Local Search Ranking Factors for 2023
Every 12 months the survey offers an invaluable crash course in local SEO best practices.
I asked Google's Bard, "How many ranking factors are there in Google's local algorithm?" It responded, "Google does not publicly disclose the exact number of local ranking factors in its local algorithm, but it is estimated to be around 200."
While that sounds credible, it's not clear where Google is getting this information because Bard doesn't cite any sources. Thank goodness for the Local Search Ranking Factors (LSRF) survey. Just published by Darren Shaw and Whitespark last week, it covers a total of 149 local ranking signals.
It's an opinion survey, but one that reflects the collective wisdom and experience of 44 leading local search experts. LSRF was first developed by David Mihm in 2008 and has been conducted since 2017 by Darren Shaw's Whitespark. This year is its 15th anniversary.