Are you frustrated because you took local SEO services from everyone right, but you’re still not showing up where you want in the Google Map Pack? Are competitors who shouldn’t be outranking you getting all the business? Every day you’re not appearing in those top spots, you’re losing money. 💸
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll change that by ranking the most important local SEO factors to show you exactly what you should focus on, what’s a waste of time, and the #1 thing you can do to land at the top of the map—even if you ignore everything else.
The Local SEO Tier List 📊
We’ve organized all 20 ranking factors into a tier list to make it easy to understand what matters most:
- Tier A (Must-Dos) 🌟: Critical factors you absolutely must implement
- Tier B (Should-Dos) ⭐: Important factors that give you a significant edge
- Tier C (Good-to-Haves) 👍: Helpful but not critical
- Tier D (Do When There’s Time) ⏰: Low priority factors
- Tier F (Wastes of Time) ❌: Factors that won’t help your rankings at all
Let’s dive into each factor and see where it ranks!
Tier A: Must-Dos 🌟
Google Business Profile Categories (Most Important) 🔝
This is divided into two parts:
- Primary Category: Choose from Google’s 4,000+ business categories, selecting the one that best matches your business and the search terms people use to find you. For example, if you’re a dental office, choose “Dentist” over “Dental Clinic” if people search for “dentist Kansas City.”
- Additional Categories: Max out your additional categories for more ranking power, but only select those that genuinely apply to your business. Choosing irrelevant categories can confuse Google about what you do and actually hurt your rankings.
This is the #1 most important factor for local map rankings.
Keywords in Landing Page Title 🔤
Make sure to include your keywords in the Meta title of the page your Google Business Profile links to (usually your homepage). This is easy to implement—just add your keywords after your business name in the title tag.
Complete and Verified Google Business Profile ✅
As basic as it sounds, many businesses only do the minimum here. Take the time to complete every section of your profile and get your address verified. Go section by section and make sure everything is filled out accurately.
To Make your Google Business Profile click here- GBP For business
City Name in Website Content 🏙️
Include your city name throughout your website—in page titles, headlines, subheadlines, and body text where it makes sense naturally. Don’t overdo it or try to include every neighborhood in a 50-mile radius. Focus on the specific city you’re trying to rank for.
Tier B: Should-Dos ⭐
Keywords in Business Name 📝
Having keywords in your actual business name gives you a significant ranking advantage. For example, “Walker & Associates Family Law” would rank better for “family law” searches than “Walker & Associates Legal.”
However, Google’s rules are clear: your business name must be your actual legal name. Don’t try to game the system by adding keywords that aren’t part of your official business name, or you risk penalties.
Positive Google Reviews (Quality) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The average star rating of your reviews is a significant ranking factor. Work to get as many 5-star reviews as possible. Ask satisfied customers to leave a review right after you’ve worked together when they’re most likely to do it.
Quantity of Reviews with Text 📊
While quality (star rating) matters slightly more than quantity, you should still aim to get as many reviews as possible. More reviews with actual text (not just star ratings) will help your rankings.
Service Pages on Website 📑
Create dedicated pages on your website for each service you provide. This helps you rank not only in organic search results but also improves your map rankings by providing additional signals to Google about what services you offer.
Keywords in Landing Page Headings 📋
Include your keywords in at least one headline on your landing page. For maximum benefit, include them in your H1 (main headline) and an H2 (subheadline) if possible.
Being Located in the City You Want to Rank In 📍
Physically being located in the city you want to rank for gives you a significant advantage. This can be an obstacle if your business is in a suburb but you want to rank for the nearby major city.
Internal Links on Your Website 🔄
Create internal links from various pages on your site to the landing page that your Google Business Profile links to (usually your homepage). This is almost as powerful as external backlinks but much easier to implement.
Also Read: The Ultimate Cold DM Strategy That Landed Me High-Paying Clients
Tier C: Good-to-Haves 👍
Proximity to City Center 🎯
Being physically close to the center of the city you want to rank in can help. Google often defaults to showing businesses closest to the city center when users search from far away. However, this is difficult to control unless you’re willing to relocate.
Proximity to Searcher 🧭
Google likes to show people businesses that are closest to them. This is particularly frustrating for service businesses that travel to customers or work remotely, as Google still treats most businesses like brick-and-mortar locations. Unfortunately, there’s no way to be closest to every searcher.
Tier D: Do When There’s Time ⏰
Backlinks from Other Websites 🔗
While backlinks remain a ranking factor for local SEO, they’re less powerful than they used to be and can be difficult to obtain. If you pursue them, prioritize links from websites relevant to your location first, then those relevant to your industry. Try to get them to link to the same page that your Google Business Profile links to.
Consistent Citations 📇
Citations (mentions of your business name, address, and phone number on other websites) used to be critically important, with even small inconsistencies hurting your rankings. While Google has gotten smarter about this, it’s still worth setting up citations on business directories and review sites when you have time.
Tier F: Wastes of Time ❌
Social Signals 📱
Despite common belief, your social media engagement (posts on Instagram, engagement on Facebook, etc.) won’t help your local map rankings. Social media has marketing value but doesn’t impact your Google map position.
Keywords in Google Business Profile 🚫
Adding keywords to your Google Business Profile description or service areas doesn’t impact your rankings. Use keywords when they make sense to describe your business properly, but don’t try to stuff them in.
Service Area Settings 🗺️
For service businesses, setting up your service areas in Google Business Profile (listing the cities, zip codes, or states you serve) doesn’t help you rank in those areas at all. It only informs potential customers that you can work with them in those locations.
Geotagging Images 📷
Adding location data to images on your website or Google Business Profile used to help rankings years ago, but it’s no longer a factor. Don’t waste your time on this outdated tactic.
Key Takeaways 🔑
- Focus on the Must-Dos First 🎯: Get your Google Business Profile categories right, use keywords in your landing page title, complete your profile, and include your city name naturally in your website content.
- Most Businesses Get It Backwards ↩️: Many business owners waste time on factors that don’t matter (like geotagging images) while neglecting the critical ones (like choosing the right business categories).
- Some Factors Are Out of Your Control 🤷♂️: Don’t stress too much about proximity factors you can’t change. Instead, maximize the factors you can control.
- The #1 Factor 🥇: Your Google Business Profile categories are the single most important element for local map rankings. Get this right before anything else.
By focusing on the high-impact factors and ignoring the time-wasters, you’ll see your business climb up the Google Map Pack rankings, bringing in more leads and customers to your business. 📈
Start implementing these changes today, and you’ll soon be outranking your local competition on Google! 🚀
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ❓
How long does it take to see improvements in Google Maps rankings? ⏱️
Most businesses start seeing improvements within 1-3 months after implementing the Tier A factors. However, the full impact of your optimization efforts may take 3-6 months to be fully realized, especially in competitive markets. Consistency is key, so stick with your strategy even if you don’t see immediate results.
Can I rank in a city where I don’t have a physical address? 🏢
It’s challenging but not impossible. While having a physical location in your target city gives you a significant advantage, you can still rank by:
- Creating location-specific content pages
- Getting reviews from customers in that area
- Building citations and backlinks from websites in that location
- Consider opening a small satellite office or using a virtual office service (if allowed in your industry)
How many Google Business Profile categories should I select? 🔢
You should select one primary category that best represents your core business and up to 9 additional categories that accurately represent your services. Don’t select categories that don’t apply to your business just to try to rank for more keywords—this can hurt rather than help.
Will hiring an SEO agency speed up my local rankings? 🚀
A reputable SEO agency can definitely accelerate your progress by implementing the most important ranking factors correctly the first time. However, you need to choose carefully—many agencies focus on outdated tactics like citation building and social media, which we now know are in the lower tiers of effectiveness. Ask potential agencies what their strategy is and make sure they prioritize the Tier A factors we’ve outlined here.
How often should I update my Google Business Profile? 🔄
At minimum, you should:
- Review your information quarterly to ensure accuracy
- Post updates or offers at least monthly
- Respond to all reviews within 24-48 hours
- Add new photos every 1-3 months
- Make seasonal updates to your business hours as needed
Can I recover from a Google penalty for keyword stuffing my business name? ⚠️
Yes, but it requires action. If Google finds that you’ve added keywords to your business name that aren’t part of your legal name, they may suspend your listing or push it down in rankings. To fix this:
- Edit your business name to match your legal business name exactly
- Submit supporting documentation if requested
- Be patient—recovery can take 2-4 weeks after fixing the issue
What’s the fastest way to improve my local rankings? 🏎️
If you can only focus on one thing, make sure your Google Business Profile primary category is correct and add all relevant secondary categories. This single factor has the biggest impact on local rankings and can be implemented in under 30 minutes.