How do I improve Google Maps ranking?!

[Magneto]

My dad is a notary public, and is located in Northampton. When you type "notary public northampton" into Google a Google Map appears with the results showing him and two competitors. Unfortunately he is marked with the flag 'C'. How does one get to become flag 'A'?

Is it like Google organic search, and based on relevance? Or is it distance from the search term (in this case, the centre of Northampton? Or is it merely time based, and his two rivals posted their details before he did?

You can see the map by typing "notary public northampton" into Google and clicking on the Google Map headed 'Local Business Results'.

yours,

Charles Orton-Jones (aka Magneto).

[awebapart.com]

Unless you have done something specific to get on google maps, you are on google maps probably because your telephone number and business address is in the BT or Yell directory.

Google maps seems to rank items based on their distance from a centre-point google classes as the centre of Northampton. So unless you want to move offices there isn't much you can do about this. The better alternative is to concentrate on search engine optimising your website so that the website appears higher in the natural google results. For "notary public northampton" this shouldn't be too difficult since it isn't that competitive a term. One of our Northampton accountant (http://www.elsbyandco.co.uk) web clients is currently page 1 position 3 in google for accountant northampton, and that is a much more competitive term, and our client is based outside Northampton.

[Web3]

if you are talking about Google Local Business search - use your key words phrases as often as possible in your description / title

Also, what is stop you listing every address you own.