As a local small business, you care about your Google ranking. That’s because a high ranking means more visibility in Google Search results, and more visibility means more traffic to your site. But how do you know if your local ranking is improving? And what can you do to get it on the top?
First of all, it’s worth noting that there are two different types of search results: organic, which are unpaid and based on general relevance; and local, which are based on location-specific queries.
To better understand local search results and improve your own, it helps to know what factors affect your ranking. Google bases its local search results on three main factors: relevance, distance, and prominence. These three factors make up the algorithm that determines the order of local businesses in search results.
According to Google, to enhance each of these factors for your business, you should complete your business details in the Google Business Profile. Such factors help Google determine a business’ relevance to a user’s search query and how far the business is located in relation to the user. To attract more local customers from search, local businesses must improve their ranking in the search results.