What factors affect your Google local search rankings? Get our take on the 2021 Whitespark Local Search Ranking Factors survey.
Every year, Whitespark surveys local search experts to find out what works and what doesn’t when it comes to rankings and conversions in local SEO.
Participants are asked to rank a broad range of possible ranking factors in order of what they believe affects local search rankings in the Finder/Local Pack as well as in organic search.
According to Whitespark, “These factors are based on over a decade of analysis, experience, research, and local experts testing their various hypotheses when it comes to the specific signals Google is using to evaluate and rank businesses.”
So, which factors affect your local search rankings? Which factors are the most important according to the personal experience and testing by local search experts?
Read on to learn more about the 2021 Local Search Ranking Factors Survey, and get our take on the results.
Please note: Google recently renamed Google My Business (GMB) to Google Business Profile (GBP). When Whitespark surveyed the participants, it was GMB, and when they published the resource it was called GBP. In the report and this blog post, you may see GMB and GBP, but please note that they refer to the same thing.
Google Ranking Factors Overview
Google uses an incredibly complex algorithm to determine which results should appear first when a user searches for a particular query. There are a number of factors that Google takes into consideration in their ranking algorithm.
Below are some of the groups of factors that were evaluated in the White Spark survey.
- Google Business Profile
- Reviews
- On-page Optimization
- Links
- Behavioral
- Citations
- Personalization
Within each of these groups of ranking factors, there are individual ranking factors. For example, with your Google Business Profile, some of the individual ranking factors may include the business name, location, descriptions, etc.
The importance of these groups of ranking factors is different, depending on whether you are looking at rankings for the Local Pack/Finder (business results) or the rankings for results in organic search (web pages).
Source: Whitespark
Our Take:
When it comes to Local Pack/Finder rankings, it is no surprise that your Google Business Profile, previously called Google My Business (GMB), is the most important ranking factor. Reviews also make a huge difference as these are part of your Google Business listing and the average star rating appears in the Local Pack results. If Google is offering Local Service Ads (aka Google Guaranteed ads) for your industry, typically for services provided in a home, Google reviews take on even more importance for this key tactic.
For the local organic search ranking factors, we definitely agree that on-page optimization (including schema) and links are two of the most important ranking factors. Behavioral factors are also important as we are fairly sure that Google takes into consideration how a user interacts with the page. Citations are a foundational source of links for your website, something we always pin down for our clients, but local affiliations and trade associations are some easy opportunities. To improve on-page user behavior, and get ahead of Google’s multi-modal search results, we’re working with many of our clients to develop videos around their core service and product lines.
Google Local Pack/Finder Individual Ranking Factors
Local pack/Finder results appear at the top Google’s search results, above the organic listings, below the paid ads. These results include Google business listings with specific details about each business, including their contact details and business hours, as well as their location on the map.
According to the WhiteSpark survey, these came in as the top five Local Pack/Finder ranking factors in the 2021 survey:
- Primary Google Business category
- Keywords in the Google Business title
- Proximity of address to the searcher
- Physical address in city of search
- Additional Google Business categories
Our Take:
While we agree with the top 5 ranking factors in the list, last year we identified keyword stuffing in the legal industry as marketing advisors mistakenly told local law firms to change their business name to match their service area. When done artificially, this is usually caught by Google and businesses will get penalized.
It is important to note that having a verified Google Business listing (which came in at 13 on the list) is also key. Without verifying your listing, you are at the mercy of Google to put together information about your business, based on information they gather about you on the web.
By verifying your business, you have control over the information in your listing. This is also important to the end-user who wants to know your business hours, services, and other info that may be difficult for Google to get.
Local Organic Individual Ranking Factors
Local organic search results are the web pages that are displayed when you search for something in Google. According to the Whitespark survey, these are the top five individual ranking factors for local organic search results.
- Quality/Authority of Inbound Links to Domain
- Volume of Quality Content on Entire Website
- Internal Linking Across Entire Website
- Topical (Product/Service) Keyword Relevance Across Entire Website
- Geographic (City/Neighborhood) Keyword Relevance of Domain Content
Our Take:
Yes, the quality/authority of inbound links to a domain is important. Yes, the volume of quality content on the entire website is key. Yes, we agree with the top five local organic ranking factors, but having a mobile-friendly site (which came in at number 12) should be MUCH higher on the list.
As stated in Google’s own help docs:
- Mobile-friendly sites show up higher in search results
- Mobile searches make up more than half of searches on Google.com
- For many advertisers, the majority of traffic comes from people on their mobile phones
- If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, visitors are 5 times more likely to leave
Perhaps the reason this is so far down on the list is because this is such a no-brainer that experts don’t even think about it anymore and it is often cited for errors in Google Search Console warnings.
Google Business Profile Conversion Factors
In addition to looking at which factors improve rankings, the Whitespark ranking factors survey also asks participants which factors help with Google Business Profile conversions. According to the 2021 survey for GBP conversion factors, experts believe the following factors influence whether users engage with your Google Business profile.
- High Numerical Google Ratings (e.g. 4-5)
- Positive Sentiment in Review Text
- Completeness of Google Business Profile
- Quality of Native Google Reviews (w/text)
- Recency of Reviews
Our Take:
It is absolutely no surprise that 4 out of the top 5 factors that impact Google Business Profile conversions relate to reviews. Reviews are displayed prominently in the Local Pack/Finder, and they have a huge influence on whether or not someone chooses to work with your business.
That is one of the reasons that we focus so much attention on helping our clients get positive business reviews.
Having a complete and accurate Google Business Profile (number 3) is incredibly important as well. The more information searchers have, the better. This includes everything from basic information like the business name, address and hours to additional info like the services and business description.
So…Which Factors Improve Rankings and Conversions?
Without having access to the inner workings of Google, it is impossible to know for sure which factors are the most important when it comes to local rankings and conversions. However, through extensive testing and analysis, New Plains Media and other local ranking experts are able to identify factors that definitely play a role.
Some of the key takeaways from this report include:
- Claim, verify, and optimize your Google Business Profile
- Focus on getting positive reviews, specifically on your Google Business Profile
- Add high quality content to your site that provides both internal and external linking opportunities
For help with your local rankings in both organic search and the Local Pack/Finder, contact the experts at New Plains Media today at grow@pioneermedia.me.
