What Matters in Local Search in 2020? Share: Sixth City Marketing Date Published 16 September 2020 Categories Blog Reading Time 2-Minute Read Local search is all the rage in 2020, and that isn’t going to change anytime soon. Let’s take a minute to look at some common factors that we believe matter. But First, What is Local SEO? Before we dive into examining what things matter with local search, it is good to have a basic understanding of what is it. Local search refers to the results that appear to users on search engines when looking for local services, businesses, etc based on deep algorithms search engines have been built to use. And to most who conduct local SEO, ranking in the local 3-pack on Google is the highest accomplishment. A prime example of a local search is “gym near me” – as it pushes your search engine to use its local algorithm to adjust its results based on your specific, and unique location. Now, What Matters in Local Search in 2020? Without further ado, here are some of the variables that we have seen matter the most: Having a GMB listing and optimizing it (this includes making sure you have chosen the best-fit business category) Being located in the city you wish to rank for, as a business outside of a city’s metro-area will have a hard time ranking in it. Obtaining links from high authority websites, bonus points if they’re local! Doing your due diligence to remove spam from Google Maps and reporting businesses who are going against their guidelines. Collecting reviews from customers who are detailed and mention your services and product in their review So If All That Matters, What Doesn’t Matter? Way back in the day, citations were everything, just as having as many backlinks as possible was. But nowadays, with a shift towards quality, authority, and prominence, search engine algorithms have seemed to part ways with giving good grades to websites who have handfuls of local citations.