6 Primary Factors that Affect Your Rank on Local Search Results

Ranking at the top of search results may seem like the ultimate goal for many website owners, but the reality is far more complex than simply claiming the top spot. Search results are comprised of local listings, organic listings, and paid advertisements, each serving different purposes and appearing based on various factors.

Local listings are tailored to a user's specific location, organic listings are based on relevance and authority, while paid ads offer a way to gain visibility through auctions and bidding. Understanding how each type of listing contributes to search results can help website owners develop comprehensive strategies to improve their visibility in the crowded online landscape.

Focusing on one element of online marketing at a time, such as local search, can be an effective strategy for businesses looking to enhance their digital presence. By concentrating on perfecting local search optimization first, businesses can boost their visibility within their communities, attract nearby consumers, and lay a strong foundation for broader online marketing initiatives down the line.

About Local Listings

Ranking locally on search results means appearing in result pages for queries that are location-specific. This is important for businesses looking to attract customers to a storefront or within a specific geographical area. By optimizing website content, utilizing local keywords, and managing online reviews and directory listings, businesses can improve their visibility to potential customers in the same vicinity. This can lead to increased website traffic, foot traffic to physical locations, and more business opportunities.

Improving local listings all comes down to a science: the science of algorithms (primarily Google’s algorithm). An algorithm is a detailed set of rules that helps find information in databases and shows the best results for what someone is searching for. Following best practices will improve all listings, including local listings.

What factors affect local search results?

Here are the four primary factors that encompass your search engine page results (SERPs) and local search engine visibility. Focusing on fine-tuning these elements will help to improve your rank on local search results.

1. Google Business Profile

A Google Business Profile refers to your Google Maps business listing. This business profile is a free and highly beneficial listing that usually shows up first (especially on mobile) for localized Google searches (paid ads may top these listings depending on where and what you’re searching).

Your Google Business Profile listing is vital to your customer’s well-being. With mobile searches at an all-time high and attention spans diminishing, potential customers want the correct information quickly. Many potential customers won’t check your website for hours of operation or business info, so ensuring your Google Business listing is up-to-date is crucial to your credibility. Both brick-and-mortar and home-based businesses can have a Google Business listing.

Google Business Profiles include the following information: business name, category, website URL, address, phone number, business hours, popular times, service area, photos, products, ordering, bookings, quotes, and reviews. The first three are the most important.

Create a free Google Business Profile here.

2. Google Reviews

Google Reviews play a vital role in local search results. The quantity, quality, and relevancy of reviews can significantly impact a business's visibility in the local search rankings. Google's algorithms consider a high number of positive reviews as a credibility signal, boosting a business's chances of appearing at the top of search results. Conversely, a low rating or a small number of reviews can demote a business's online visibility.

Encouraging satisfied customers to leave positive reviews and promptly addressing any negative feedback are essential strategies for businesses looking to improve their local search rankings.

3. Your Website

Another factor that affects Google local listings is your website's content. The most critical elements are the business name, address, and phone number (NAP). This information should be accurate and consistent between the website and the Google Business Profile.

Beyond the NAPs, optimizing the website's metadata (title tags, meta descriptions, and headers) with relevant local keywords can also improve visibility on local search results. Additionally, consistently updated content, a mobile-responsive design, fast loading speed, and site security are crucial for enhancing user experience, which can indirectly influence local search rankings.

Lastly, keeping the website up to date with fresh, high-quality content is an essential strategy for improving a website's performance in local search results.

4. Directory Listings and Social Media

Online directories, social media, and travel media all play a key role in local search visibility and your business's overall online presence. Even if you've never published directory listings for your business, it's likely listed out there (published by previous customers). If you find a listing for your business but didn’t set it up, claim it and update the information appropriately. Replying to reviews is always recommended to show credibility and prove that you care about your customers’ well-being.

Consistent business information across all platforms, whether Yelp or Instagram, will ensure that every potential customer finds the correct information, which equals happy customers and revenue growth.

5. Links

Link building plays a critical role in optimizing a website's local listing.

Internal links help search engine crawlers navigate the site efficiently, ensuring all relevant pages are indexed and ranked properly. By strategically linking to location-specific pages within the site, businesses can boost their local SEO and increase visibility to users searching for products or services in their area. Put simply, use links within your website and make sure Google knows about them.

On the other hand, inbound links or backlinks from reputable local directories, industry-specific websites, or local news outlets can significantly enhance a website's authority and credibility within the local market. These links act as strong trust signals to search engines, signaling the site's relevance and prominence within its geographical location.

As a result, websites with a healthy mix of internal and inbound links are more likely to achieve higher rankings in local search results, attracting valuable organic traffic and potential customers.

6. Customer Interactions With Your Website

Customer interactions with a website directly impact the performance of a Google local listing. Metrics such as click-thru rate (CTR), dwell time, clicks-to-site, and clicks-to-call play a significant role in determining a business's visibility and ranking on Google Maps. A high CTR indicates to Google that a listing is relevant and engaging to users, positively influencing its position in local search results. While, longer dwell times suggest that visitors find the website content valuable, potentially boosting the listing's SEO performance. Also, an increased number of clicks-to-site and clicks-to-call demonstrate strong user intent, signaling to Google the relevance and trustworthiness of the business to potential customers.

Businesses should prioritize optimizing these customer interactions to improve their Google Local Listings and drive local traffic effectively.

It’s best to manage your expectations when it comes to online marketing. There is no guarantee that even if every rule above is followed, you’ll rank number one for your preferred search results. However, with continual effort, best practices and strategic refinement, the juice is worth the squeeze.

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