How Proximity Affects Local Search Results - Digital Olympus 2016

@DarrenShaw_ +DarrenShaw
Darren Shaw
Digital Olympus 2016
How Proximity Affects Local Search Results

Have you noticed that
many local pack results
don’t seem to make
sense these days?

Why are THESE businesses ranking?

Metrics for these businesses

Two of the top ranked
businesses have not
claimed their Google
listings and don’t even
have websites.

Surely, Google, there are
more prominent
businesses in Edmonton
that deserve to rank for
this term.

Let’s add Proximity to the Metrics

I could walk to these businesses

Is it just my
results?

Locations of Whitesparkers

How to determine your location on Google
1. Open an incognito browser in Chrome.
2. Go to maps.google.com.
3. Search for a local business in your city.
4. Click the “Directions” button.
5. Enter “my location” into the top field.

Brianna - Plumbers

Darren - Plumbers

Jessie - Plumbers

Nick - Plumbers

Brianna – Coffee Shops

Darren – Coffee Shops

Jessie – Coffee Shops

Nick – Coffee Shops

Brianna – Lawyers

Darren – Lawyers

Jessie – Lawyers

Nick – Lawyers

Are geomodified
terms less affected
by proximity to
searcher?

Brianna – Plumbers Edmonton

Darren – Plumbers Edmonton

Jessie – Plumbers Edmonton

Nick – Plumbers Edmonton

Brianna – Coffee Shops Edmonton

Darren – Coffee Shops Edmonton

Jessie – Coffee Shops Edmonton

Nick – Coffee Shops Edmonton

Brianna – Lawyers Edmonton

Darren – Lawyers Edmonton

Jessie – Lawyers Edmonton

Nick – Lawyers Edmonton

Proximity still drastically
influencing results for
geomodfied terms.
Differences likely due to
relevancy for geomodified
term.

CURRENT THEORY
Proximity to the
searcher appears to be
the #1 dominant local
ranking factor in LOCAL
PACK results today

Are local organic
results also impacted
by proximity to
searcher location?

Brianna - Plumbers
#2 Pro Plumbing
#5 United Plumbing
#6 EZ Plumbing
#7 Capital Plumbing
#8 Best Plumbers

Darren - Plumbers
#2 Pro Plumbing
#5 United Plumbing
#6 EZ Plumbing
#7 Best Plumbers
#8 Capital Plumbing

Jessie - Plumbers
#2 Pro Plumbing
#5 United Plumbing
#6 EZ Plumbing
#7 Best Plumbers
#8 Capital Plumbing

Nick - Plumbers
#2 Pro Plumbing
#5 United Plumbing
#6 Capital Plumbing
#7 Best Plumbers

Brianna – Edmonton Plumbers
#1 Pro Plumbing
#4 Best Plumbers
#6 Butler Plumbing
#7 Capital Plumbing
#8 Action Auger

Darren – Edmonton Plumbers
#1 Pro Plumbing
#4 Best Plumbers
#6 Butler Plumbing
#7 Capital Plumbing
#8 Action Auger

Jessie – Edmonton Plumbers
#1 Pro Plumbing
#4 Best Plumbers
#6 Butler Plumbing
#7 Capital Plumbing
#8 Action Auger

Nick – Edmonton Plumbers
#1 Pro Plumbing
#3 Best Plumbers
#6 Butler Plumbing
#7 Capital Plumbing
#8 Action Auger

Brianna – Lawyers
#4 Heritage Law
#7 kiriak.com

Darren – Lawyers
#7 Heritage Law

Jessie – Lawyers
#7 Heritage Law

Nick – Lawyers
#7 Heritage Law

A few minor differences
but relatively consistent
local organic rankings
across the city.

Observations

Non-geomodified searches can pull results from neighboring
cities. The radius is around the searcher’s location.

Results sometimes cluster together, even though
there may be closer results to the searcher.

Google would rather show a smaller pack than a
3-pack with a business that’s too far away.
I only get a 2-pack here,
but I know there are
other businesses that
match this query on the
south side

Why is Google
Doing This?

Can’t get local pack rankings?
Pay for sponsored pack placement.

Used to be 1 pack per city. Now there are thousands.
More ad inventory and targeting refinements.

Don’t like the options in the local pack? Click “More places”
to see other places where Google can show you ads.

Takeaways

Local Rank Tracking
is just a rough proxy for
how you’re doing in
local search rankings.

Local organic rankings are
still an excellent source
of traffic. You can rank
city-wide on page 1.

Diversify your local
optimization efforts
beyond Google: Facebook,
LinkedIn, Yelp, BBB,
TripAdvisor, etc.

Future Research

• Why is Second Cup ranking so much better than
Starbucks?
• Collect distance data for hundreds of results and
calculate averages for categories and pack types
• Find and study outliers
• Investigate terms with low inventory. Eg: taxidermy
FUTURE RESEARCH

Thank you!
Questions?
@DarrenShaw_ +DarrenShaw@DarrenShaw_ +DarrenShaw

How Proximity Affects Local Search Results - Digital Olympus 2016

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