Shop owners ask for “position one this month”. Sometimes it happens because nobody else in town did the homework. Usually it is slower, and that is still worth doing.
Days: stop looking closed or fake
Correct hours, a matching name and address, a working phone, a few real photos, a site that loads. Google can recrawl a profile quickly. Neighbours notice immediately. That is not “ranking”. That is not shooting yourself in the foot.
Weeks: trust signals start to compound
Reviews you earned, replies you wrote, a site with the town and the trade in plain language, a Maps pin that matches the footer. In a small town with weak competitors, this is often enough to enter the local pack.
In a crowded category (restaurants, dentists), weeks is only the start. Do not buy a miracle pack of 50 fake citations.
Months: you either keep it true or you fade
Hours change. Staff change. Google notices neglect. The monthly work is boring: update, answer, add a photo of the real place. That is why a 25€/month follow-up exists in my website offer — not as folklore, as maintenance.
If someone promises first place everywhere in 14 days, they are selling anxiety. Ask what they will do to the profile and the site, in writing.