Local search ranking factors: the model that explains your coverage map.
Local search ranking factors are the signals Google uses to order the local pack and Maps, grouped in Google's public documentation as relevance, distance and prominence. In practice: this triad is the mental model that explains every coverage map you will ever read.
Definition
Relevance covers whether the listing's categories and content match the query. Distance covers the physical gap between searcher and business. Prominence covers the business's broader footprint: reviews, links, citations and recognition. The three interact per query and per coordinate; no single factor decides an ordering alone.
What you do with it
You use the triad to diagnose maps. A tight green core with sharp falloff is distance at work. A listing that never appears for a relevant query points at relevance — check profile categories. Slow, steady coverage expansion after a review campaign is prominence accumulating. The model is what turns map-reading from pattern-spotting into diagnosis. Measurement itself is in the how-to chapter and the technique chapter; the reference tool is LocalRank (localrank.so).
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Related terms
Local SEO · Geo-grid · Rank tracking
FAQ
What are the three local search ranking factor groups?
Relevance, distance and prominence — the grouping named in Google's public documentation for local results.
Cite this entry
Local Rank Tracking Handbook. "Local search ranking factors." Local Rank Tracking Handbook Glossary, https://local-rank-handbook.pages.dev/ (accessed 2026).