What Google Actually Says About Local Search and Business Profiles

Google's official help documentation explicitly identifies three factors that determine local search ranking: relevance, distance, and prominence. Relevance refers to how well a Business Profile matches a search. Distance is the proximity between the potential search result and the location used in the search. Prominence reflects how well-known a business is.

The documentation notes that Google tries to show the most relevant results, which means distance is not always the overriding factor, but it is consistently identified as a primary input. This is the primary source for the proximity observations documented on this blog.

Google maintains a detailed set of guidelines governing how businesses should represent themselves on Google Business Profile. These guidelines cover business name requirements, address eligibility, category selection principles, and prohibited practices.

The guidelines explicitly prohibit adding keywords or location descriptors to a business name that are not part of the actual business name. They also specify which types of businesses are eligible for a Business Profile and how service area businesses should configure their profiles differently from storefront businesses.

Google's category guidance specifies that categories should describe what the business is rather than what it does. The distinction matters. A business that repairs shoes should be categorized as "Shoe Repair Shop" rather than "Shoe Repair Service." The taxonomy is structured around business type, not activity description.

The guidance also notes that businesses should use the most specific category available. This directly supports the observations on this blog about category specificity as a ranking input. Google's own documentation recommends the same specificity that public research identifies as a ranking factor.

Google's official guidance on reviews encourages businesses to remind customers to leave reviews and to respond to reviews. The documentation explicitly states that high-quality, positive reviews from customers can improve a business's visibility in search results.

The guidance also prohibits soliciting reviews in bulk, discouraging negative reviews, or providing incentives for reviews. These prohibitions are relevant to understanding the limits of review acquisition strategies. Velocity through a consistent process is permitted. Manufactured velocity through incentives is not.

Google's documentation describes the Posts feature as a way to share updates, offers, events, and products directly on a Business Profile. The documentation notes that posts appear in Search and Maps. It also notes that standard posts expire after seven days, which is the mechanic that makes abandoned post sections visible to searchers.

Google's Q&A documentation explains that anyone can ask and answer questions on a Business Profile. Business owners are encouraged to monitor and respond to questions. The documentation does not explicitly prevent business owners from seeding the Q&A section with their own questions and answers, which is the basis for the strategic use described in articles on this blog.

Google's documentation states that complete and accurate information helps Google understand a business and match it to relevant searches. Specific fields mentioned as important include business name, address, phone number, website, hours, and category. The documentation connects profile completeness directly to search matching, which is the mechanism through which completeness affects visibility.

The documentation also notes that keeping information up to date is important. Outdated hours, closed locations, or changed phone numbers reduce the accuracy of the profile and may affect how Google presents it in results.