The Expert Local Search Ranking Factors Guide 2024

The following local search ranking factors are derived from years of my own research, insights from other local SEO experts, and Google’s recommendations for improving local rankings on their local search platform.

There are three main Google local SEO ranking factors: relevance, proximity, and prominence. This article focuses on these factors and user experience. It explains what you need to do to rank well and convert in local searches.

Google differentiates between local organic ranking factors and local search ranking factors, aka Google Maps ranking factors. Local organic rankings can influence local search ranking factors but not vice versa.

That means that local business website SEO best practices can lead to higher local pack rankings (top 3 local listings on Google’s search).

Local SEO Ranking Factors

The local SEO ranking factors in this article are categorized into the three main local search ranking factors: prominence, proximity, and relevance.

Relevance

Google Business Profile Name

The Google Business Profile name is one of the most effective local ranking factors on Google. If the name contains keywords, the business listing is more likely to rank for search terms that include those keywords.

If a business listing on Google doesn’t have any keywords, adding a keyword to the name can greatly improve rankings.

However, it’s important to comply with the Google Business Profile guidelines. Randomly stuffing your profile name with keywords can lead to suspension.

Google Business Profile Categories

Google Business Profile categories significantly impact local search rankings. Google’s local search algorithm ranks business listings based on their niche or industry. Choosing the correct categories ensures that a business will rank for relevant terms.

If the business category is incorrect, it may not rank at all for the desired product and service keywords.

Google allows you to set one primary category and up to nine additional categories. The primary category should reflect the main services and products you want to rank for.

Additional categories can be used to rank for sub-services or secondary products.

Search terms related to these additional categories will rank better if there are no competing businesses in the area using the same categories as their primary category.

You can see what Google Business Profile categories businesses use by looking at the local pack rankings on Google search.

Alternatively, you can use a Chrome browser extension like Pleper that will show you a lot of more information about your competitors’ Google Business Profiles.

Top-Rated Business Listings

The most prominent local SEO ranking factor is review signals.

Reviews reflect a business’s work quality, both offline and online, on many sites, directories, and search engines.

Google aims to provide a great user experience, so top-rated business listings help ensure that searchers find high-quality businesses that meet their needs.

As a result, searchers are more likely to return to Google. Conversely, poorly rated businesses will eventually rank lower due to their poor service.

A local SEO or local business should always strive to keep their rating above 4 stars on Google, as this is considered top-rated on Google Maps.

Distance

The distance from the searcher to the business or area of interest is the ultimate unique selling proposition of local search engine rankings and the local algorithm.

The distance concept is straightforward: “local” in “local SEO” defines geographical relevance. The closer a business is to the searcher, the more relevant it appears on the search results.

Most local business searches result in customers visiting the business on the same day. That is a huge indication that distance is a highly relevant local search ranking factor.

If your business is not located in an area where your ideal customer lives or travels to, you will likely miss out on business.

Business Hours

Business hours are a significant local SEO ranking factor on Google. If a business is listed as closed, it isn’t relevant to the searcher. Google increases visibility for open businesses and downranks those listed as closed.

You might consider setting your profile to 24/7 open, but here’s the catch: Google doesn’t want you to list your business as open if no one can contact or visit during those hours.

While Google can’t directly prevent this, local customers might leave negative reviews if they can’t reach you.

If you run a pure service area business without a local storefront, consider setting up an automated answering machine to handle calls when you’re unavailable. This local SEO tactic can increase business during off-hours.

This tactic is not recommended for local storefront businesses. Local customers arriving at a closed location will be displeased. Respecting their time is crucial for providing the best service.

High-Quality Google Business Profile Photos & Videos

Many business types can improve their local SEO by optimizing the quality of their visuals, such as photos and videos. The majority of customers is visually attracted.

If they have a great feeling while scrolling through your photos and videos, it’s not unlikely that they will contact you.

The more appealing a Google Business Profile is, the higher it will rank and the more it will convert.

I want to give you some tips on how you can quickly boost the quality of your photos:

Keep the horizon straight
Avoid blurry pictures
Light is everything – wait for a sunny day, don’t be impatient.
Use the golden ratio when you take pictures (rule of two-thirds)
Remove blurry, dark, irrelevant, and outdated photos from the profile
Be sure the image content is clear and not against Google’s guidelines.

If you’re not sure about a specific image. use Google’s image checker to be on the safe side.

Services

Google Business Profile Services can have a significant impact on your local search rankings. This local SEO factor can immediately boost your local SEO rankings for custom services and “near me” terms.

Learn how to rank for “near me”.

Add only relevant services to the service section of your Google Business Profile. There’s no need to include “near me” or other local terms.

There are two ways to add services to your Google profile:

Google-recommended predefined services
Create custom services

Both methods have been tested and are effective in increasing local rankings for related terms.

Local Website On-Page SEO

The website is not only an important local organic ranking factor but can also improve local search engine rankings. Here are some tips to leverage this local ranking factor:

1. Create Relevant Local Content: Develop location-specific landing pages and articles about local events or topics to build local authority. This will increase local visibility over time.

2. Use Location Schema Markup: Local Business Schema helps Google understand exactly who you are, where you are, and what you do.

Copy the following code and modify it depending on your specific needs.

				
					<html>
  <head>
    <title>Linda's Pizzeria</title>
    <script type="application/ld+json">
    {
      "@context": "https://schema.org",
      "@type": "Restaurant",
      "image": [
        "https://example.com/photos/1x1/pizza1.jpg",
        "https://example.com/photos/4x3/pizza2.jpg",
        "https://example.com/photos/16x9/pizza3.jpg"
       ],
      "name": "Linda's Pizzeria",
      "address": {
        "@type": "PostalAddress",
        "streetAddress": "123 Main St",
        "addressLocality": "Los Angeles",
        "addressRegion": "CA",
        "postalCode": "90012",
        "addressCountry": "US"
      },
      "review": {
        "@type": "Review",
        "reviewRating": {
          "@type": "Rating",
          "ratingValue": "4.5",
          "bestRating": "5"
        },
        "author": {
          "@type": "Person",
          "name": "John Doe"
        }
      },
      "geo": {
        "@type": "GeoCoordinates",
        "latitude": 34.052235,
        "longitude": -118.243683
      },
      "url": "https://www.example.com/restaurant-locations/los-angeles",
      "telephone": "+13234567890",
      "servesCuisine": "Italian",
      "priceRange": "$$",
      "openingHoursSpecification": [
        {
          "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
          "dayOfWeek": [
            "Monday",
            "Tuesday",
            "Wednesday",
            "Thursday",
            "Friday"
          ],
          "opens": "11:00",
          "closes": "22:00"
        },
        {
          "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
          "dayOfWeek": "Saturday",
          "opens": "12:00",
          "closes": "23:00"
        },
        {
          "@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
          "dayOfWeek": "Sunday",
          "opens": "12:00",
          "closes": "21:00"
        }
      ],
      "menu": "https://www.example.com/menu"
    }
    </script>
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3. Utilize Local Entities: Incorporate local words, related terms, and entities to increase relevance.

Check out Google’s entity & text analyzer.

4. Optimize On-Page Elements: Add keywords to elements like the URL, H1, H2, H3 headlines, body copy, link anchor texts, and image alt texts. (and meta descriptions to improve conversion rates)

SurferSEO can help you improve your on-page SEO.

5. Embed a Google Map & driving directions: Include a Google Map on your landing pages and add manual driving directions. (user experience is everything)

These tactics will improve your local Google Maps rankings and organic search rankings. Don’t underestimate the power of an optimized website as a local search ranking factor.

Proximity

Populated area

If the area is not populated with people looking for your services and products, Google might not even show a local pack or a knowledge panel on the local search results.

Besides that, it’s always better to run a business located in an area where your dream customers are.

A deserted area doesn’t have much potential to convert prospects into paying local customers. So be sure to open your business location in an area with high potential.

You can use the population checker from Freemaptools to get an idea of the population of a particular area.

Easy-to-reach location

A location-based business that is easily accessible to local customers has a higher chance of ranking well compared to one that is hard to reach. Distance is not just about linear distance but also about how easy it is for customers to visit the business.

Can customers visit the business by train, car, plane, foot or bike?

Convenience plays a big role when it comes to acquiring local business customers.

This local search ranking factor might only indirectly influence local search engine rankings since it is hard to measure.

However, if local companies are difficult to reach, they will likely receive fewer customers, fewer reviews, and possibly negative reviews related to their location.

Distance to the searcher

This is one of the most well-known proximity-related local ranking factors. The distance from the searcher to the business is extremely important for local SEO.

The closer the search location is to the business, the better it ranks in local search results.

While it might seem like there’s not much you can do about this, the key is to choose a beneficial location for your business.

Since your ranking radius is centered around your physical location, you want to ensure that the distance between potential customers and your business is minimal.

As a pure service-area business, your local ranking radius is determined by your verification address.

Especially when people search for terms like “plumber near me,” proximity becomes even more crucial. The “near me” modifier indicates that the searcher is specifically looking for a business in their immediate vicinity.

Distance to the center of an area

This has been among local search ranking factors for a while. Google’s local search algorithm determines a center for each area it maps, including parks, cities, streets, and states. These centers are used when a searcher includes a geographic area in their query.

This is because Google needs a reference point when no specific location within the city is mentioned in the search query.

For example:

Searching for “Barber Los Angeles” will likely return local search results for barbers near Google’s defined center of Los Angeles.

The closer a business is to the center of an area of interest, the higher its chance of ranking for geographical terms related to that same particular area. This is certainly one of the important distance-related local ranking factors that not many people are aware of.

You can test this yourself to see how Google prioritizes these centers. To find the center of an area, open Google Maps, search for a city, and use the direction request button, selecting “walking” as the method. This will guide you to the area’s center on Google Maps.

Most local businesses have no clue that they could do so much better by moving or starting a business in an area closer to the center of that area. They would make themselves more visible for relevant geographical searches.

That is obviously much easier for small businesses that serve customers at their location, like plumbers and electricians, and not local storefront businesses like auto repair shops or dentists.

Infrastructure

A greater local infrastructure will inevitably provide more ways for customers to reach your business. If your business is easily accessible, Google will show it more prominently.

Additionally, increased foot traffic can lead to more reviews, which in turn leads to higher local search visibility.

Good infrastructure is highly beneficial for a small local business, as convenience encourages more customers to visit and return.

Another great way to find potential wins is by checking out the median household income in that pareticular area. You can go to https://www.richblockspoorblocks.com/ and see how rich an area is and if it makes sense to open up a new business location in that area.

Remember, local online search is a reflection of the real world, or at least Google aims for it to be.

Therefore, physical and real-world actions that attract more local customers are generally helpful and can be seen as indirect local search ranking factors that help improve local map pack rankings.

Complimentary Businesses Nearby

Neighboring local businesses can positively impact your local SEO rankings. When customers are shopping for complementary businesses, their focus is on that particular niche and related services, driven by their needs and desires.

For example, if you run a laundry service next to a hostel that doesn’t provide laundry facilities, you are likely to get a high click-through rate on your local business listing due to convenience and recommendations. This can lead to higher engagement and more visits.

When choosing a new location for your small business, consider the established local businesses nearby. Their proximity can help attract more customers to your Google Business Profile and website.

This is certainly another one of the indirect local SEO ranking factors, but it’s worth looking into it.

Fewer competitors

The number of competitors in your local area determines how well you will be able to rank for your relevant keywords in local searches.

The fewer local businesses you compete with, the better for your local search visibility.

Google wants every business to have its fair Maps share and therefore it might happen that some local businesses with no optimization will outrank you based on the proximity factor. That’s when competing in an area becomes more difficult.

If you have a neighboring business in the same niche as yours, you both will share your customers depending on how well you can market your brands.

On the flipside, fewer optimized local business listings in your primary category can benefit your visibility.

Another factor that can heavily influence your local search rankings is fake competitors. Those are Google Business Profiles that usually aren’t run by a real local business but lead generation companies.

This is why it’s important to report spam listings in your area.

The more Google removes or corrects spam listings, the better it is for your business. Always keep an eye out for spam.

This is one of the most underrated local ranking factors. If you’re surrounded by spam profiles, you will struggle to stand out unless you report them.

Fortunately, you don’t have to report every single spam listing to Google. You can simply go to Google Maps and use the “Suggest an edit” feature. This allows you to propose changes, such as name corrections or business closures.

Number of reviews

The more positive reviews a business has on Google’s local search, the higher its perceived popularity. Local searchers choose businesses based on various factors, but the number of reviews is one of the most influential local search ranking factors.

A higher review count makes a local business appear more trustworthy.

A business profile with only one 5-star review does not carry the same weight as a profile with hundreds or thousands of genuine reviews.

It’s important to note that a business performs better if it has some reviews than none. However, the impact of additional reviews stagnates at a certain point, which depends on the industry, product, and business.

This chart illustrates the general trend.

Learn more here: How online reviews influence sales

Quality of reviews

The quality of reviews is a significant prominence ranking signal to Google. Positive customer experiences can boost your business’s visibility in local search results.

There are two ways to measure review quality:

By the Score (1 star to 5 stars): As mentioned earlier, ratings can impact Google’s local search rankings.
By the Content (What a Customer Wrote): How customers phrase their reviews is likely a ranking factor, too. If it’s not currently, it will likely become one soon, as it makes sense to tie local search engine rankings closer to real-life customer experiences.

There is a heated debate about whether local keywords in reviews impact local SEO rankings. Keywords used in local search queries can appear in snippets on the map and as justifications in search results if customers mention them in reviews.

However, correlation doesn’t mean causation. Business listings may appear in search results even if the local keyword phrase isn’t in the reviews.

Check out this study about whether keywords in reviews impact local rankings.

So, make sure to collect high-quality reviews regularly and create valuable content that helps people.

This is how you build a brand and generate a steady income through local SEO.

Local Citations

Citations are mentions of your business details on general sites, social media platforms, or business directories, both online and offline. These listings typically include the name, address, and phone number of a small business. It’s also called NAP data. NAP stands for name, address, phone.

In the past, Google used citations to complete its NAP data and fill in missing business information. When Google lacked information about a business, it would crawl the internet to find the missing details.

Today, citations help establish a business’s relevance and authenticity. If your business appears on relevant social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, or X, and business directories like Yelp, Angie’s List, or Tripadvisor, it signals to Google that your local business is legitimate and trustworthy.

Google also considers third-party review signals from sites like Facebook or other local business directories.

It’s a positive trust factor if a business receives reviews on multiple online directories. After all, the Google Business Profile feature is essentially a local business directory as well.

Tip: List your business on sites and directories where your potential customers are. These sites should have relevant traffic, which Google notices. This can also generate leads for your business. It’s not necessary to be listed on hundreds of directories.

Usually, this is a one-time task, and many service providers can handle it by creating 100 citations at once.

Don’t worry about whether the citations are indexed; what’s important is that Google reads and crawls them.

Citations are still considered local ranking factors, even if they’re not indexed.

Backlinks

Backlinks or inbound links are like votes for your local business website. The more votes you get, the higher your chances of improving your local organic rankings. Remember, organic rankings impact local search rankings.

Whenever other websites link back to your website, it’s like they voted for you. Kind of like a recommendation for you from them.

However, the quality of those backlinking websites matters too. Just like in real life, a vote from someone with high authority carries more weight than from a random person. Google’s search algorithm views backlinks in the same way.

Every local SEO and local business should focus on on-page work and content creation first, though. If you’re new to the game, you won’t get recommendations.

If you don’t have any content or aren’t seen as an authority in the area and niche, Google will likely not trust the backlink much. (it depends a little on the source of the backlink as well)

There are several ways to build backlinks to your website. One method is to create great content that other businesses will want to link to. Another is to hire someone for local link building, guest posting or niche edits.

If you’re not sure about these strategies, consider looking into a link-building service.

Brand mentions

The more your brand is mentioned across the internet, the more likely Google is to perceive you as an authority. Great services and products, combined with effective marketing and branding, can help you achieve this.

If Google sees your business as a well-known brand in your area, you’ll gain more visibility and, therefore, higher local search rankings. Brand mentions are one of the key prominence-related local ranking factors.

You can use a tool like Semrush Brand Monitoring to scan the internet and find where people are talking about your brand and what they are saying.

Not all mentions will be positive, but they can provide valuable insights into what you need to improve in your business and get a better reputation and more visibility.

Branded searches

This local ranking factor is closely related to the one before. Branded searches indicate to Google that your brand is important.

If your brand is deemed important, it will inevitably lead to higher local search rankings.

Branded searches can come in various forms:

Direct Brand Search: Someone searches for your brand directly, like “Starbucks.”
Product Search Related to Your Brand: Someone searches for a product related to your brand, like “Starbucks Espresso.”
Service Search Related to Your Brand: Someone searches for a service related to your brand, like “Starbucks Delivers.”
Question Related to Your Brand: Someone searches for an answer to a question related to the brand, like “how to become a Starbucks store manager?”

Try searching for your brand on Google and look at the auto-complete feature. This list will show you what people are searching for related to your brand.

Make sure to search incognito so that the results aren’t influenced by your own search history. You can also use tools like Google Search Console and Semrush’s keyword research tool.

To take advantage of branded searches and brand mentions as local ranking factors, you can try to influence them through:

Running ads (display ads or ads triggered by service or competitor keywords)
Providing first-class service and creating great products so people talk about them
Engaging in communities (Facebook groups, local meet-ups)
Donating to charity
Issuing press releases
Guest posting on other local or high-authority sites

You don’t have to do all of these at once. Start with one and work your way down the list of tactics that can increase brand recognition and value.

You might see some quick results with local SEO, but ultimately, search engine optimization can take several months to years to see significant results. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Word of mouth

Word-of-mouth is not often associated with local search ranking factors, but it can impact the number of branded searches.

When people talk about your brand offline, they eventually search for it online. Even if they don’t actively search for it, they might recognize it the next time they see it online.

Word-of-mouth marketing is a strong business driver. The more positive word-of-mouth your business generates, the better it can help you both offline and online.

So, encouraging word-of-mouth can be a powerful tool to boost your brand’s visibility and recognition, which can indirectly improve your local search rankings.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I optimize my Google Business Profile based on the local SEO ranking factors mentioned in this article?

Google Business Profile ranking factors that are currently working:

Google Business Profile name optimization
Categories
Reviews
Services
Opening hours
Website SEO

Please check out this extensive Google Business Profile checklist for further information on how to rank your Business Profile on Google’s local search.

What are Google Business Profile alternatives?

If you want to expand your reach beyond Google, you can look into other search engines like Bing, Apple Maps, and DuckDuckGo.

Bing and DuckDuckGo both use Apple Maps as their preferred local platform.

However, you can set up a profile on Bing and Apple Business Connect to increase your visibility and reach more local customers.

Are there other local search ranking factors for Bing Local, DuckDuckGo, and Apple Business Connect?

Yes, local SEO ranking factors vary depending on the search engine. Google has the most complex local ranking system, prioritizing Business Profiles and their local relevance, website on-page signals, Google reviews, behavioral signals, and engagement signals.

Bing pulls online reviews from platforms like Facebook, Yelp, Angi, and others for their local search engine rankings. Reviews aren’t directly Bing’s own ranking factors, but business listings with reviews on third-party sites may rank better.

DuckDuckGo uses Apple Maps, third-party reviews from sites like Tripadvisor, and information from Yelp.

To rank well on DuckDuckGo and Bing, identify the third-party review sites relevant to your business niche and get listed on those platforms and Apple Maps.

Completing your profiles on Yelp, Tripadvisor (if applicable), and Apple Business Connect is an effective way to improve your local SEO.

Why is there so much misinformation about local SEO ranking factors available across the internet?

Local SEO takes time, and the actions you take today won’t show immediate results. Since local SEO is not a one-time job, it requires ongoing work.

When working on a website for several months, it can be challenging to determine which efforts were effective.

You might have implemented 100 strategies, but only 5 might have yielded results, and identifying these can take years. That’s why it’s wise to listen to experts in the field who have already figured out many of the local SEO strategies that are working.

For local SEO, I highly recommend following Joyanne Hawkins from Sterling Sky, Darren Shaw from Whitespark, and Phil Rozek from Local Visibility System.

Final Words About Local Search Ranking Factors

These local SEO ranking factors will help you focus on the important aspects of local SEO. Remember that Google uses three primary classifications to determine local rankings: relevance, proximity, and prominence. These factors, combined with a great user experience, are crucial.

Always keep these in mind when performing local SEO tasks. This approach will help you avoid tactics that are considered misinformation.

The Google Business Profile is a local business’s greatest asset. However, local website SEO and your general web presence also play significant roles in ranking your profile high in local search results.

I hope these local search ranking factors provide clarity amidst the extensive local SEO information you can find online.

Feel free to leave a comment below if you liked the article or have any questions.