The 3 Core Local Ranking Factors
- Relevance — How well your profile matches what the person is searching for
- Distance — How far your business is from the searcher
- Prominence — How well-known your business is based on reviews, links, and citations
Optimising Your Google Business Profile
Your GBP is the foundation of local SEO. Key actions:- Business name must exactly match your real-world signage
- Primary category should be as specific as possible
- All relevant secondary categories selected
- Business description keyword-rich and accurate
- All services and products listed with descriptions
- Posts published at least twice per month
- All questions answered promptly
Reviews: The Fastest Path to Higher Rankings
Reviews are the number one factor in local pack prominence. A systematic approach — asking every satisfied customer, making it easy with a direct review link, and responding to every review — is the single fastest way to improve local rankings.NAP Consistency and Citations
NAP stands for Name, Address, Phone number. Inconsistent NAP information across directories confuses Google and hurts your rankings. A citation audit and cleanup is a foundational local SEO task for any business.Expected Timeline
- Weeks 1-4: GBP optimisation complete, citation cleanup begun
- Weeks 4-8: GBP views and direct actions (calls, directions) increase
- Months 2-4: Local pack rankings begin improving for secondary keywords
- Months 4-6: Primary keyword rankings established