Guide to Local SEO Ranking Factors (Map Pack) For 2024

Are you doing everything right  to rank in local SEO ranking factors yet still not showing higher in the Google Map Pack?

Local competitors who shouldn’t be outranking you, are ranking on top. They are taking the top spots, costing you potential revenue every day.

This blog post will change that.

We’ll explore the biggest local SEO ranking factors and show you exactly what to focus on, what to avoid, and the most important thing you can do to land yourself at the top of the map pack.

Let’s dive in and create a tier list with these categories: Must-Dos, Should-Dos, Do-If-You-Can, and Do-Ignore.

How to Dominate the Google Map Pack: A Comprehensive Guide to Local SEO Ranking

Are you doing everything right but still not showing proper results in the Google Map Pack? Are the local competitors of your business taking the top 3 spots? Each day you aren’t showing up, you’re losing out on potential revenue. This blog will help you change that!

But first, you need to know what the Google Map Pack is! The Google Map Pack, also known as the Local Pack, is a prominent feature on Google’s Search Engine Results Page (SERP) that showcases local business listings relevant to a user’s search query. Map Pack offers the greatest impact for brands seeking local exposure. When a user searches for a local business, Google displays a map with the top three local business listings underneath it. These listings include essential information like the business name, address, phone number, hours of operation, reviews, and a link to the business’s website.

Get to know the biggest local SEO ranking factors and show exactly what to focus on, what to avoid, and the most important thing you can do to land yourself at the top of the Map Pack. Let’s create a tier list with the following categories: Must-Dos, Should-Dos, Do-If-You-Can, and Do-Ignore.

Must Dos

Keywords in Landing Page Title

Linking the Google My Business profile to your website gives a valuable opportunity to enhance your SEO through keyword optimisation in the meta title. You can incorporate keywords like “best boutique cafe in Kolkata” to lift your search engine rankings. The homepage of your website is a great choice as it is the strongest part of your website. However, you can also link to other pages for strategic reasons. You need to ensure that the landing page is relevant to the services your customers are searching for.

This technique is straightforward and highly effective in the long run. Meta titles are one of the first elements observed by search engines and users, making them crucial for the success of your SEO campaigns. A clear and keyword-rich title can increase click-through rates and gradually improve your ranking in the search results. This strategy is in Tier A – i.e. a must-do for all businesses to rank in a search engine.

Choosing and Adjusting The Category of Your Business

Selecting the right primary business category for your Google My Business profile is necessary for maximising visibility. With more than 4000 business categories available, specificity is the key to accurately represent your business. For instance a doctor specialising in gynaecology must choose “gynaecologist” rather than a broader category like “doctor”. To determine the best category for your business, you can search on Google Maps for your primary service and see the categories used by the top ranking businesses. This method can help you identify the most suitable category for your business.

You can also add up to 9 secondary categories to your Google My Business Profile. Though it is not as influential as the primary category, the secondary category can help you broaden the visibility of your brand in related searches. Select categories that accurately reflect additional services given by your business.

Complete Google Business Profile

Adding business identity attributes and linking social media profiles to your Google Business Profile improves brand visibility and engagement and helps in ranking in the local SEO. This strategic practice is categorised as a Should-Do, falling into the B-tier.

• Business Identity Attributes: Utilise business identity attributes such as Asian-owned, Black-owned, LGBTQ+ owned, and others to highlight your business’s unique characteristics. These tags appear prominently on your profile, Google search results, and Maps, making it easier for customers to identify and connect with businesses that align with their values.
• Link Social Media Profiles: Connect your social media accounts directly to your Google Business Profile to provide customers with additional avenues to engage with your business. This integration not only facilitates easy access to more information about your business but also reinforces its credibility and active presence online. To add social media links, access your profile settings, go to contact details, and include your social profiles.
• Manage Edits Thoughtfully on Your Google Business Profile: When making updates to your Google Business Profile, it’s essential to avoid editing multiple essential fields simultaneously. Editing key elements such as your business name, address, phone number, categories, and website link all at once may prompt Google to request re-verification of your listing. To maintain stability and prevent disruptions, it’s advisable to modify these details sequentially, allowing a few days between each change.
• Thorough Profile Completion: It is important to fill out every section of your Google Business Profile accurately, including business hours, services offered, and other pertinent details. This thoroughness enhances your visibility in local search results and establishes trust with potential customers.
• Verification and Credibility: Verification adds credibility and authenticity to your profile, increasing the likelihood of appearing in search results. Ensure your profile features high-quality images, a comprehensive service description, and accurate contact information to further bolster credibility.

Maintaining a complete and verified Google Business Profile is essential for maximising your online presence and credibility, earning this factor an A-tier must-do.

Incorporating City Names in Website Content

Including your city name naturally in your website content, such as page titles, headlines, subheadlines, and body text, is a powerful and essential tactic for local SEO.

Enhanced Local Relevance: Strategically including your city name, like “Delhi,” throughout your website signals to both users and search engines that your business caters to a specific geographic area. This localization helps improve your visibility in local search results.

SEO Benefits: Using the anime of the city in page titles, headlines, and body text aids in optimising your website for local searches. For instance, instead of generic terms like “Yoga Classes,” using “Yoga Classes in Delhi” can significantly boost your site’s relevance for queries in that location.

Natural Integration: It’s essential to integrate city names naturally into your content to avoid keyword stuffing. This not only supports SEO but also improves the experience of the user by clearly indicating your brand’s location.

Internal Links

Internal linking within your website holds significant SEO value. It offers equivalent benefits to external backlinks while providing greater control over its implementation.

For example, a law firm should ensure that service pages such as “Personal Injury” and “Estate Planning” are linked back to the homepage. This practice not only improves search engine understanding of site structure but also distributes ranking authority across their key pages.

Effective internal linking improves user experience by facilitating navigation to relevant content. For instance, a gym’s blog post highlighting the “5 Best Workouts for Beginners” can seamlessly direct readers to their “Personal Training Services” page. This can help build longer visitor engagement and increase the likelihood of conversions by facilitating easy access to desired information within the site.

Should Dos

Optimising Landing Page Headlines with Keywords

Using keywords in your landing page headlines, particularly the header (H1), is a valuable practice for enhancing search engine visibility.

• Effective Keyword Usage: Utilise keywords strategically in your landing page headlines, prioritising the H1 tag for maximum impact. Subsequent sub-headlines (H2 tags) can also benefit from keyword inclusion, aiding in SEO relevance without excessive keyword stuffing.
• Enhanced Search Engine Understanding: Headers play a crucial role in structuring your content for search engines. By placing keywords in H1 and H2 tags, you effectively communicate the importance of these terms to search algorithms, and hence improving rankings in Google.

Positive Google Reviews

The quality and quantity of positive reviews in Google My Business profile significantly impact the reputation of your business online. Although every review cannot be controlled, you can encourage satisfied customers to give a 5-star rating. This can make a substantial difference in the reputation of your business online.

To maximise the effectiveness of this strategy you can do the following: –

• Detailed Review: Encourage customers to write detailed reviews (include photos if possible) that include specific benefits and positive experiences gained from your product or service. These types of reviews can be convincing to potential customers and may help you rank higher in the search results.
• Keywords in Reviews: While you cannot control what your customer writes, you can subtly encourage them to mention specific keywords that are related to your services in their reviews. This can help reinforce the relevance of your business in the eyes of Google.
• Write a Response: You need to make it a routine to promptly reply to both positive and negative reviews, maintain professionalism, and address customer concerns to demonstrate excellent customer service.
• Review Widgets and Embedding: Utilise the review widget on your website or embed Google reviews into your site. This helps to showcase not only the positive feedback but also provide fresh content that Google can index.
• Bury the Negative Reviews: Negative reviews are impossible to avoid but their impact can be managed. If a negative review comes in the top 3 reviews you need to focus on getting more positive reviews with photos. New positive reviews will help push down the negative reviews making them less visible and maintaining a positive impression to the potential customers.
• Monitor and Analyse Reviews: You need to monitor reviews to understand the sentiment of your customers and get to know the areas of improvement from the reviews left. Analysing the trend in those reviews can provide valuable insights into the preferences of current customers and help you in refining your business strategy.

Quantity of Reviews

The quantity of reviews also plays an important role in boosting your online reputation. While quality remains predominant, accumulating a substantial number of reviews is beneficial. Strive to get as many 5-star reviews as possible to enhance your business credibility and in turn, sway potential customers to choose your brand. For instance, imagine a restaurant in Kolkata actively taking reviews from every customer to bolster its local search preference.

Consistently acquiring fresh reviews gives a signal to Google that your brand/business is actively delivering proper service. Try and utilise diverse touch points like in-store prompts, newsletters, or social media to encourage customers to share their feedback.

Physical Location

Your physical location impacts your search engine rankings, mainly how close you are to the centre of your targeted location. Google prioritises businesses closer to the searcher’s location in the city centre. While you cannot change your physical location, this factor has moderate importance and falls under the C-Tier category. For instance, a “cake shop in Kolkata” has a better chance to rank in local chances compared to the ones present in the surrounding areas of Kolkata.

• Emphasise Proximity: Highlight your service areas with prominent landmarks or popular destinations in the Google Business Profile and website content. This strengthens your association with the high-traffic areas improving the local relevance of your business.
• List Your Business in Major Directories: Ensure your business is listed in some reputable directories such as Yellow Pages, Just Dial, and Sulekha among others. This enhances online visibility and builds your trust with potential customers. Some directories also allow users to leave reviews, which can help boost credibility and aid in the local SEO process.
• Utilise Industry-Specific Directories: Listing your business in directories specific to your industry improves SEO and establishes your authority within your expertise attracting potential customers.
• Maintain Consistent Business Information: Ensure your business information is consistent throughout all the pages like your business name, operating hours, and contact information. This helps build trust with search engines and customers, preventing confusion and ensuring accurate updates.
• Define Service Area: Define your service area within your Google Business Profile to attract nearby clients. While setting your service area does not directly influence rankings, it plays a crucial role in informing potential customers about where your services are available. This helps Google understand your geographic focus and improves relevance in local searches.

Service Pages on Your Website

Maintaining dedicated pages for each service offered helps to contemporise your Google My Business Profile with your website, benefitting both organic search and map rankings. For example, a digital marketing agency can feature separate pages for “Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)”, “Social Media Marketing (SMM)” and “Web Designing”. Each page would have to be properly optimised with relevant keywords to improve the visibility of the particular services.

Targeting Long-Tail Keywords: Service pages allow you to target specific long-tail keywords that potential customers might use to search for a service. For instance, “Affordable digital marketing services in Kolkata” can be a valuable keyword for a digital marketing service page targeting potential clients in Kolkata.

Enhancing User Experience: Detailed service pages provide detailed information about each service, improving user experience by addressing specific customer needs. This can lead to higher engagement levels and increased conversion rates as potential customers find relevant information easily.

Enhance Google My Business with Products and Services

Use the product and service sections in your Google My Business Profile to enhance product and service visibility and attract customers. This practice falls in the B-Tier category.

• Add Products: Even if your business doesn’t sell physical products, utilise the product section to highlight up to three key offerings or services. This feature enhances your listing’s attractiveness and provides valuable information upfront to potential customers.
• List Services: For service-oriented businesses, listing your services on your Google Business Profile is essential. This feature allows customers to view and evaluate your offerings easily, aiding their decision-making process. Moreover, detailed service listings improve your business’s visibility in local searches related to those specific services.

Add Photos and Videos

Ensure your Google My Business profile features compelling visual content to make a positive first impression and engage potential clients.

• Add a Profile Photo: Your business’s profile and cover photo is essential as it’s often the first impression customers have of your business on Google. Opt for a high-resolution photo preferably your storefront or the logo. This photo sets the tone of your profile’s appeal and can attract more customers.
• Regularly Update with Photos: Adding photos regularly to your Google My Business profile increases customer engagement and boosts interaction with your profile. Businesses that update pictures daily have an increased request for directions on Google Maps and clicks to their website.
• Avoid Stock Photos: While stock photos are clicked in a professional setup, they lack authenticity and may misrepresent your business. Opt for original pictures that are taken at your business location or the actual products and services to build trust with customers.
• Use Videos: Videos provide a dynamic way to showcase your services. They capture attention better than text or photos, increasing engagement and potentially improving your Google rankings.
• Geotagging Photos: You may have heard before that adding geotags to pictures can help rank you high on Google. However, this is not the case, as Google removes any geotagging for privacy constraints.

Implementing a Robust FAQ Section

Incorporating a well-structured FAQ section into your Google Business Profile is important for improving customer engagement and providing proper information. This practice is categorised as a Should-Do, falling into the B-tier in local SEO ranking factors.

Utilise the FAQ Feature: The FAQ section allows customers to ask questions directly on your Google Business Profile, providing them with immediate answers and reducing uncertainty. Respond promptly to inquiries to demonstrate responsiveness and improve customer satisfaction.

Proactive Question Posting: As a business owner, you can take advantage of the FAQ feature by posting common questions and providing detailed responses. Anticipate what potential customers might inquire about and offer comprehensive information to address their concerns effectively.

A well-curated FAQ section makes your listing more interactive and informative. It helps potential customers understand your business properly and encourages them to engage with your profile, leading to higher conversion rates.

Strategic Location Focus for Local SEO Ranking

While physically relocating to target a different city isn’t practical, focusing on optimising within your current location is crucial for succeeding in local SEO, earning this factor a B-tier ranking.

• Optimise for Current Location: Instead of aiming to rank in a nearby city, prioritise optimising your website and Google Business Profile for your current area. This targeted approach helps you establish a strong presence where you operate, improving local visibility when searched.
• Local Engagement Strategies: Engage actively with your community by participating in local events. Building a recognized brand within your immediate area enhances local SEO and fosters loyal customers.

Do It If You Can

Keywords in Business Name

Imagine a small cafe aiming to rank in the top 3 spots for “boutique cafe.” Incorporating “boutique cafe” in your Google Business Profile name, like “Friend Zone Boutique Cafe,” gives you a distinct advantage because it directly signals what your business specialises in and lets your business improve its ranking in local SEO. However, this approach necessitates a legal name change, impacting signage, the website, and other business belongings. According to the guidelines of Google, keywords cannot be added to manipulate the system; they must be a part of your business name to avoid risks and penalties.

For instance, if your business is named “Friendzone Cafe” and it changes to include the keyword “Friend Zone Boutique Cafe”, this update must be reflected in all the places, starting from the business cards to the website. Although this process is extensive, the potential increase in local search visibility is worth the change. This strategy could be classified in the B-Tier i.e. advantageous if executed properly.

Business Citations for Online Presence

Citations, which include mentions of your business name, address, and phone number across online platforms, were once highly influential. Today, while their importance has diminished (D-tier), maintaining consistency still provides a few uses. A boutique, for instance, listed accurately on Yelp, Facebook, and local directories can gain Local SEO Ranking from these references.

Backlinks

Building backlinks remains an important ranking factor. Prioritising backlinks from locally and industry-relevant websites is essential, albeit challenging and less potent compared to the past.

Effective backlink acquisition demands a strategic approach. Focus on producing high-quality, valuable content that naturally attracts links. Quality surpasses quantity in this context; securing a few authoritative backlinks yields greater SEO benefits than acquiring several low-quality ones.

Do Ignore

Social Signals

There is a common myth that social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Threads impact local SEO rankings. These platforms help you to build and market your brand rather than directly influencing the search engine rankings of your business. Investing your time and effort on Social Media for SEO purposes is a waste of time.

They can provide indirect benefits because they enhance the brand visibility and drive traffic to your website fostering engagement with your audience. These may lead to increased online mentions and reviews that positively impact your local SEO efforts with time.

Local SEO Ranking Factors: A Brief Summary

FACTORS	MUST DO	SHOULD DO	DO IT IF YOU CAN	DO IGNORE
Keywords in Landing Page Title	✔️
Choosing and Adjusting The Category of Your Business	✔️
Complete Google Business Profile	✔️
Incorporating City Names in Website Content	✔️
Internal Links	✔️
Optimising Landing Page Headlines with Keywords		✔️
Positive Google Reviews		✔️
Quantity of Reviews		✔️
Physical Location		✔️
Service Pages on Your Website		✔️
Enhance Google My Business with Products and Services		✔️
Add Photos and Videos		✔️
Implementing a Robust FAQ Section		✔️
Strategic Location Focus for Local SEO		✔️
Keywords in Business Name			✔️
Business Citations for Online Presence			✔️
Backlinks			✔️
Social Signals				✔️

How to Do Local Keyword Research for Your Business?

With 88% of the users visiting a store within a week of searching for a local store, the effectiveness of local SEO cannot be overstated. Business owners who neglect this aspect can risk missing out on potential customer traffic. You can optimise your online presence to engage with potential clients by understanding the specific terms and phrases that the audience uses to search for products and services. The building blocks of any robust local SEO strategy begin with precise and thorough local keyword research, setting the platform for driving the targeted local audience to your website, and expanding your client base over time.

Step-by-Step Process for Local Keyword Research: A Crucial Factor in Local SEO Ranking Factors

Step 1: Identify Your Services

Start by listing all the services offered in your business. Take your time at this stage to ensure your website covers all your services comprehensively.

Step 2: Expand Your List

Develop your list further by:

• Reviewing the competitor websites to see the additional services they offer.
• Utilise a keyword research tool like Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer. Input your list, specify your business’s location, and analyse the matching terms report for more service ideas.

Step 3: Assess Local Intent

Local intent signifies searches where Google assumes the user seeks local results. To verify local intent:
Search each service on Google and note if a map pack or local organic results appear.
Alternatively, use Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer to filter keywords that trigger local results.

Step 4: Determine Search Volumes

Locating local search volumes can be tricky. Use Google Keyword Planner if you advertise with Google, or analyse national-level keyword popularity with tools like Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer. This guides the prioritisation of page creation and ranking efforts.

Step 5: Organise Keywords by Page

Decide which services merit dedicated pages and plan content types based on top-ranking results for each target keyword.

Step 6: Optimise Service Pages

Focus on relevance rather than keyword stuffing. Incorporate relevant details to enhance topical relevance, rank for long-tail keywords, and improve user experience.

By following these steps, you will be able to identify the necessary service pages and key information to include to rank higher. Effective local keyword research lays the groundwork for a robust local SEO strategy, attracting more customers to your small business.

Conclusion

Local SEO ranking factors can be complex and often misunderstood. By focusing on the right factors and avoiding the myths, you can significantly improve your visibility and rankings in the Google Map Pack. Prioritise the A-tier must-dos, address the B-tier should-dos, and avoid the F-tier wastes of time. By doing so, you will be able to unlock the full potential of your local SEO efforts and drive more business through improved online visibility.

At Pixel Street, we specialise in delivering the best SEO services that drive results. Reach out to us today and let’s discuss how we can help you achieve your goal!