Blog previously shared on the Google Small Business network email newsletter.
How Local Ranking Works
Curious about what influences your local SEO rankings? 
We’re here to help! Local search results are key to connecting your business with nearby customers. We focus on three key factors:
1. Distance: Claim and optimize your profile to emphasize your convenient location.
2. Relevance: Make sure your Google Business Profile accurately reflects your offerings so you show up in searches that matter.
Relevance refers to how well a local Business Profile matches what someone is searching for. Add complete and detailed business information to help Google better understand your business and match your profile to relevant searches.
3. Prominence: Build your online reputation through reviews and mentions across the web to boost your authority and visibility.
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 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 review score factor into local search ranking. More reviews and positive ratings can improve your business’ local ranking. Your position in web results is also a factor, so search engine optimization (SEO) best practices apply.
Tip: There’s no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google. We do our best to keep the search algorithm details confidential, to make the ranking system as fair as possible for everyone.
We understand that sometimes a business a bit farther away might be the perfect fit for a searcher’s needs. Our algorithms consider a variety of factors to deliver the best possible results for everyone.
Watch this video and see this article for more details
