Do you have better reviews than your direct competitors on Google, but you are still ranked 5th, 10th or even lower? This is the classic puzzle of the local business owner.
The reason is simple: distance is a stronger criterion than quality for Google.
🥇 Google’s Golden Rule: Distance
Google's absolute priority is to offer you the solution closest to you or the area you are searching for. This is true for your different types of visibility on Google.
On the Google Maps Business List
Google Maps only shows business profiles. This is your proximity visibility.
- The principle: Distance is crucial. You will appear more easily for a customer 200 meters away than for a customer 2 kilometers away.
- Your situation: If you are ranked 10th in the neighboring town, it means the 9 competitors ahead of you have a sufficient geographical advantage. Their physical address is closer to the search point, and this advantage cancels out the quality of your reviews.
On the Classic Google.com Search Page
When the customer types a search like "Plumber Dallas," they land on the classic results page.
- The map of the best: Just below the search bar, Google displays a map with several business profiles. This is the ideal spot to capture the majority of clicks.
- The distance factor: Here too, distance remains one of the dominant factors for being ranked first.
- Optimization: To be featured here, it is still possible to optimize your business profile and your website.
🌟 Your Notoriety (Reviews) Is Not Enough
Having an excellent rating with a large number of reviews is essential. This is what experts call notoriety or prominence. But it is not the only notoriety criterion for Google.
Google takes other signals into account:
- The frequency of reviews: A review received yesterday is more powerful than a review received six months ago. A continuous flow of new reviews signals that your business is active, reliable, and performing well.
- The trust of your website: Your website is important. The better its quality, the more it reinforces the trust Google places in your business profile.
Conclusion: Your closest competitor already has the advantage of distance. And they may also have received more reviews than you this month, or have a better-optimized website.
ℹ️ What to Do to Improve Your Ranking?
A future article will give you recommendations for nonetheless improving your rankings in the neighboring town!
📍 Where Do You Stand on the Map?
In the meantime, discover the visibility audit of your business with Begonia.pro. We analyze your positions on Google Maps and Google Search, and give you personalized advice on how to progress.