Having taken a sabbatical last year, Moz has returned and posted the results of its survey into rankings. The research is founded on the overall opinions of many local search gurus. They were invited to provide their opinions regarding the major ranking factors for local searches in 2020.
We are sure that you are keen to find out what the research came up with, so let’s jump right in.
The appropriate ranking factors are disseminated by the rankings in Google's "Local Pack," and the ranks regarding the local organic searches performed on Google. It seems to us that greater importance has been put on Local Pack rank factors. This is probably because Local Pack comes in front of shots from organic search results.
In the survey report, the complete top 50 rank factors for each category can be seen. Here, in this post, we are concentrating only on the top 10.
Summary of the Top 10 factors regarding Local Pack
1. The distance of the address in terms of the origin of the search
2. The physical location within the town or city from whence the search was generated
3. Utilizing Google My Business Verification & Optimization
4. Control over any inbound links to a specific domain name
5. Evidence of validity regarding main, original sources of data
6. Proof of jurisdiction over your website
7. Appropriate keyword inclusion in your Google My Business Verification and Optimization title
8. Evidence of quality and authority with regard to structured citations
9. Verification of the regularity of good citation from first tier citation origins
10. The quantity of click-throughs from SERPs
Summary of the Top 10 Organic Factors
1. Control over all inbound links to a specific domain name
2. Proof of jurisdiction over your website
3. Wide variety of incoming links to your website
4. Appropriate trending keyword(s) in relation to domain name
5. The number of links coming into a specific domain name
6. The amount of incoming links that originate from other appropriate local domains
7. The regularity of click-throughs from SERPs
8. The use of geographic keywords used in website content
9. The existence of appropriate keywords within the anchor text of incoming links
10. Mobile friendliness
Additional Information
The views of local search gurus is also taken into account in the Moz research, with regard to what they are promoting more, and indeed what they are promoting less, after the Possum update came into force. Their opinion was also sought as to what the leading negative factors are that adversely impact on local ranking, after-the Possum algorithm update.
The Moz survey conclusion focuses on SEO experts and what they see as impacting most on ranking in 2017. The complete piece of research is well worth reading, especially if you are looking to fine-tune your SEO knowledge and remain current.
Category Search Engine Marketing