Most small- to mid-sized businesses know how important it is to optimize their locations on Google Business Profile (GBP), formerly known as Google My Business, to increase leads from Google Maps and rank higher for local searches. However, it would be challenging to decide which local ranking criteria to prioritize in 2024 given the large number of items to alter and Google’s quick rate of change. This article examines the GBP products that affect rankings and make you appear in more searches and the non-ranking but helpful products. To learn more, continue reading, and call an expert right now!
Overview of the ranking variables for Google Business Profiles
This is how various features on your Google Business Profile affect your Google ranking:
- The rankings are significantly influenced by the business name, category, landing page, address, and reviews.
- Photos, services, landing page pictures, alt text, review answers, and identification traits have a minimal to moderate influence on rankings.
- Some effect on involvement, no effect on rankings: A local phone number, FAQs or a Q&A section, responses in the Q&A section, posts, merchandise, messaging, booking, opening date, service areas, and an optimized business description are all included.
- Using keywords in the business description, postings, reviews, and replies can affect your Google ranking.
8 Local Ranking Factors on Google Business Profiles
We’ve found that the eight things below affect local keyword results. If you want to enhance your Google Business Profile, these are the key aspects to focus on. Some factors have a big and direct effect on ranks, while others have indirect effects. There’s more to local rankings than just being at the top of a rank tracker or for one search in a certain place or time. We employ a broader interpretation of rankings, as local rankings can vary based on location, time of day, search history, and other influencing factors. We look at the things that affect where you rank in the results and how often you show up in maps results, local finder results, and local packs. Investing in Local SEO Services can significantly enhance your visibility and ranking in local searches.
1. Business Name
Your company’s name is one of the most essential variables in determining local rankings. Adding keywords to your business name can impact your local search rankings. However, you should not stuff your name with keywords; keyword stuffing violates Google’s requirements and may result in suspension. Google’s Vicinity update in December 2021 reduced the impact of keyword stuffing in your business name. The business name still significantly affects rankings, especially since the March 2022 local algorithm update. This update served as a rectification to the Vicinity enhancement, diminishing its impact.
2. Categories
Both primary and secondary categories have a considerable impact on rankings, so choose them carefully.
Does the primary category affect rankings?
The primary category is ranked higher than the secondary categories. This segment is one of the most important things you can directly modify on your profile.
Do auxiliary categories affect rankings?
Although secondary categories are not as potent as core categories, they can still significantly and promptly affect local outcomes. Developing new categories can help you appear in more searches, thus monitoring rivals’ categories and developing relevant secondary categories is an excellent plan for 2024.
3. Landing Page
Landing pages, like categories and business names, can impact your local rankings. Google considers the content of the landing page and the link authority of the URL you select. Often, your homepage is the greatest option, even if it lacks the best information for your major products/services. Rather than using a landing page from your site, you can develop a website with GBP. We discovered that GBP websites do not receive better ranks and have restricted functionality, thus we recommend keeping with your site.
4. Address
The location you operate from, whether a physical store, a service-oriented business, or a blend of both, significantly influences your rankings. Google ranks your business based on the location you use to validate the listing, with higher rankings closer to the site and lower rankings further away. There is another way in which the address can affect rankings. It is difficult to change your business address, so only consider this option if you are moving or creating a new location. To select the optimal address for local rankings, verify that:
- The address is in the city that you want to rank.
- Significant search volume exists within a narrow radius of the address.
5. Images
There is also a dispute on whether GBP images affect rankings. While some studies have concluded that adding photographs does not affect results, Google claims that adding photos to your Business Profile can help enhance your local rating. The true answer is probably more difficult. There is undoubtedly a ranking boost to having some photographs on your listing over not having any, but this does not imply that adding more or better photos will continue to benefit you. Regardless of the impact on rankings, GBP pictures remain one of the most important optimizations for driving engagement, sales, and leads. Images are appearing more frequently in local searches. High-quality images are essential for building client trust, and replacing stock photos with real photos of your team or completed projects will assist you in boosting conversions.
Do geotagging images affect rankings?
Despite being a widely discussed and used approach, geotagging photographs have little effect on rankings. At Digi Tech Resource Group, we suggest refraining from including latitude and longitude data in your photos. Instead, prioritize making impactful enhancements.
6. Reviews
Reviews are one of the most essential local SEO ranking criteria, helping customers choose you over competitors. Many misconceptions exist regarding which aspects of reviews impact rankings and which don’t.
Do review counts have an impact on rankings?
According to this study, once a listing has received ten reviews, it tends to rank higher. Increasing the number of reviews after the first ten has a less significant impact on rankings. Getting more reviews also boosts trust and credibility while outperforming the competition.
Does a star rating affect rankings?
Review ratings have a huge impact on local rankings. While star ratings may not affect organic results, Google has suggested that favorable ratings can help the position of your business. A higher star rating also assures that you appear more frequently in the map’s results since you are less likely to be filtered out if users filter out results that do not meet particular star rating standards. Higher rankings also improve conversion rates, as 54% of U.S. customers pay attention to star ratings and 97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses.
Does replying to reviews affect rankings?
Responding to reviews may have a minimal impact on rankings. According to this Google support guide on enhancing your local rankings, you should respond to user evaluations about your business. Responding to reviews demonstrates that you value your customers and their comments. Responding to reviews also offers additional benefits, such as increasing trust, demonstrating that you value input, and showing that you strive to resolve concerns, all of which can boost conversion rates.
Does using keywords in reviews or comments affect rankings?
Contrary to popular perception, inserting keywords in reviews or comments has no impact on local rankings. Too many keywords might also make reviews look strange and sound spammy. Adding keywords to review responses has no ranking benefit, just like adding reviews. So, instead of employing keywords, make your review comments genuine, personable, and brief.
Additional review factors and whether they affect rankings or not
To better understand and optimize reviews, consider the following local search ranking factors:
- Review: Having recent reviews will assist in boosting your rankings! The timeline is determined by the industry’s level of competition. Getting new reviews can enhance ranks, but not getting any new reviews might harm rankings, so make sure you obtain new reviews whenever feasible.
- Review length: While this element does not affect rankings, it does influence how long a review remains in the top ten spots.
- Reviews by local guides: Getting ratings from local guides does not affect rankings, but they do stay in the top places for longer.
- Reviews with images: Similar to the two variables mentioned above, reviews with photos will not affect rankings, but they will assist the reviews to appear more prominently and remain in the top places for longer periods.
7. Operating Hours
Hours of operation have a slight impact on rankings; being open for longer hours will assist your listing to appear more frequently. When a business closes, its rankings drop. If a user picks the open now or opens 24-hour choices, a business may be completely removed from the search results.
8. Services
GBP services have begun to affect your results, regardless of how they were added: preconfigured options based on category, custom-added services, or Google-added services. Services are less visible than other GBP items, like posts and products, therefore they may have a smaller impact on engagement. To enhance your rankings and GBP, you should pay attention to what Google automatically adds.
8 things that have no bearing on local rankings
Despite the widespread misperceptions regarding the issues listed below, we have discovered that they have no bearing on local rankings. However, this does not imply that optimizing these elements is in vain. Several of these things can increase the number of calls or clicks to your website, therefore you should include them in your local SEO plan without a doubt.
1. Articles
Both GBP posts, which are now referred to as updates and keyword stuffing have no bearing on results. Though they no longer have as much of an influence on rankings, posts are still useful for boosting leads and engagement. We discourage using keywords in your postings since they might make your company appear spamy and have no bearing on rankings. Rather, you have to employ articles devoid of excessive keywords to advertise your team, promotions, awards, announcements and frequently asked questions to prospective clients who are actively looking for your goods and services nearby.
2. Products
GBP items give you a fantastic chance to highlight your goods and services together with product categories on your search and map listings. Using GBP items is a terrific method to boost conversions and engagement.
3. Messaging
Google Business Profile has an instant messaging tool called messaging. While enabling messaging on your profile facilitates communication with clients and encourages them to inquire about your goods or services, it does not affect your rankings.
Does answering messages quickly raise your ranking?
If you choose to enable messaging, you must react to messages promptly. This has no bearing on local rankings. Google might disable texting if you don’t reply quickly enough. Reacting promptly also reduces the amount of time that potential clients have to search elsewhere.
4. Bookings
Similar to chatting, ranks are unaffected by the GBP reservations function. Increasing leads can be achieved with the Reserve with Google booking tool. Customers can schedule appointments directly from your profile with this tool.
5. Opening Date
Although it has no effect on local rankings, adding an opening date can enhance your conversion rate and act as a nice difference. Your years in the company, along with your opening date, may appear in the local pack or local finder results. This can help set you apart from the competition with your level of experience and knowledge.
6. Areas of service
Although service areas don’t affect your rankings there, they do have some advantages because they let you know right away if you can assist them or not. Your listing will be ranked according to the address used for listing verification regardless of whether you choose to display an address.
7. Phone number
There’s a misconception that calling a local company phone number can help you rank higher. Although this is untrue, utilizing a local number has a different advantage. A local phone number may be more appealing to a potential customer than a toll-free one if they are looking for a local business. Thus, in certain situations, using a local number can aid in enhancing reliability.
8. Business Description
The idea that putting more keywords in your business description would raise its keyword ranks is another prevalent myth regarding local SEO. This is incorrect, according to our optimization research, as neither the business description nor including keywords in the description affects ranks. Write engrossing descriptions that describe your business, your mission, and why consumers should select you above the competition, rather than just concentrating on keywords.
Target Google Business Profile ranking criteria by collaborating with TDTRG
It may seem overwhelming to make good use of all these local search ranking variables and to stay on top of GBP’s rapid changes, but that is why we are here to assist! A group of knowledgeable local SEO specialists at TDTRG are prepared to assist you in navigating the adjustments and generating more leads. To maximize your GBP, we will develop a thorough local SEO plan for you. Are you ready to begin? You can get a quote online or look through our SEO services right now!
