Proximity, relevance, and prominence — three key things for local SEO compared to regular SEO
There are two main areas of focus for Local SEO that do not apply to regular SEO — key ranking factors and Google My Business listings.
Google and other search engines use a different algorithm for local searches which places importance on three key ranking factors.
Proximity. How close is the place of business for the person searching?
Relevance. How relevant is the search term for the business?
Prominence. What is the authority of the Local Business?
Proximity: Google uses the location of the person doing the searching to determine the results in search
If you search web design near my place of business, I am more likely to appear.
Relevance. How relevant is the search term for the business?
If the person searches “web design” that is a relevant search term for my business consequently I am more likely to appear. Is the search term a product or service that your local store offers?
Prominence. What is the authority of the Local Business?
Google uses factors such as reviews on Google and elsewhere such as my website ranking, social media following and many others to decide a business prominence or authority.
Alongside this your Google My Business listing is crucial
If you are aiming to do well in local search then it is also essential to set up and keep up to date your Google My Business listing as part of your digital marketing strategy.
Google My Business is a free service that Google provides where you can list details about your business including address and phone number, opening hours and website, as well as adding regular updates/posts, answering questions and getting reviews. Google prepares a knowledge panel from that information and other data around the web.
You can see the knowledge panel for your business if you search your Brand Name.
Google My Business and Local Search SEO
If someone was to search “Web Design Papakura” (my area of business and location) on Google Maps to find a local web design business then Google may decide to make my listing appear first based on those three factors — proximity, relevance and prominence.
Google local search also includes businesses that serve a local area but do not have their physical address listed publically on Google, ie where a mobile service enterprise may provide a service at the customers’ location. You can set your service area in Google My Business.
Google My Business listings are important for more than just their use in Google maps. They are overtaking the Yellow Pages regarding their use by customers when searching for a local business. They appear on general Google searches in local search results, eg if someone includes a place name like a suburb in the search query.
But it does not necessarily even have to include a place name. Google decides if the searcher intends to find a local business. For example, I searched for “Web Design”. And even though I don’t rank on the first page for this term over the whole of Auckland, (web design is a very competitive keyword!), I do rank better the closer you get to my place of business. Google has included Kitchen Table Web Design first in the “local pack”, just below the paid adverts.
If you are struggling to optimise your GMB listing or need help with local SEO we can help.
