Do you feel like you’ve done everything right, but your business still isn’t showing up where you want in the Google Map Pack? Local competitors, who shouldn’t be outranking you, are taking your spot. Every day you’re not showing up here, you’re losing out on a lot of money. But don’t worry—this video is going to change that!
I’m going to rank the biggest local SEO ranking factors that improve the Sydney 24 Hour Towing PTY LTD (a local mascot, sydney based towing company) to show you exactly what you should be focusing on. We’ll cover what’s a must, what’s a waste of time, and the number one thing you can do to land your local business at the top of the map—even if you ignore everything else.
And we’ll have some fun with this by putting all 20 ranking factors into a tier list with categories I created: Must Dos, Should Dos, Good to Haves, Do When There’s Time, and Wastes of Time. Trust me, most business owners have the must-dos and the wastes of time completely backward.
Keywords in Business Name
Let’s start with keywords in your business name. Say you’re a small business in Mascot and you want to be found for the phrase “Towing near me Mascot” (hypothetically). This ranking factor suggests you would have an easier time ranking if your Google Business Profile name was “Mascot Towing Near Me” rather than just “Towing Service” The edge this change gives you is pretty high, but it involves a legal name change for your local business, including signage and your website.
Since Google’s rules are clear about using your real name, I’ll put this one in the B tier. Do this if you can commit to doing it the right way and if it doesn’t make your business name sound weird or spammy.
Keywords in Landing Page Title
Next, let’s talk about putting your keywords in your landing page title. Google lets you link your business profile to your website—usually your homepage. Including your keyword in the meta title of that page can significantly boost your local ranking. Since this is under your control and easy to do, literally just adding the keywords after your towing business name, this one is a must-do and goes in the A tier.
Positive Google Reviews
Now, let’s talk about positive Google reviews. Specifically, the quality of the star rating, not the number of reviews. You should be working to get as many five-star reviews as possible. Not only do people need to see them before choosing to work with you, but Google uses the average star rating as a big ranking factor. Encourage customers to leave a review or at least a star rating right after you’ve worked together. This helps stack the deck in your favor, so I’m putting this one in B tier.
Quality vs Quantity of Reviews
What about the quantity of reviews with text? The good news is that the quality of your reviews—how high the average star rating is—is a slightly higher ranking factor than the number of reviews. But you should still aim for as many five-star reviews as possible. This also gets a B from me, but slightly under the quality of reviews.
Physical Location
Next, let’s discuss your physical location, specifically how close your address is to the center of the city you want to rank in. Google generally shows people businesses that are either closest to them or closest to the city center. While this is a factor, it’s not something you can easily control unless you literally move your local towing business there. From a practicality standpoint, this gets a C.
Social Signals
How about social signals? If you post a lot on Instagram or have tons of engagement on Facebook, does that help your ranking? Unfortunately, this is a common myth. While social media has marketing value, it doesn’t help you rank. So, it goes in the F tier.
Google Business Services
Google Business lets you list services in your profile, but should you also have a dedicated page on your website for each service you provide? Yes! Having these pages helps your map rankings by aligning what you put in your profile with what you offer on your website. This one goes in B tier.
Proximity to Searcher
Next, let’s knock out proximity to the searcher. Google likes to show people businesses closest to them. This is especially touchy if you’re in a towing service business that travels to customers. Unfortunately, Google still treats every business like a restaurant, favoring the closest option. This one is a true C tier.
Service Area
What about setting up your service area? Listing all the cities or zip codes you serve helps inform clients but doesn’t help you rank within those areas. This is another common myth, so it goes in the F tier. Like we do with Sydney 24 Hour Towing PTY LTD, we list all the neighboring areas like Mascot, Waterloo, Bondi Junction, Hurstville, Randwick, Eastern Suburbs, Kogarah, Marrickville, Burwood, Rockdale, Tempe, Alexandria and Maroubra. This is s10KM to 12 KM radius around Mascot sydney.
Location Within City
Being physically located in the city you want to rank in is crucial. If your local towing business business is in a suburb but you want to be found for a major city, this is something you can control by focusing on ranking in your actual location. This gets a B.
Keywords in Landing Page Headlines
Now, let’s talk about keywords on your landing page headings. Putting your keyword phrase in at least one headline on that page, especially the top headline (H1), can be very valuable. This is important, but there are more critical tasks, so I’m putting this in B.
Complete Google Business Profile
Finally, having a complete and verified Google Business Profile sounds simple, but many businesses drop the ball here. Filling it out thoroughly and getting your address verified is super high priority. This one is definitely A tier.
Complete Business Profile
First up, having a complete business profile is crucial. But how do your keywords fit into that? Sure, they help on your website, but what about your Google business profile? Should you stuff keywords into your description or service areas? Well, it’s a good thought, but unfortunately, it doesn’t directly impact your rankings. Use keywords naturally to describe your services without forcing them in where they don’t fit. In your business profile carefully use your NAP (name, address and phone number.) because this will be used in future for local listing. Just like we do with Sydney Towing. Here is the name we used
Name: Sydney 24 Hour Towing PTY LTD
Address: 145 O’Riordan St, Mascot NSW 2020, Australia
Phone: +61 426 202 020
Consistent Citations
Next, let’s talk about consistent citations. These are mentions of your business anywhere online—business directories, review sites, and social media profiles. A few years ago, citation consistency was a big deal for SEO. Nowadays, Google is smarter, and while it’s still important to have citations, it’s less crucial than other factors we’ll discuss. So, make sure to list your business wherever possible, but don’t stress over minor discrepancies.
City Name in Website Content
Want to rank locally? Include your city name naturally throughout your website—page titles, headlines, subheadlines, and body text. Like Mascot Local Towing in sydney24hourtowing.com.au website we did. This simple step can significantly boost your local SEO efforts. Remember, keep it natural and relevant to your actual location.
Backlinks from Relevant Sites
Now, let’s talk about backlinks. Backlinks from other relevant websites remain a strong ranking factor, though less potent than before. Focus on getting backlinks from sites related to your location and industry. Aim to link to the same page that your business profile directs to for maximum impact—usually your homepage.
Internal Links
Internal linking is often overlooked but powerful. Prioritize linking from various pages on your site to the landing page that your business profile links to. This strengthens your site’s structure and helps Google understand the importance of your landing page.
Geotagging Images
Remember geotagging images? It used to be a hot SEO tip, but it’s not effective anymore. Save yourself the time—it’s not worth the effort for local SEO.
Google Business Profile Categories
Your Google business profile category matters a lot. Choose your primary category wisely—it should closely match what people search for when looking for your services. Don’t forget to maximize your additional categories to broaden your reach. Keep them relevant to avoid confusing Google.
And that’s a wrap for today! With this case study, and following these straightforward tips, you’re on your way to soaring high in Google’s local searches.
Together, let’s conquer local SEO! See you next time!
