The Most Important Google Ranking Factors

Making sure your potential customers  can find you, is a delicate task.  In the last blog post, we determined that 71% of search users value local search results and actively use these results, and Google is the #1 tool for online search. So how do you make sure Google shows your company at the top of its results?

Well, it does noone any good if your company is that top of the search results, if you are nott what the consumer is searching for.  If I search for a dog groomer within 5 miles, and Google shows me a plumber 30 miles away, then neither company will be getting my business.  And me, the consumer is unhappy, thus Google is unhappy. Beyond the specifics of your company, location, industry, etc., what is Google ranking factors are being used to determine what companies should be listed first in the map’s list? According to multiple sources and quoted from Entrepreneur.com, “Google consistently delivers local results that favor establishments with higher reviews”.

Google wants to keep people coming back, just like any other business, and consumers will continue to come back if they are happy with the results. Companies with high star ratings from their reviews clearly have other happy customers and the happier they are, the better the business must be. Google uses this EXTREMELY complex formula, and a variety of other Google ranking factors, to decide what businesses to list first.

A study conducted by Digital Marketing Works determined that ‘Carousel rank correlates highly with Google review ratings, as well as quantity of Google reviews.’

Another ringing endorsement of the correlations between online reviews and Google ranking factors is from Nextiny Marketing. They stated, “Quality and quantity of reviews are the most important factors that affect Google ranking.”