February 23, 2010 in Blog, Search Engine Marketing by Patrick McNulty

Factors That Make Up Local Search Rankings

In a survey assessing the factors that make up local search rankings, participants were asked to rate the importance of 49 criteria with respect to their influence on rankings in the Google and Yahoo Local “Universal” search algorithms (those that drive the 10-pack, 3-pack, and authoritative onebox search results; NOT the standard organic algorithms)

Some key take-aways include:

- Local search algorithms are not perfect and it’s anyone’s educated guess as to what ranks in most importance (similar to SEO theories)
- Important factors include: Verified listing, proper categories, KEYWORDS in title and listing and citations from major data providers
- While search engines somewhat forcefully make sure your business is shown only in the city where your address is, NOT YOUR SERVICE AREA, it is possible to slightly ‘game’ the results into using a PO BOX close to the centroid

It will be interesting to keep an eye on local search results for small business, especially as mobile becomes an even larger factor in how consumers research and purchase locally.