Google Rankings: Key Factors

Annoying your potential customer with a bad Google Maps listing is not very smart if you want to drive foot traffic to your local businesses. Providing good local business information to make sure Online to Offline customer journeys work is a struggle for many. However, while not always easy, it is also essential and important which is why understanding what is important for Rankings on Google Maps and Google my Business are questions we get all the time.

Google Local rankings we racked our brains about what works on Google right now and also thought a bit about old truths that have become obsolete. SEO and Local SEO are moving targets where what is currently correct change rapidly. Let’s go through the six main truths about Google Local Rankings!

1. Keyword Stuffing

SEO veterans will tell you about the golden days when Link Farms, Blog Link Networks, Backlinking and Click Farms were things to behold. The common denominator is that they were ways to dupe the Algorithms of Google and other Search engines. Another common denominator is that they are more or less irrelevant these days.

3. NAP

While smaller directories and services are declining in importance for local listings, trusted sources still seem to influence local rank. This appears to be in line with how SEO rankings in general has evolved over the years. Having the same local info on places like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, UBER, Apple Maps, HERE, & TomTom as your GMB listings appears to influence heavily on your local Google ranking.

Mentions across well known/trusted publications also seem to help rank. All in all Google have appears to have become more picky on what sources can influence local rankings. A big reason is likely that it trusts its own Knowledge Graph in the first place. Therefore peripheral information is less important.

5. Being consistent on Listings & your own website

Therefore, if you operate a chain you should automate the procedure of keeping GMB + other vital services (Facebook, Apple Maps, HERE etc, etc) and your own website inline and consistent.

6. Complying with Google regulations and recommendations

Google says.

Thankfully, Google themselves are open on what needs to be done in GBP. It is our strong recommendation to comply with their recommendations and regulations.

√ Set up a GBP account. If you don’t have one, Sign up here.

√ Complete data. Fill out the data to the best of your ability. Read the instructions, do not try and hack/hijack the procedure.

√ Verify location. Go through the process of verifying your location. If you have more than 10 locations you should also verify your account.

√ Keep hours accurate. Might seem like self-explanatory but as stated this tends to break down quickly when you have multiple locations.

√ Manage and respond to reviews. According to Google this is a big part on what impact local rank.

√ Add photos. Add good, descriptive visual material that helps the end customer.

To Sum Up

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