to their Google Business Profile regularly, uploads new photos, and responds to reviews. Google rewards active profiles because they indicate a business that is currently trading and engaged with its customers.
They have been at it longer
SEO compounds over time. A plumber who has been building their online presence for two years has accumulated reviews, content, directory listings, and trust signals that a newcomer simply has not had time to build yet. This is not a reason to give up — it is a reason to start now, because every month you wait is another month your competitors pull further ahead.
What you can do about it
The mechanics are not mysterious. They are predictable and workable. Here is the priority order:
First: Claim and fully optimise your Google Business Profile. This is free and has the most immediate impact on your map pack visibility.
Second: Start collecting Google reviews consistently. Ask every happy customer. Make it easy for them with a direct link or a QR card.
Third: Build a website with dedicated service pages and location pages. The more specific pages you have, the more searches you can appear for.
Fourth: Get listed in directories. Yell, Thomson Local, FreeIndex, Checkatrade, and thirty-plus more. Consistency is key — same name, same address, same phone number everywhere.
Fifth: Keep your Google Business Profile active with regular posts and fresh photos.
Each step reinforces the others. Reviews strengthen your map pack position. Your website strengthens your organic visibility. Directory listings strengthen both. It is a system, and the tradespeople who work the system consistently are the ones who appear when someone searches “plumber near me.”
The search is happening right now
While you have been reading this article, homeowners in your area have been searching for a plumber on Google. Some of them needed an emergency repair. Some wanted a quote for a bathroom refit. Some were looking for a boiler service before winter.
Every one of those searches went to the plumbers who showed up. If that was not you, the leads went to someone else — not because they are better at plumbing, but because they are easier to find.
If you want someone to handle the entire online side — the website, the Google profile, the directories, the reviews, the rank tracking — so you can focus on the actual plumbing, that is what Localengine does. Three hundred pounds per month, no setup fee, one plumber per county. Have a look at whether your area is still available.