Primary Factors in Google’s Local Search Algorithm

For many businesses, the ability to advertise and show up prominently in search results within local areas is a vital factor to success. Many business types, from home services to mortgage brokers and many others in between, draw the vast majority of their leads and clients from local pools, meaning it’s extremely important to remain visible and accessible in local searches.

At SEO Werkz, we provide a variety of detailed search engine optimization and internet marketing services, including those tailored directly to local search and strong performance in these results. Whether you’re working with content optimization, link building or any other area of our diverse services, here are the three factors Google tends to prioritize when it comes to their local algorithms that drive search traffic.

Relevance

The first and potentially most important area that’s being tracked by Google’s local search algorithm is the relevance of a given site or page. The algorithm is looking to see whether the business and its web pages contain the attributes common searchers in the area tend to be looking for – it’s a direct connection between what people in your local area are searching for and how well your site meets those needs.

Now, it’s important to realize that relevance is just one factor within the overall picture for local search. It’s important for Google to help searchers identify which businesses or services meet the needs they have – but it’s also important to determine which of them are most viable as options for individual customers, and that’s where our next sections come into play.

Prominence

In addition to asking whether a given site meets the needs of regular searches, Google’s local algorithm will also dig into which businesses that meet these needs are most reputable, popular and well-regarded in their area. This is generally referred to as the “prominence” section of the rankings algorithm, which will vary pretty widely based on the specific terms used in the search.

If someone is searching for the cheapest services in a given area, for instance, the result would vary based on that request. Generally speaking, the factors that play a role in prominence are the search query itself, the searcher’s location and the general relevance or reputation of the business.

Proximity

Finally, perhaps the simplest factor in the algorithm is proximity, or how close a business is to a given searcher so it can provide a good answer to the query. Many of us have searched for a given business using the “near me” tag at the end – this is a specific nod to Google’s proximity section of the algorithm, and will trigger the search to only show results within a reasonable distance for the service requested.

For more on the factors that play a big role in Google’s local search algorithm, or to learn about any of our SEO or other services, speak to the staff at SEO Werkz today.