Reverse Engineering Google's Local Search Algorithm By Dan Leibson

#SMX #12C1 @[email protected]

What Local SEO Ranking Factors Really Matter?

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Reverse Engineering Google’s Local Search Algorithm


What Local SEO Ranking Factors Really Matter?






About Us

10 Insane Years of:§ Enterprise SEO Audits§ Local SEO§ White Label SEO§ Agency Process Consulting§ Unblocking Robots.txt Files§ Buying you drinks


Obligatory Client Slide


The Quest for the Perfect Local SEO Ranking Factors






A Method To the Madness






A Method To the Madness


For more detailed explanation go to localseoguide.com/local-seo-ranking-factors-methodology/






Great Partners




Ordinal Ranking Factors




Categorical Ranking Factors




Huh?


Strong Correlation with Local Pack Rankings

GMB “AUTHORITY”• GMB Reviews• GMB Photos• Keyword in Business Name

BACKLINKS• Majestic AC Rank, Trust Flow, etc.• Google Toolbar PageRank• #/% Backlinks w City in Anchor Text• #/% Backlinks w Keyword in Anchor Text

WEBSITE FACTORS• # Words on GMB Landing Page• # Images on GMB Landing Page




Citations




Citations


What Can you Do Tomorrow?

What

http://www.localseoguide.com/enforced-nap-consistency-scale-happened/

How

http://www.localseoguide.com/our-citation-stack/




Links




Links


The Leagues Aren’t So Little

Links to Domain Links to GMB Landing PageMean 1,919,907 18,963Median 1,264 24

Multi-location brands have ~200-300 citations per location.

At 500 locations that is 150,000 links pointed at their most important page template, their location pages.




Organic Algo > Local Algo




Websites Matter A Lot


Location Pages Don’t Cannibalize Store Locators

LOCATOR ONLY• Mean # Of Terms: 2,462• Median # of Terms: 2,325

LOCATOR + Locations Pages• Mean # Of Terms: 3,583• Median # of Terms: 2,394


With A Page Per Location You Will Rank for More Terms

LOCATOR + Locations Pages• Median # of Terms Per Location Page: 23• Median # of Terms Per Location Page Template: 3,412• Median # of Terms Across Locator and Location Pages: 2,438• Median # of Terms Combined Locator/Location Page: 5,760

LOCATOR Only• Median # of terms for Locators: 2,325

Brands with Location/Locator Rank for 3,435 More Terms then Those With Locators Alone.


Real SEO Heroes Level: Wix

https://www.rei.com/stores/huntington-beach.html

http://www.homedepot.com/l/Costa-Mesa/CA/Costa-Mesa/92626/6664

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/tustin




Location Location Location




Location Location Location

Query Type Example Backlinkw/City in

Anchor Text

Majestic AC Rank

KW in Business Name

Distance From Searcher

IMPLICIT TACOS HIGH HIGH LOW *VERY HIGH

EXPLICIT TACOS IN SAN JOSE

SAN JOSE TACOS

VERY HIGH VERY HIGH VERY HIGH LOW


Let’s Dive Into The Proximity Code


Time To Get A New Job


What Can You Do Tomorrow?


PSYCH!


There Has To Be More To It


These Only Look Like They Are In Ascending Order


Where Were These Two?


http://www.localseoguide.com/proximity-the-number-1-local-seo-ranking-sub-factor


Trimodal Algo in One Screenshothttp://www.localseoguide.com/trimodal-local-ranking-algo-one-screenshot/




What may not work?


Low Correlation to Local Pack Rankings

OFF-SITE • Avg. # of Citation Backlinks• # of Verified Citations• Avg. Domain Authority of Citations• Avg. Google Rating• GMB Phone # Matches Website • Google +1s ! ! !

WEBSITE• Moz Domain & Page Authority• Keyword in H1 of GMB Landing Page• Keyword Density of GMB Landing Page• City & State in URL & <title>• HTTPS URL• Has Flash #DUH


Near Me Factors: http://www.localseoguide.com/near-local-seo-ranking-factors/


Links, not just Location

-0.08 -0.12-0.12-0.040.00

Near Me Ordinal LINKGMB OFF-SITE LOCALWEBSITE

Google Reviews

Backlinks With City In Anchor Text

% Backlinks With City In Anchor Text

Profile Views

Backlinks With City State In Anchor Text

% Backlinks With City State In Anchor Text

Total Reviews

Followers Modified

Google Rating

Photos

Average Rating


Not so Near Me

0.50 1.00 1.250.750.00 0.25

Near Me Categorical LINKGMB OFF-SITE LOCALWEBSITE

Organic Rank Binary

City in Title

City & State in Title

Physical Address In City of Search


What Correlated with Who Now?

STRONG CORRELATION:# of Native Google Reviews

# Backlinks w City in Anchor Text% Backlinks w City in Anchor Text

GMB PhotosGoogle Rating

WEAK CORRELATION:City in <title>

City & State in <title>% Backlinks w City in Anchor Text

GMB PhotosGoogle Rating


What Can You Do Tomorrow?




So Many Choices, so Little Time!




Prioritize Investment


Coming Soon


Check out the whole study at localseoguide.com/2016-local-seo-ranking-factors/




Marketing

Reverse Engineering Google's Local Search Algorithm By Dan Leibson