As an SEO enthusiast, I’m always looking for ways to shake up my routine for my local clients — namely, to make it quicker, easier, and less of a pain in the you-know-what for them to rank in Google local search. And sometimes, now and then, Google delivers a perfectly packaged gift wrapped in a quirky, multicolored bow right to my inbox. Yes, I’m talking about the recent updateGoogle made to Google My Business help page.
While most of us SEOs could probably optimize Google local listings in our sleep (no? just me?), verifying locations — and all the custom-tailored customer service, profile management, and brand-to-consumer conversations — is an entirely different story. So with your precious time and this new ranking signal for local SEO in mind, I’m rewriting the rules on how to rank in Google local search.
And, with 50% of consumers who conducted a local search on their smartphone visiting a store within a day, you’re going to want to pay attention, very carefully. Psst…this means your local SEO strategy can have a direct impact on in-store traffic.
(Warning: You may find yourself tossing out your 2013 Google Places strategy and switching up your post-Pigeon tactics.) Feels good to rebel, doesn’t it?
How Does Google Rank Your Local Business in Local Search?
Mere months ago, if you’d asked me to reach for my most top performing local SEO tactic, I might’ve whipped out some keyword research or created a super-unique local URL structure. But, today, I’m well acquainted (and entirely infatuated) with how Google determines local rankings: relevance, distance, and — yep, you guessed it, prominence.
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So, imagine my delight in discovering I could embrace my newfound love of Google’s ranking signals in a fresh way by integrating brand awareness. Sound like another Google algorithm update that may be a waste of your time? Not so. With the vague introduction of Google Pigeon in 2014, the local search community has been preparing for the crosslinking between “traditional web signals” and local search over a year now.
Check out below how Google ranks your local business in local search based on the recent update:
Relevance
Relevance refers to how well a local listing matches what someone is searching for. Adding complete and detailed business information can help Google better understand your business and match your listing to relevant searches.
Distance
Just like it sounds–how far is each potential search result from the location term used in a search? If a user doesn’t specify a location in their search, Google will calculate distance based on what’s known about their location.
Prominence
Prominence refers to how well-known a business is. Some places are more prominent in the offline world, and search results try to reflect this in local ranking. For example, famous museums, landmark hotels, or well-known store brands that are familiar to many people are also likely to be prominent in local search results.Prominence is also based on information that Google has about a business from across the web (like links, articles, and directories). Google review count and score are factored into local search ranking: more reviews and positive ratings will probably improve a business’s local ranking. Your position in web results is also a factor, so SEO best practices also apply to local search optimization.So, let’s break this down even further:
