GMB Ranking Factors: What Actually Impacts Your Local Visibility
Not all optimization efforts are created equal. Based on industry research and data from thousands of local businesses, here's what genuinely impacts your Google Maps ranking — and what's a waste of time.
Score your profile against all key ranking factors
Our AI optimizer evaluates your profile against every factor listed below — free, instant, no login.
Get My Ranking Score →The Ranking Factor Hierarchy
Based on the annual Local Search Ranking Factors study and our own analysis, here's how different signal groups contribute to Local Pack ranking:
| Signal Group | Impact Weight | Key Factors |
|---|---|---|
| GBP Signals | 32% | Categories, business name, completeness, verification |
| Review Signals | 16% | Quantity, velocity, diversity, rating, responses |
| On-Page Signals | 14% | NAP on site, location keywords, domain authority |
| Link Signals | 13% | Local links, anchor text, domain authority of links |
| Behavioral Signals | 9% | CTR, calls, check-ins, directions requests |
| Citation Signals | 7% | NAP consistency, citation volume, data aggregators |
| Personalization | 6% | Search history, location, device |
| Social Signals | 3% | Social media activity, engagement (minor factor) |
Let's break down each group in order of impact.
1. GBP (Profile) Signals — 32%
This is the largest signal group, and it's entirely within your control. The key factors:
Primary Category (Critical)
Your primary GBP category is the single most influential ranking factor you can control. It tells Google exactly what type of business you are and determines which searches you're eligible for.
Business Name (High — But Don't Manipulate It)
Businesses with keywords in their real name have a measurable ranking advantage. If your registered business name is "Austin Emergency Plumbing," you'll naturally rank better for "emergency plumbing Austin" than "Smith & Sons LLC." However, adding keywords to your business name that aren't part of your real-world branding is a guideline violation that can get your profile suspended.
Profile Completeness
Google's own help documentation states: "Businesses with complete information are easier to match with the right searches." Fill in every available field: hours, description, attributes, services, products, photos, and more.
Proximity (Distance)
While technically a separate factor, proximity is the elephant in the room. The closer your business is to the searcher, the more likely you are to appear. This is the one factor you largely can't control (unless you're considering opening a new location). For service-area businesses, see our SAB guide.
2. Review Signals — 16%
Reviews are the second-largest controllable factor. What matters:
| Review Factor | Why It Matters | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Total review count | Social proof + authority signal | High |
| Review velocity | Consistent new reviews signal ongoing business activity | High |
| Average rating | 4.0+ is the threshold; 4.5+ is ideal | Medium |
| Keywords in reviews | Reviews mentioning services help you rank for those terms | Medium |
| Owner responses | Responding signals active management | Medium |
| Review diversity | Reviews from different accounts across platforms | Low-Medium |
Read our complete guide to Google reviews for actionable strategies.
3. On-Page (Website) Signals — 14%
Your website's optimization directly impacts your Local Pack ranking. Critical factors:
- NAP on website: Matching Name, Address, Phone on your site (especially contact page and footer)
- City/service in title tags: "Plumber in Austin TX | Smith Plumbing" on your homepage
- Dedicated service pages: Individual pages for each service you offer
- LocalBusiness schema: Structured data matching your GBP information
- Mobile-friendly design: Google uses mobile-first indexing
- Page speed: Core Web Vitals impact both organic and local rankings
4. Link Signals — 13%
Links to your website from other sites impact your local ranking. What matters most:
- Local relevance: Links from local news sites, blogs, organizations, and business partners
- Domain authority: The overall strength of linking domains
- Anchor text: Natural anchor text with location and service keywords
- Quantity: More quality links = stronger signal (but quality > quantity)
5. Behavioral Signals — 9%
Google tracks how users interact with your listing and uses this as a ranking input:
- Click-through rate from search results
- Mobile click-to-call actions
- Direction request frequency
- Website click-throughs from your profile
- Branded search volume (people searching your business name)
You improve behavioral signals indirectly — better photos, more reviews, and a compelling description all increase engagement. Track these in GBP Insights.
6. Citation Signals — 7%
Citations (mentions of your NAP across the web) have decreased in relative importance but still matter, especially for new businesses establishing trust. Focus on:
- Top 30 citation sources (Yelp, Facebook, Apple Maps, Bing, industry-specific directories)
- Perfect NAP consistency across all sources
- Data aggregator submission (Localeze, Foursquare, Data Axle)
Learn more: NAP Consistency guide.
What DOESN'T Matter (Common Myths)
❌ Keyword stuffing your business name — Violation that gets you suspended, not ranked higher
❌ Hundreds of low-quality citations — 30 quality citations beat 300 junk ones
❌ Fake reviews — Google's AI detection is increasingly sophisticated; penalties are severe
❌ Hiding your address (when not an SAB) — Reduces trust and limits ranking
❌ Social media follower counts — Minimal direct ranking impact
Where to Focus First
If you're starting from scratch or have limited time, prioritize in this order:
- Fix your primary category (5 minutes, biggest impact)
- Complete all profile fields (30 minutes)
- Build a review generation process (ongoing)
- Upload quality photos (30 minutes + ongoing)
- Fix NAP consistency on your website and top 10 citations
- Start posting weekly Google Posts
- Build local links (ongoing)
Or skip the guesswork entirely — our free GBP optimizer scores your profile against all these factors and tells you exactly what to fix first.
How Do You Score on These Ranking Factors?
Our AI evaluates your profile against every factor above — free, instant, no login.
Check My Score Free →