Every broker wants the top position on Google. Top position gets you twice the click throughs of the No.2 position and almost three times what you get at No.3*.
But getting to the top isn’t easy and requires a combination of tactics. And it’s not even a matter of just hiring the right SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) agency because if you don’t understand how Google decides the rankings, you could easily end up spending thousands on the wrong priorities.
Local search ranking factors
21% of your ranking is based on Google’s analysis of your website
Over a fifth of your score is based on Google’s perception of the value of your website to an audience searching for specific key words and phrases. You also get points if the information Google already has about your business - such as your business name, location, phone number and the products/services you specialise in – is matched to what it finds on your website.
18% comes from Google’s perceived value of your inbound links
Google gives you points for each back link you have from a reputable local source as it views these links as a vote of confidence in the value for your site.
16% from citations
Citations are where your company name, address, and/or phone number is mentioned on other websites. Google assumes that popular local businesses will be widely mentioned - so the more you are, the more comfortable Google feels about promoting you to its users.
15% from your Google Profile
Your Profile is the value Google allocates to the information it has on your Google Business Profile.
10% from reviews
To Google, the ratings you’re given by clients online, such as on Google Reviews, act as an indication of the popularity, value and quality of your service.
Consider using our Broker Create template to ask your client advocates for a Google Review.
6% from social media
Google presumes that a popular local business will have more Social Media followers than one that is less popular. Learn more about how social media is important to SEO marketing.
7% from user behaviour
How well do Google users interact with your website and your business’s listing in search results? For example if visitors to your site spend more time on your site than on your competitors’ then you will gain a ranking advantage (another good reason to include video on your home page).
8% from search result personalisation
This refers to the fact that every Google search delivers a slightly different result based on the search history of the person doing the search. For example, since you probably visit your own website a lot more than other local broker sites, Google will show it higher in the search results on your computer than for anyone else doing the exact same search.
So to wrap up
To do its job properly, Google needs its top search results to be popular businesses with accurate contact information and a valuable user-friendly website. So if yours isn’t intuitive to use or is a bit old-fashioned looking, then people are going to hit the back button when they see it, and Google will push it down the rankings.
Find out more about local SEO on our webinar, ‘SEO – how to promote your business in Google listing’.
* Research carried out by Advanced Web Ranking Percentage stats:
Annual local source rankings factor survey, Moz.com