1. What are Google’s Ranking factors?
The 2023 study identified 149 potential elements that experts in local search believe may influence how Google ranks businesses in its local pack/finder/maps and local organic search results. While we lack direct insight into Google’s local search algorithm’s inner workings, these factors stem from more than ten years of in-depth analysis, practical experience, research, and local search specialists rigorously testing their theories about the specific indicators Google uses for evaluating and ranking businesses.
It’s important to note, however, that the elements ranked highest by these experts seem to exert the most substantial influence on rankings. This conclusion is drawn from the experiences of local search professionals who specialize in optimizing businesses for prominence in local search outcomes.
Added to this, it’s also important to say that if you want to rank higher on you local search, and beat the competition, SEO tools are also vital. Ok, now let’s dig deep into all the local seo factors.
2. Local Search Ranking Factor groups
3. Local pack/finder ranking factors
Here are all ranking factors as ranked by the contributors for their impact on local pack/finder rankings:
| Rank | Factor | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Primary GBP Category | 193 |
| 2 | Keywords in GBP Business Title | 181 |
| 3 | Proximity of Address to the Point of Search (Searcher-Business Distance) | 176 |
| 4 | Physical Address in City of Search | 170 |
| 5 | Removal of spam listings through spam fighting | 143 |
| 6 | High Numerical Google Ratings (e.g. 4-5) | 138 |
| 7 | Additional GBP Categories | 134 |
| 8 | Quantity of Native Google Reviews (w/text) | 128 |
| 9 | Verified GBP | 117 |
| 10 | Proximity of Address to Centroid | 114 |
| 11 | Keywords in GBP Landing Page Title | 114 |
| 12 | Completeness of GBP | 112 |
| 13 | Sustained Influx of Reviews Over Time (rather than bursts) | 105 |
| 14 | Dedicated Page for Each Service | 105 |
| 15 | Keywords in GBP Landing Page Headings (H1, H2, etc) | 102 |
| 16 | Proper Placement of the Map Pin | 101 |
| 17 | Geographic (City/Neighborhood) Keyword Relevance of Domain Content | 101 |
| 18 | Internal Linking Across Entire Website | 100 |
| 19 | Quantity of Inbound Links to Domain from Locally-Relevant Domains | 100 |
| 20 | Recency of Reviews | 99 |
| 21 | Quantity of Inbound Links to GBP Landing Page URL from Locally-Relevant Domains | 98 |
| 22 | Consistency of Citations on Primary Search Engines (Google Maps, Bing Maps, Apple Maps) | 98 |
| 23 | HTML NAP Matching GBP NAP | 97 |
| 24 | Internal Links TO GBP Landing Page from Other Pages of Website | 97 |
| 25 | Quality/Authority of Inbound Links to Domain | 94 |
| 26 | Quality/Authority of Inbound Links to GBP Landing Page URL | 94 |
| 27 | Quantity of Inbound Links to Landing Page URL from Industry-Relevant Domains | 92 |
| 28 | Age of GBP | 90 |
| 29 | Keywords in Anchor Text of Inbound Links to GBP Landing Page URL | 89 |
| 30 | Volume of Searches for Business Name | 89 |
| 31 | Topical (Product/Service) Keyword Relevance Across Entire Website | 88 |
| 32 | Quantity of Inbound Links to Domain from Industry-Relevant Domains | 87 |
| 33 | Volume of Quality Content on Service Pages | 86 |
| 34 | Keywords in Native Google Reviews | 85 |
| 35 | Reference to Location Specific Entities on GBP Landing Page | 82 |
| 36 | Website’s Degree of Focus on a Specific Niche | 82 |
| 37 | Keywords in Anchor Text of Inbound Links to Domain | 81 |
| 38 | Click-Through from Search Results for Relevant Search Terms / from Geographically Relevant Locations | 79 |
| 39 | Positive Sentiment in Review Text | 78 |
| 40 | Quantity of Native Google Ratings (no text) | 78 |
| 41 | Mobile-friendly/Responsive Website | 78 |
| 42 | Business Title in Anchor Text of Inbound Links to GBP Landing Page URL | 78 |
| 43 | Proper Category Associations on Aggregators and Tier 1 Citation Sources | 78 |
| 44 | Quantity of Citations from Locally-Relevant Domains | 78 |
| 45 | Internal Links FROM GBP Landing Page to Other Pages of Website | 77 |
| 46 | Authority of Third-Party Sites on Which Reviews are Present | 76 |
| 47 | Diversity of Inbound Links to GBP Landing Page URL | 76 |
| 48 | Quantity of Engagement Signals on GBP (scrolling through listing, clicking photos, reading reviews, reading Q&A, clicking on Posts, etc) | 76 |
| 49 | Click-Through Rate from Search Results (General) | 75 |
| 50 | Diversity of Inbound Links to Domain | 74 |
| 51 | Prominence on Key Industry-Relevant Domains | 74 |
| 52 | Keywords in Titles Across Entire Website | 73 |
| 53 | Loadtime of GBP Landing Page | 73 |
| 54 | Volume of Quality Content on Entire Website | 73 |
| 55 | Driving Directions to Business Clicks | 73 |
| 56 | Consistency of Citations on Key Sites (Yellowpages, Yelp, D&B, CityGrid) | 72 |
| 57 | Clicks to Call Business | 72 |
| 58 | Keywords in Headings (H1, H2, etc) Across Entire Website | 71 |
| 59 | Website Uses HTTPS by default | 71 |
| 60 | Quantity of Inbound Links to Domain | 71 |
| 61 | Consistency of Citations on Data Aggregators (Infogroup, Localeze, Foursquare/Factual) | 71 |
| 62 | Business Title in Anchor Text of Inbound Links to Domain | 70 |
| 63 | Diversity of Anchor Text to GBP Landing Page URL | 70 |
| 64 | Quantity of Citations from Industry-Relevant Domains | 70 |
| 65 | Quantity of Positive Google Review Attributes | 69 |
| 66 | Quantity of Inbound Links to GBP Landing Page URL | 69 |
| 67 | High Numerical Ratings by Authority Reviewers (e.g. Yelp Elite, Google Local Guides, etc) | 68 |
| 68 | Diversity of Anchor Text to Domain | 68 |
| 69 | Quality/Authority of Unstructured Citations (Newspaper Articles, Blog Posts, Gov Sites, Industry Associations) | 68 |
| 70 | Keywords in GBP Landing Page URL | 67 |
| 71 | Volume of Content on GBP Landing Page | 67 |
| 72 | Domain Authority of Website | 67 |
| 73 | In-store visits tracked by Android or Google Maps Mobile app location detection | 66 |
| 74 | Quality/Authority of Structured Citations | 65 |
| 75 | Presence of “Website mentions” Justifications in Local Search Results | 63 |
| 76 | Keywords in Domain Name | 63 |
| 77 | Quantity of Unstructured Citations (Newspaper Articles, Blog Posts) | 62 |
| 78 | Quantity of Reviews on Industry-Specific Sites | 61 |
| 79 | Loadtime of Pages Across Entire Website | 61 |
| 80 | Page Authority of GBP Landing Page URL | 61 |
| 81 | Presence of GBP Services | 60 |
| 82 | Quality/Relevance of Photos | 60 |
| 83 | Enhancement/Completeness of Citations | 60 |
| 84 | Presence of “Identifies as” Attributes on GBP | 59 |
| 85 | Proper Hours Set on GBP | 59 |
| 86 | Diversity of Third-Party Sites on Which Reviews are Present | 59 |
| 87 | Quantity of Third-Party Traditional Reviews (e.g. Yelp, TripAdvisor, Yellowpages, etc) | 59 |
| 88 | Sustained Influx of Links Over Time (rather than bursts) | 59 |
| 89 | Quantity of Third-Party Unstructured Reviews (e.g. blogs, newspapers, magazines) | 57 |
| 90 | Quantity of Structured Citations (IYPs, Data Aggregators) | 56 |
| 91 | Presence of Business on Expert Curated Best of and Similar Lists | 55 |
| 92 | Presence of Review Justifications in Local Search Results | 54 |
| 93 | Quantity of Photos with Google Vision-AI Labels Matching Keywords | 54 |
| 94 | High Numerical Third-Party Ratings (e.g. 4-5) | 54 |
| 95 | Keywords in URLs Across Entire Website | 54 |
| 96 | Presence of “Provides” Justifications in Local Search Results | 53 |
| 97 | Quantity of Reviews by Authority Reviewers (e.g. Yelp Elite, Google Local Guides, etc) | 52 |
| 98 | NAP in Schema/JSON-LD on GBP Landing Page URL | 52 |
| 99 | Local Area Code on GBP | 51 |
| 100 | Keywords in Third-Party Reviews | 49 |
| 101 | Unlinked Brand Mentions | 49 |
| 102 | Keywords in Image ALT attributes on GBP Landing Page | 48 |
| 103 | Keywords in Text Surrounding Links to GBP Landing Page | 47 |
| 104 | Consistency of Citations on Other Citation Sources | 47 |
| 105 | Sustained Output of Content Over Time (rather than bursts) | 46 |
| 106 | Quantity of Photos in General on GBP | 45 |
| 107 | Presence of Crowd Sourced Attributes | 44 |
| 108 | Keywords in Text Surrounding Links to Domain | 44 |
| 109 | Length of Dwell Time on GBP | 42 |
| 110 | Keywords in GBP Services | 41 |
| 111 | Presence of Owner Responses to Most Reviews | 40 |
| 112 | Quantity of Services Performed in Google Reviews | 40 |
| 113 | Presence of Outbound Links to Authority Topically Relevant Sites | 40 |
| 114 | User Added Attributes in GBP | 39 |
| 115 | Embedded Google Map for Location on GBP Landing Page | 39 |
| 116 | Keywords in Image ALT attributes Across Entire Website | 38 |
| 117 | BBB Accredited | 38 |
| 118 | Keywords in GBP Landing Page Meta Description | 37 |
| 119 | Length of Dwell Time on GBP Landing Page | 37 |
| 120 | Keywords in GBP Products | 36 |
| 121 | In-store visits tracked by third-party beacon or location detection technology | 36 |
| 122 | Quantity of Bookings Through Google Booking Partners | 36 |
| 123 | Presence of XML Sitemap | 34 |
| 124 | Comprehensive Google Q&A Section with Owner-Seeded FAQs | 32 |
| 125 | Matching Google Account Domain to GBP Landing Page Domain | 31 |
| 126 | Keywords in Image Filenames on GBP Landing Page | 30 |
| 127 | Setting Service Areas in GBP | 29 |
| 128 | Quantity of Messages Through Google My Business Messaging | 29 |
| 129 | Presence of Google Posts Justifications in Local Search Results | 27 |
| 130 | Quantity of Products on GBP | 27 |
| 131 | Keywords in Meta Descriptions Across Entire Website | 27 |
| 132 | Frequency of Google Posts Posted | 26 |
| 133 | Number of Bookings Through GBP Booking Feature | 26 |
| 134 | Presence of Appointment URL | 25 |
| 135 | Keywords in Google Posts | 24 |
| 136 | Quantity of Videos on GBP | 24 |
| 137 | Keywords in Image Filenames Across Entire Website | 24 |
| 138 | Trusted Photographer / Google Business View Photography | 23 |
| 139 | Participation in Adwords, Adwords Express, Hotel Finder, or other paid Google products | 23 |
| 140 | Quantity of Google Posts Posted | 22 |
| 141 | GBP Booking Feature is Enabled | 20 |
| 142 | Quantity of Transactions Identified Through Credit Card Partners | 20 |
| 143 | Quantity of Questions Asked in Google Q&A | 19 |
| 144 | GBP Messaging Feature is Enabled | 18 |
| 145 | Keywords in Google Q&A | 18 |
| 146 | Sum of Transactions Identified Through Credit Card Partners | 16 |
| 147 | Keywords in Owner Responses to Reviews | 12 |
| 148 | Keywords in GBP Description | 11 |
| 149 | Geo-tagged Photos Uploaded to GBP | 2 |
4. Local organic ranking factors
Here are all ranking factors as ranked by the contributors for their impact on local organic rankings:
| Rank | Factor | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dedicated Page for Each Service | 163 |
| 2 | Internal Linking Across Entire Website | 149 |
| 3 | Quality/Authority of Inbound Links to Domain | 148 |
| 4 | Geographic (City/Neighborhood) Keyword Relevance of Domain Content | 146 |
| 5 | Keywords in GBP Landing Page Title | 140 |
| 6 | Quantity of Inbound Links to Domain from Locally-Relevant Domains | 137 |
| 7 | Topical (Product/Service) Keyword Relevance Across Entire Website | 135 |
| 8 | Volume of Quality Content on Service Pages | 134 |
| 9 | Volume of Quality Content on Entire Website | 132 |
| 10 | Keywords in Anchor Text of Inbound Links to Domain | 128 |
| 11 | Diversity of Inbound Links to Domain | 127 |
| 12 | Mobile-friendly/Responsive Website | 125 |
| 13 | Quantity of Inbound Links to Domain from Industry-Relevant Domains | 124 |
| 14 | Keywords in GBP Landing Page Headings (H1, H2, etc) | 119 |
| 15 | Website’s Degree of Focus on a Specific Niche | 119 |
| 16 | Keywords in Titles Across Entire Website | 117 |
| 17 | Keywords in Headings (H1, H2, etc) Across Entire Website | 110 |
| 18 | Website Uses HTTPS by default | 106 |
| 19 | Diversity of Anchor Text to Domain | 106 |
| 20 | Physical Address in City of Search | 105 |
| 21 | Quality/Authority of Inbound Links to GBP Landing Page URL | 105 |
| 22 | Loadtime of Pages Across Entire Website | 103 |
| 23 | Domain Authority of Website | 102 |
| 24 | Keywords in Anchor Text of Inbound Links to GBP Landing Page URL | 101 |
| 25 | Quantity of Inbound Links to Domain | 101 |
| 26 | Sustained Influx of Links Over Time (rather than bursts) | 101 |
| 27 | Internal Links TO GBP Landing Page from Other Pages of Website | 98 |
| 28 | Quantity of Inbound Links to Landing Page URL from Industry-Relevant Domains | 98 |
| 29 | Diversity of Inbound Links to GBP Landing Page URL | 97 |
| 30 | Keywords in Domain Name | 95 |
| 31 | Click-Through from Search Results for Relevant Search Terms / from Geographically Relevant Locations | 95 |
| 32 | Sustained Output of Content Over Time (rather than bursts) | 94 |
| 33 | Click-Through Rate from Search Results (General) | 94 |
| 34 | Loadtime of GBP Landing Page | 92 |
| 35 | Quantity of Inbound Links to GBP Landing Page URL from Locally-Relevant Domains | 92 |
| 36 | Business Title in Anchor Text of Inbound Links to Domain | 91 |
| 37 | Internal Links FROM GBP Landing Page to Other Pages of Website | 91 |
| 38 | Prominence on Key Industry-Relevant Domains | 91 |
| 39 | Reference to Location Specific Entities on GBP Landing Page | 88 |
| 40 | Volume of Searches for Business Name | 88 |
| 41 | Keywords in URLs Across Entire Website | 86 |
| 42 | Keywords in GBP Landing Page URL | 85 |
| 43 | Diversity of Anchor Text to GBP Landing Page URL | 82 |
| 44 | Authority of Third-Party Sites on Which Reviews are Present | 80 |
| 45 | Volume of Content on GBP Landing Page | 80 |
| 46 | Business Title in Anchor Text of Inbound Links to GBP Landing Page URL | 80 |
| 47 | Proximity of Address to the Point of Search (Searcher-Business Distance) | 77 |
| 48 | HTML NAP Matching GBP NAP | 75 |
| 49 | Quality/Authority of Unstructured Citations (Newspaper Articles, Blog Posts, Gov Sites, Industry Associations) | 74 |
| 50 | Keywords in Text Surrounding Links to Domain | 73 |
| 51 | Presence of XML Sitemap | 72 |
| 52 | Quantity of Third-Party Unstructured Reviews (e.g. blogs, newspapers, magazines) | 70 |
| 53 | Presence of Outbound Links to Authority Topically Relevant Sites | 69 |
| 54 | Quantity of Inbound Links to GBP Landing Page URL | 69 |
| 55 | Presence of Business on Expert Curated Best of and Similar Lists | 69 |
| 56 | Quantity of Citations from Locally-Relevant Domains | 68 |
| 57 | Diversity of Third-Party Sites on Which Reviews are Present | 65 |
| 58 | Consistency of Citations on Primary Search Engines (Google Maps, Bing Maps, Apple Maps) | 65 |
| 59 | Quantity of Citations from Industry-Relevant Domains | 65 |
| 60 | Page Authority of GBP Landing Page URL | 63 |
| 61 | Quantity of Unstructured Citations (Newspaper Articles, Blog Posts) | 63 |
| 62 | Keywords in Image ALT attributes Across Entire Website | 58 |
| 63 | Unlinked Brand Mentions | 58 |
| 64 | NAP in Schema/JSON-LD on GBP Landing Page URL | 57 |
| 65 | Quality/Authority of Structured Citations | 57 |
| 66 | Consistency of Citations on Key Sites (Yellowpages, Yelp, D&B, CityGrid) | 55 |
| 67 | High Numerical Google Ratings (e.g. 4-5) | 54 |
| 68 | Quantity of Reviews on Industry-Specific Sites | 54 |
| 69 | Quantity of Third-Party Traditional Reviews (e.g. Yelp, TripAdvisor, Yellowpages, etc) | 52 |
| 70 | Keywords in Image ALT attributes on GBP Landing Page | 52 |
| 71 | Consistency of Citations on Data Aggregators (Infogroup, Localeze, Foursquare/Factual) | 52 |
| 72 | Keywords in GBP Business Title | 50 |
| 73 | Keywords in Text Surrounding Links to GBP Landing Page | 49 |
| 74 | Primary GBP Category | 48 |
| 75 | Proper Category Associations on Aggregators and Tier 1 Citation Sources | 47 |
| 76 | Quantity of Structured Citations (IYPs, Data Aggregators) | 46 |
| 77 | High Numerical Third-Party Ratings (e.g. 4-5) | 45 |
| 78 | Keywords in Image Filenames Across Entire Website | 45 |
| 79 | Enhancement/Completeness of Citations | 45 |
| 80 | Keywords in Image Filenames on GBP Landing Page | 44 |
| 81 | Proximity of Address to Centroid | 43 |
| 82 | Keywords in Third-Party Reviews | 42 |
| 83 | Positive Sentiment in Review Text | 41 |
| 84 | Consistency of Citations on Other Citation Sources | 41 |
| 85 | Keywords in GBP Landing Page Meta Description | 38 |
| 86 | BBB Accredited | 38 |
| 87 | Sustained Influx of Reviews Over Time (rather than bursts) | 37 |
| 88 | Quantity of Native Google Reviews (w/text) | 36 |
| 89 | Keywords in Meta Descriptions Across Entire Website | 36 |
| 90 | Length of Dwell Time on GBP Landing Page | 36 |
| 91 | High Numerical Ratings by Authority Reviewers (e.g. Yelp Elite, Google Local Guides, etc) | 35 |
| 92 | Recency of Reviews | 35 |
| 93 | Embedded Google Map for Location on GBP Landing Page | 35 |
| 94 | Quality/Relevance of Photos | 33 |
| 95 | Keywords in Native Google Reviews | 33 |
| 96 | Verified GBP | 32 |
| 97 | Completeness of GBP | 31 |
| 98 | Presence of “Website mentions” Justifications in Local Search Results | 31 |
| 99 | Additional GBP Categories | 30 |
| 100 | Quantity of Photos with Google Vision-AI Labels Matching Keywords | 29 |
| 101 | Quantity of Reviews by Authority Reviewers (e.g. Yelp Elite, Google Local Guides, etc) | 27 |
| 102 | Age of GBP | 24 |
| 103 | Participation in Adwords, Adwords Express, Hotel Finder, or other paid Google products | 22 |
| 104 | Quantity of Engagement Signals on GBP (scrolling through listing, clicking photos, reading reviews, reading Q&A, clicking on Posts, etc) | 22 |
| 105 | Matching Google Account Domain to GBP Landing Page Domain | 21 |
| 106 | Clicks to Call Business | 21 |
| 107 | Length of Dwell Time on GBP | 21 |
| 108 | Presence of “Provides” Justifications in Local Search Results | 20 |
| 109 | Driving Directions to Business Clicks | 20 |
| 110 | Presence of Review Justifications in Local Search Results | 19 |
| 111 | Proper Placement of the Map Pin | 19 |
| 112 | Quantity of Positive Google Review Attributes | 19 |
| 113 | Local Area Code on GBP | 16 |
| 114 | Removal of spam listings through spam fighting | 16 |
| 115 | Quantity of Native Google Ratings (no text) | 16 |
| 116 | Quantity of Photos in General on GBP | 15 |
| 117 | Quantity of Products on GBP | 15 |
| 118 | Quantity of Services Performed in Google Reviews | 15 |
| 119 | In-store visits tracked by Android or Google Maps Mobile app location detection | 15 |
| 120 | Presence of Owner Responses to Most Reviews | 13 |
| 121 | Quantity of Bookings Through Google Booking Partners | 13 |
| 122 | Comprehensive Google Q&A Section with Owner-Seeded FAQs | 12 |
| 123 | Presence of Google Posts Justifications in Local Search Results | 12 |
| 124 | Proper Hours Set on GBP | 12 |
| 125 | Frequency of Google Posts Posted | 11 |
| 126 | Presence of Crowd Sourced Attributes | 11 |
| 127 | Presence of GBP Services | 11 |
| 128 | User Added Attributes in GBP | 11 |
| 129 | In-store visits tracked by third-party beacon or location detection technology | 11 |
| 130 | Quantity of Transactions Identified Through Credit Card Partners | 11 |
| 131 | Setting Service Areas in GBP | 10 |
| 132 | Keywords in Owner Responses to Reviews | 10 |
| 133 | Quantity of Messages Through Google My Business Messaging | 9 |
| 134 | Keywords in GBP Services | 8 |
| 135 | Sum of Transactions Identified Through Credit Card Partners | 8 |
| 136 | GBP Booking Feature is Enabled | 7 |
| 137 | Keywords in Google Posts | 7 |
| 138 | Presence of Appointment URL | 7 |
| 139 | Trusted Photographer / Google Business View Photography | 7 |
| 140 | Keywords in GBP Description | 6 |
| 141 | Keywords in GBP Products | 6 |
| 142 | Presence of “Identifies as” Attributes on GBP | 6 |
| 143 | Quantity of Questions Asked in Google Q&A | 6 |
| 144 | Quantity of Videos on GBP | 6 |
| 145 | Number of Bookings Through GBP Booking Feature | 5 |
| 146 | GBP Messaging Feature is Enabled | 4 |
| 147 | Keywords in Google Q&A | 4 |
| 148 | Quantity of Google Posts Posted | 3 |
| 149 | Geo-tagged Photos Uploaded to GBP | 1 |
5. Conversion factors
Rankings are important, but you also need to think about how your web presence (GBP, website, etc) turns visitors into customers. Is your message resonating? Have you given them a reason to choose your business over the dozens of other options?
Here are all ranking factors as ranked by the contributors for their impact on conversions:
| Rank | Factor | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | High Numerical Google Ratings (e.g. 4-5) | 177 |
| 2 | Positive Sentiment in Review Text | 151 |
| 3 | Mobile-friendly/Responsive Website | 149 |
| 4 | Quantity of Native Google Reviews (w/text) | 145 |
| 5 | Dedicated Page for Each Service | 137 |
| 6 | Completeness of GBP | 133 |
| 7 | GBP Booking Feature is Enabled | 132 |
| 8 | Proper Hours Set on GBP | 131 |
| 9 | Quality/Relevance of Photos | 128 |
| 10 | Presence of Owner Responses to Most Reviews | 128 |
| 11 | Recency of Reviews | 128 |
| 12 | Proximity of Address to the Point of Search (Searcher-Business Distance) | 127 |
| 13 | Loadtime of Pages Across Entire Website | 127 |
| 14 | Primary GBP Category | 125 |
| 15 | Loadtime of GBP Landing Page | 125 |
| 16 | Presence of Review Justifications in Local Search Results | 120 |
| 17 | Physical Address in City of Search | 119 |
| 18 | Presence of “Provides” Justifications in Local Search Results | 119 |
| 19 | Presence of Appointment URL | 119 |
| 20 | Quantity of Positive Google Review Attributes | 118 |
| 21 | GBP Messaging Feature is Enabled | 115 |
| 22 | Presence of “Website mentions” Justifications in Local Search Results | 113 |
| 23 | High Numerical Third-Party Ratings (e.g. 4-5) | 110 |
| 24 | Website Uses HTTPS by default | 109 |
| 25 | Geographic (City/Neighborhood) Keyword Relevance of Domain Content | 103 |
| 26 | Comprehensive Google Q&A Section with Owner-Seeded FAQs | 102 |
| 27 | Sustained Influx of Reviews Over Time (rather than bursts) | 101 |
| 28 | High Numerical Ratings by Authority Reviewers (e.g. Yelp Elite, Google Local Guides, etc) | 100 |
| 29 | Keywords in Native Google Reviews | 100 |
| 30 | Website’s Degree of Focus on a Specific Niche | 98 |
| 31 | Authority of Third-Party Sites on Which Reviews are Present | 96 |
| 32 | Quantity of Reviews on Industry-Specific Sites | 93 |
| 33 | Proper Placement of the Map Pin | 92 |
| 34 | Keywords in GBP Business Title | 91 |
| 35 | Presence of GBP Services | 91 |
| 36 | Volume of Quality Content on Service Pages | 91 |
| 37 | Topical (Product/Service) Keyword Relevance Across Entire Website | 87 |
| 38 | Additional GBP Categories | 86 |
| 39 | Quantity of Third-Party Traditional Reviews (e.g. Yelp, TripAdvisor, Yellowpages, etc) | 85 |
| 40 | Frequency of Google Posts Posted | 83 |
| 41 | Presence of Google Posts Justifications in Local Search Results | 83 |
| 42 | Embedded Google Map for Location on GBP Landing Page | 83 |
| 43 | Quantity of Native Google Ratings (no text) | 82 |
| 44 | Local Area Code on GBP | 81 |
| 45 | Volume of Quality Content on Entire Website | 79 |
| 46 | Quantity of Photos in General on GBP | 77 |
| 47 | Verified GBP | 77 |
| 48 | Keywords in GBP Landing Page Title | 77 |
| 49 | Diversity of Third-Party Sites on Which Reviews are Present | 76 |
| 50 | Keywords in GBP Landing Page Headings (H1, H2, etc) | 76 |
| 51 | Presence of Crowd Sourced Attributes | 75 |
| 52 | Trusted Photographer / Google Business View Photography | 75 |
| 53 | Quantity of Reviews by Authority Reviewers (e.g. Yelp Elite, Google Local Guides, etc) | 74 |
| 54 | Presence of “Identifies as” Attributes on GBP | 73 |
| 55 | Keywords in GBP Services | 72 |
| 56 | Quantity of Videos on GBP | 71 |
| 57 | Removal of spam listings through spam fighting | 71 |
| 58 | Setting Service Areas in GBP | 71 |
| 59 | Quantity of Third-Party Unstructured Reviews (e.g. blogs, newspapers, magazines) | 70 |
| 60 | Quantity of Services Performed in Google Reviews | 65 |
| 61 | Keywords in GBP Products | 64 |
| 62 | Quantity of Products on GBP | 64 |
| 63 | Keywords in Titles Across Entire Website | 64 |
| 64 | Keywords in Google Posts | 63 |
| 65 | User Added Attributes in GBP | 63 |
| 66 | Keywords in Headings (H1, H2, etc) Across Entire Website | 59 |
| 67 | Proximity of Address to Centroid | 57 |
| 68 | Quantity of Google Posts Posted | 57 |
| 69 | Quantity of Questions Asked in Google Q&A | 57 |
| 70 | Reference to Location Specific Entities on GBP Landing Page | 57 |
| 71 | Volume of Content on GBP Landing Page | 56 |
| 72 | Keywords in GBP Landing Page Meta Description | 55 |
| 73 | Keywords in Google Q&A | 50 |
| 74 | Keywords in Third-Party Reviews | 50 |
| 75 | Keywords in Meta Descriptions Across Entire Website | 48 |
| 76 | Keywords in GBP Description | 46 |
| 77 | HTML NAP Matching GBP NAP | 45 |
| 78 | Sustained Output of Content Over Time (rather than bursts) | 43 |
| 79 | Keywords in Owner Responses to Reviews | 41 |
| 80 | Keywords in Domain Name | 40 |
| 81 | Keywords in GBP Landing Page URL | 39 |
| 82 | Keywords in URLs Across Entire Website | 37 |
| 83 | Age of GBP | 33 |
| 84 | Presence of Outbound Links to Authority Topically Relevant Sites | 32 |
| 85 | Quantity of Photos with Google Vision-AI Labels Matching Keywords | 27 |
| 86 | Keywords in Image ALT attributes Across Entire Website | 27 |
| 87 | Matching Google Account Domain to GBP Landing Page Domain | 22 |
| 88 | Keywords in Image ALT attributes on GBP Landing Page | 22 |
| 89 | Number of Bookings Through GBP Booking Feature | 17 |
| 90 | NAP in Schema/JSON-LD on GBP Landing Page URL | 17 |
| 91 | Geo-tagged Photos Uploaded to GBP | 9 |
| 92 | Keywords in Image Filenames Across Entire Website | 9 |
| 93 | Keywords in Image Filenames on GBP Landing Page | 9 |
| 94 | Presence of XML Sitemap | 8 |
6. Local SEO myths
These are the factors that received the lowest combined scores. In other words, these are the factors that most of the contributors think don’t impact rankings much at all.
| Rank | Factor | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geo-tagged Photos Uploaded to GBP | 2 |
| 2 | Keywords in GBP Description | 11 |
| 3 | Keywords in Owner Responses to Reviews | 12 |
| 4 | Sum of Transactions Identified Through Credit Card Partners | 16 |
| 5 | GBP Messaging Feature is Enabled | 18 |
| 6 | Keywords in Google Q&A | 18 |
| 7 | Quantity of Questions Asked in Google Q&A | 19 |
| 8 | GBP Booking Feature is Enabled | 20 |
| 9 | Quantity of Transactions Identified Through Credit Card Partners | 20 |
| 10 | Quantity of Google Posts Posted | 22 |
| 11 | Trusted Photographer / Google Business View Photography | 23 |
| 12 | Participation in Adwords, Adwords Express, Hotel Finder, or other paid Google products | 23 |
| 13 | Keywords in Google Posts | 24 |
| 14 | Quantity of Videos on GBP | 24 |
| 15 | Keywords in Image Filenames Across Entire Website | 24 |
| 16 | Presence of Appointment URL | 25 |
| 17 | Frequency of Google Posts Posted | 26 |
| 18 | Number of Bookings Through GBP Booking Feature | 26 |
| 19 | Presence of Google Posts Justifications in Local Search Results | 27 |
| 20 | Quantity of Products on GBP | 27 |
| 21 | Keywords in Meta Descriptions Across Entire Website | 27 |
| 22 | Setting Service Areas in GBP | 29 |
| 23 | Quantity of Messages Through Google My Business Messaging | 29 |
| 24 | Keywords in Image Filenames on GBP Landing Page | 30 |
| 25 | Matching Google Account Domain to GBP Landing Page Domain | 31 |
| 26 | Comprehensive Google Q&A Section with Owner-Seeded FAQs | 32 |
| 27 | Presence of XML Sitemap | 34 |
| 28 | Keywords in GBP Products | 36 |
| 29 | In-store visits tracked by third-party beacon or location detection technology | 36 |
| 30 | Quantity of Bookings Through Google Booking Partners | 36 |
7.Negative factors
Try to avoid these problems in your local search work.
| Rank | Factor | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Incorrect Primary Category | 176 |
| 2 | Presence of Other Profiles in the Same Category at the Same Address | 142 |
| 3 | Site Hacked / Presence of Malware | 142 |
| 4 | Low Numerical Ratings of Google Reviews (e.g. 1-2) | 108 |
| 5 | Negative Sentiment in Google Reviews | 90 |
| 6 | Absence of Crawlable NAP on Website | 84 |
| 7 | Incorrectly-placed Map Marker in GBP | 83 |
| 8 | Address is a PO Box, UPS Mail Store, Virtual Office, or Other False Address | 79 |
| 9 | Quantity of Negative Google Review Attributes | 79 |
| 10 | Profiles with Same Address/Phone Marked as “Permanently Closed” | 78 |
| 11 | Hiding/Removing the GBP Address | 77 |
| 12 | Mis-match Address on GBP Landing Page | 76 |
| 13 | Absence of Crawlable NAP on GBP Landing Page | 73 |
| 14 | Reports of Violations on your GBP | 73 |
| 15 | Category Confusion (adding additional categories from completely unrelated industries) | 72 |
| 16 | Association of GBP account with other suppressed listings | 65 |
| 17 | No Hours of Operation on GBP | 62 |
| 18 | Incomplete/Missing Data on the Primary Data Sources | 61 |
| 19 | Presence of Multiple Profiles with Same Phone Number | 61 |
| 20 | Reports of Review Gating | 58 |
| 21 | Mis-match NAP / Tracking Phone Numbers Across Data Ecosystem | 57 |
| 22 | Reports of Fake Reviews on your GBP | 57 |
| 23 | Low Numerical Ratings of Third-party Reviews (e.g. 1-2) | 53 |
| 24 | Receiving Too Many Google Reviews Too Fast | 53 |
| 25 | Negative Sentiment in Third-Party Reviews | 52 |
| 26 | Keyword Stuffing in GBP Business Name | 42 |
| 27 | Presence of Stock Photos on Profile | 40 |
| 28 | No Owner Responses to Any Reviews | 38 |
| 29 | Listing 800 Number as the Only Phone Number in GBP | 36 |
| 30 | Presence of 3rd Party Reviews in Schema/JSON on Website | 29 |
| 31 | Keyword Stuffing the Title Tag of GBP Landing Page | 26 |
8. Continue learning with these articles
Hopefully, by now you have a solid understanding of Google My Business and you can continue reading more articles that will help your brand or business on our Blog. Create a Google My Business account and help expand your business.
