Top 5 Factors Google Uses to Fuel its Local Search Algorithm
Once Google introduced Google+, it followed with the algorithm updates Panda, Venice, and Penguin. This resulted in the removal of many low quality websites, allowing sites of better quality to list higher with search. In a conducted survey, participants were asked to list and rank 90 possible positive factors and 18 negative factors that drive Google’s Local Search Algorithms. The results revealed the top five factors, which are place page, off-place page, website, review, and social/mobile.
The Top 5 Place Page Factors
The place page is the most important factor when it comes to Google’s Local Search algorithm. By including your location information, more potential customers will be able to locate your business or organization. Here are the top five place page factors to consider.
1. Include your physical address.
2. Choose a proper category association.
3. Be close to the address.
4. Have a certain area code.
5. Owner-verify the place page.
The Top 5 Off-Site Factors
1. The Quality of Structured Citations.
2. The Quality and Authority of Structured Citations.
3. The Reliability of Structured Citations.
4. The Quality and Authority of Unstructured Citations Off-Site.
5. The Quality and Authority of Unstructured Citations such as newspaper articles and blog posts.
The Top 5 On-Site Factors
1. The Domain Authority of the Website.
2. The Placement of the City, State on the Place Landing Page Title.
3. The matching of the HTML and Page NAP.
4. The Page Authority of the Landing Page Specified on the Place.
5. The Placement of the Product/Service Keyword on the Website URL.
The Top 3 Review Factors
1. The Quality of Native Google Places Reviews.
2. The Quality of Third-Party Traditional Reviews.
3. The Placement of Product/Service Keywords in Reviews.
The Top 3 Social/Mobile Factors
1. The Number of +1’s on a Website.
2. The Number of Adds or Shares on Google +.
3. The Click-Through Rate from Search Results.
These five main factors driving the Local Search Algorithm for Google will help to improve your ranking. Increasing your search level will help to grow your business, as it attracts more customers near your location who are interested in purchasing your product/service.
