If you're reading this, you probably already know that your Google Business Profile ranking is incredibly important for local SEO success, but you may not know exactly how to improve your Google Business Profile ranking.
It's no secret that Google keeps its exact Google Business Profile ranking factors, well, secret, but there are some GBP fields that we know impact rankings. This knowledge comes from trial and error; countless hours of local SEO professionals tweaking their clients' Google Business Profile information and monitoring how specific changes impact rankings.
So, while local search ranking factors are fluid and prone to change in terms of their significance, we can say with a high level of confidence that if you focus on optimizing the following GBP information, you'll be off to a running start down the path to crushing it in local search results!
9 Known Google Business Profile Ranking Factors (Information and Fields That Impact Local Search Rankings)
1. Business Name
The business name is one of the first things potential customers see when they search for nearby businesses offering certain products or services, so it's only natural that it impacts your Google Business Profile ranking.
Business name is also one of the most controversial Google Business Profile ranking factors. Why? Because it's not something that you can easily change from one day to the next to try and improve your rankings.
In order to align with Google's guidelines for representing your business on the platform, the business name on your Google Business Profile must "reflect your business's real-world name, as used consistently on your storefront, website, stationery, and as known to customers." In other words, it would go against the guidelines to change your business name in an effort to rank higher.
But we also know that businesses with keywords in their name (think "Raul's Barbershop" or "Margarita's Taco Shop") tend to have an advantage in local search over businesses that don't. So, while adding keywords to your business name on Google Business Profile isn't permitted, and could even result in a GBP suspension, there's nothing that says you can't open a business with, or change an existing business's official name to, a keyword-rich name that could help it rank higher on Google.
2. Address
It wouldn't be local SEO if the business address wasn't an important Google Business Profile ranking factor.
When a potential customer searches for a nearby business on Google Search or Google Maps, the search engine prioritizes showing them businesses in close proximity, which they are more likely to contact or visit.
In dense urban areas, Google might only show users businesses within a couple of miles of them, whereas in rural areas, Google might show them businesses five or 10+ miles away.
Which businesses appear in local search results also depends on how heavy the competition is. For example, a business in a very niche industry with few competitors in a given area is more likely to rank in searches farther away, whereas a common business type with lots of nearby competition will tend to rank mainly for very close-by searches.
As with the business name, a business address isn't something you can just change to try and rank better in local search results, but it's still a ranking factor to be aware of. For businesses considering moving locations or multi-location businesses looking at areas to open new locations in, conducting local competitive analysis to determine which areas you might be able to rank higher in can be valuable.
3. Categories
The categories you select for a GBP have a major impact on its Google Business Profile ranking, as they tell Google what type of business it is and thus help it determine what searches are most relevant to the business.
When choosing Google Business Profile categories, make sure the primary category is the one that most specifically and accurately describes what the business does as a whole. Then, add any relevant secondary categories to describe more specific offerings of the business.
Lots of businesses make the mistake of setting their categories once and forgetting about them. But Google periodically adds new categories and business offerings can change, so it's important to reassess your GBP categories from time to time and change them as appropriate to ensure your business continues to rank in the most relevant searches.
4. Website
The website or landing page URL you list on your GBP also impacts its rankings. Linking to websites with higher authority and relevance can help improve Google Business Profile rankings.
For single-location businesses, linking to the main website is fine, but multi-location businesses should create location-specific landing pages for each branch and link to those pages from the respective Google Business Profile listings. The same is true for businesses or campuses that have different departments. Each of these departments should have its own GBP listing and a unique landing page linked to from the listing.
Then, you can focus on optimizing those web pages to improve their authority and local SEO over time, which can boost your GBP rankings over time, as well.
5. Hours
Business hours are another Google Business Profile field that impacts rankings. We've seen firsthand, by testing for open hours as a ranking factor, that Google Business Profile rankings often change drastically depending on what businesses are open or closed at the time of a search.
When a business is open, it is more likely to rank in relevant searches, whereas a business can drop out of rankings completely when it's closed.
How heavily business hours affect rankings depends on other factors, too, like how much competition there is. For instance, if there are only a few businesses relevant to a user's search, Google might show them all, regardless of whether they are open or closed. But, if there are a dozen or more relevant businesses, Google is more likely to rank the ones that are currently open higher up in results.
It's important to note that changing your hours on Google Business Profile in an effort to rank better goes against Google's guidelines and would be counterproductive, anyway, since you would be misleading potential customers who might try to contact or stop by your business when it's closed.
That being said, businesses facing fierce competition in local search may consider modifying their actual hours of operation to outrank competitors at certain times of day, thus potentially capturing a larger share of the local market.
6. Reviews
It should come as no surprise that Google reviews heavily influence rankings. You've probably noticed that businesses with more positive reviews and higher average review scores rank higher than those with less reviews and lower scores.
In addition to the number of reviews and overall review score (star rating out of five), there's also some evidence to show that the freshness of reviews (recency) and review velocity (how frequently you receive reviews) impact your Google Business Profile ranking.
This is why focusing on collecting positive reviews from satisfied customers and conducting review analysis, or gathering insights from reviews that you can turn into positive business changes, are so important for local SEO.
The more positive reviews you get, the better your local rankings will be, not to mention reviews play a huge role in influencing potential customers' purchase decisions.
Conversely, bad reviews can have a serious negative impact on your Google Business Profile ranking, so make sure to address negative feedback promptly and professionally and try to get negative Google reviews removed or, better yet, turned into positive ones!
You should also watch out for fake Google reviews and take appropriate action to report and remove them.
7. Attributes
Attributes are another Google Business Profile field that you can use to describe certain aspects of your business, providing Google with additional information that can help your business rank in specific searches.
For example, when someone searches for a "women-owned coffee shop nearby," Google will prioritize showing them businesses that have the "women-owned" attribute selected.
Selecting all relevant attributes can give your business an advantage by helping it rank in searches performed by users who are looking for businesses with specific characteristics in addition to their general offerings.
8. Services
Not to be confused with categories, services are another GBP field that businesses can use to describe their offerings in more detail.
Until recently, services were not thought to have a significant impact on your Google Business Profile ranking but, thanks to testing performed by Joy Hawkins of Sterling Sky, we now know that they do have at least some impact.
Keep in mind that the level of influence that GBP services have on rankings seems to vary greatly from industry to industry, but taking advantage of the field to provide as much in-depth information about a business's offerings as possible certainly can't hurt!
9. Products and Menus
For retail and restaurant businesses, adding products or menu items to Google Business Profile can help it rank in item-specific searches.
For instance, if someone searches for "Phad Thai near me," Google will show them nearby restaurants that feature Phad Thai on their GBP menus.
Wrapping Up
Optimizing your Google Business Profile based on known ranking factors is a major key to improving your local search rankings. By focusing your optimization efforts around the critical fields and information discussed above, you can boost visibility in local search results and attract more nearby customers.
Remember that tracking your Google Business Profile ranking and regularly reviewing and updating its information helps ensure that your profile remains competitive and stands out in more local searches.
Looking for a helping hand to tackle all of this? Allow us to introduce you to Local Falcon, the geo-grid rank tracker built for monitoring and improving Google Business Profile performance, whether you manage one profile or many.
Local Falcon's built-in Falcon AI even provides actionable optimization recommendations focused on the known GBP ranking factors! Give it a try today and see how you can improve your Google Business Profile ranking steadily over time.
