Local SEO: What are the ranking criteria for your Google listing?

What criteria determine local search rankings? 

Google's main objective is simple: to provide its users with increasingly relevant search results. To achieve this, it relies on an algorithm that determines the ranking of Google listings. The algorithm is based on 3 key criteria: 

‍Thedistance 🌍

When an Internet user performs a search, Google takes into account their geographical location in order to propose appropriate proximity results. This means that the closer your establishment is to the user, the greater your chances of appearing in the first search results. If the user doesn't specify a location in his query, Google uses the information it has about him.

Relevance 👌

Perhaps the most important criterion? Or at least the one on which you can maximize your impact! Relevance refers to the extent to which your establishment corresponds to the user's search criteria. To multiply your chances of appearing in the first results, our advice is simple: complete your listing. Google will pay particular attention to your keyword matches, your choice of categories and your description, before deciding to feature you.

Prominence ✨

It's a complex term, which simply measures how well known your company is on the Internet! Some establishments are better known than others, and are therefore better referenced by Google. To build your online reputation, don't neglect to manage your customer reviews, and multiply your links from other platforms (websites, directories, articles...). Your online visibility will be assessed by analyzing all available data on your tourist establishment. 

That's all we know about these criteria. Google chooses to keep the details of its algorithm secret, so that the rankings are "as fair as possible". And for those of you who might have considered offering yourself a higher local ranking in return for payment... forget it, it won't work! 

4 easy ways to optimize your business listing 

Now that you know the ranking criteria, it's time to take action! To get you started, here are 4 simple tips to make your listing shine a little brighter in Google results. 

✅ Choose your main category carefully, and don't neglect the secondary ones. 

Start by asking yourself: which category best describes my establishment? This will help visitors understand your core business. Among the 4,000 different categories available, you should well come across the nugget that fits you perfectly.

But the work doesn't stop there! Your listing can actually display up to 10 categories. If there is only one main category, you can also enter up to 9 secondary categories.

Having trouble finding relevant categories? Here are a few tips that might help: 

• Think about what a potential customer might want to type into Google to find an establishment like yours.
• Make a list of keywords you'd like to be visible on, and if certain categories match: add them. 
• Take a look at your competitors to see how they are positioned, and see how you can differentiate yourself 

When it comes to the ideal number of categories to include, there's no real rule. It varies according to your activity, the most important thing being the relevance of your choices. 

Don't panic if they don't work the first time! You can come back to them at any time to try and improve. 

✅ Check the completeness of your Google listing

The more information Google has about your establishment, the better your chances of appearing in the search results. To do this, make sure that all the information you enter in your listing is complete and accurate. 

Here are a few steps to take: 

• Start by checking the essential information: address, telephone number, means of contact, opening hours... If your opening times change frequently, remember to update them as you go along.
• If you haven't already done so, include an attractive description , categories, quality photos and attributes. For the record, attributes are used to provide more information about the services available at your establishment.
• Liven up your listing with Google Posts. A little-used feature that can make all the difference! Posting your news on Google is a bit like completing your profile. The search engine will consider you all the more dynamic, and will see fit to highlight you.

✅ Take care of your customer reviews 

It's not just Internet users who prefer files with high scores... Google does too! And it's even rather demanding in this respect. 

Generally speaking, a high volume of reviews will have a positive impact on your local SEO. It's even better if your establishment has a rating above 4. This allows you to appear in as many queries as possible, such as those that include the keyword "best". 

Having lots of reviews is great, but responding to them is even better! And here, we're talking about responding to positive AND negative reviews. This behavior will have a proven impact on your local SEO. And in addition to pleasing Google, you're showing your customers that their experience is important. Enough to attract others!

✅ Distribute consistent information on the Internet

To maximize your online visibility, you've certainly not put all your eggs in one basket. In addition to your business listing, you've probably multiplied your presence on various online platforms and directories. Not to mention your website! This is a good thing, because Google compares different sources of information before deciding to rank you. 

But is the information on all these sites identical?

You can see where we're going with this... The information published on the platforms must be the same as that on your Google listing. So we suggest you update your information on all platforms as soon as there's a change. Without this consistency, your local SEO will take a big hit! That would be a real shame.

By applying these 4 tips, which are all in line with the criteria of the Google algorithm, you can rapidly improve the visibility of your business listing. Above all, don't forget to manage your listing regularly, so that you can continue to send positive signals to Google!