Google Maps says Ask Maps reads photos, reviews and menus. Check that yours name what customers ask for

On October 8, Google published two posts about food on Google Maps. One says Ask Maps analyzes photos, reviews and menus to find a match. The other says a dining list uses reviews, ratings and searches for directions. A star rating is only part of what that list uses.

Both posts are about restaurants. But the lesson reaches any local business that customers find on Maps.

What Google said

The first post covers Ask Maps. A person says or types what they want, such as “crispy smashburgers with milkshakes.” Google says Ask Maps “analyzes billions of photos, reviews, and menus to find your match.” The post says people can also order delivery through partners like Uber Eats, Toast and Square.

The same post points to dining lists in the Explore tab, updated weekly. There are three:

Trending: places that recently spiked in popularity.
Gems: new neighborhood favorites.
Top: tried-and-true classics.

It also points to “know before you go” tips from the Maps community. Google says these cover things like how to get a reservation, where to park and what dishes to order.

The second post is Google’s first Fan-Favorite Dining List. It covers 10 cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, London, New York and Tokyo. Google says the list draws on Maps reviews, ratings and aggregated searches for directions.

What Google counted

The figures below count what reviewers wrote. These figures are company-reported, from Google’s post:

In New York, reviews mentioning froyo rose 320% year over year.
In Seattle, reviews mentioning dosas rose 136%.
In London, reviews mentioning hojicha, a roasted green tea, rose 114%.

Google did not say how these counts affect which places get shown. They do not prove that one word gets a business listed. What they do show is what Google chose to measure: the specific thing a customer named, in their own words. It also looked at which places people got directions to.

If you don’t sell food

Neither post says how Ask Maps handles a clinic, a plumber or a shop. That part is unknown.

Still, the three things Google named have a match for most local firms. Photos are photos. Reviews are reviews. Treat the list of services or products on your Business Profile as the menu.

Don’t stop at a broad label like “a dentist” or “a plumber.” Use a specific request, like an emergency appointment on a Saturday or a water heater swapped the same day. If that phrase is nowhere in your photos, reviews or service list, a tool that reads those things has less to match.

The five-phrase test

Run this once this week. You need a notebook and your phone.

Write down five things customers ask for by name. Use their words, not your trade terms. Look at call notes, emails and booking forms for them.
For each phrase, check three places: your Business Profile photos, your reviews, and your menu or service list. Mark each one yes or no.
Search each phrase on Google Maps. If Ask Maps is available on your phone, ask it too. Write down who comes up, and the date.
Use the rule below for each phrase.

The decision rule:

In none of the three places: add it to your service list or menu first, in the customer’s words. Then add a real photo of that product or job.
In your list and photos, but not your reviews: keep asking every customer for an honest review, the same way each time. Don’t tell them what to write, and don’t offer anything in return.
In all three, but a rival comes up instead: look at the rival’s public profile. Compare their photos, their service list and how recent their reviews are. That shows you which gap to close first.
You come up: write down the date. Check again next month. Nothing here stays fixed.

Keep the sheet. A dated list of phrases and who came up is the only way to tell later whether anything moved.

What to do this week

List five phrases customers use when they ask for what you sell.
Check each phrase against your photos, reviews and service list.
Add any missing phrase to your service list or menu, in plain words.
Make sure your hours and menu or service details on the profile are current.
Search each phrase on Maps, and note who comes up and the date.

New Reward’s Rival Map shows where AI names you, your rival, or nobody, for the questions your customers ask. Dated.