Key Google Local Search Ranking Factors in 2020

The study examined 7 thematic areas:

Google My Business,

mentions/listing,

On-page factors,

links,

reviews,

behavioral signals,

personalization.

Key Findings of the Study

Local Pack and Local Finder block

According to the experts surveyed, the influence of GMB and reviews has grown significantly in 2020. The value of other signals has decreased. In 2013, the most important areas were GMB, mentions and on-page factors.

Local organic results

If you look at the rankings in organic organic results (the so-called blue links), the importance of the factors changes. According to experts, the impact of GMB and reviews on rankings in local organic search results is minimal. Links and on-page factors come first here.

Top 15 Ranking Factors in Local Organic Search

The quality and authority of incoming links to the domain.

The amount of quality content on the site.

Keywords in the anchor text of incoming domain links.

Thematic relevance of the keyword to the site.

Relevance of domain content based on geography (city, region).

Optimized for mobile devices, responsive design.

Domain authority.

Keywords in the GMB landing page title.

Diversity of incoming links to the domain.

Number of incoming links to the domain.

The number of incoming links to the domain from relevant industry sites.

The amount of quality content on service pages.

Keywords in the domain name.

The number of incoming links to the domain from relevant local sites.

CTR of search results.

Top 15 ranking factors in Local Pack and Local Finder blocks

The main category of the company's activities in GMB.

Keywords in the company name in GMB.

The proximity of the organization's address to the place from which the search is being conducted.

Physical address in the search city.

Additional categories in GMB.

Quality/authority of incoming links to the domain.

Keywords in Google reviews.

High ranking on Google (4-5 stars).

Removing spam listings.

Completeness of filling out your GMB profile.

GMB profile verification.

Number of reviews on Google (with text).

Keywords in the landing page title in GMB.

Quality/authority of incoming links to the GMB landing page URL.

Thematic relevance of the keyword to the entire site.

Top 10 Factors Affecting GMB Conversion

High rating (4–5 stars).

Positive attitude in the text of the review.

Number of reviews on Google (with text).

The proximity of the organization's address to the search point.

GMB messaging feature enabled.

Correct opening hours in your GMB profile.

Completeness of filling out the GMB profile.

Enabled booking feature in profile.

Frequency of publication of posts in the GMB profile.

Answers to frequently asked questions in the company profile.

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