2023 Local Search Ranking Factors

Level up your local SEO! Whitespark brings you a detailed look at the factors driving local search results, voted on by the industry’s best and brightest.

The US Local Search Ecosystem

Explore how business data is exchanged and accessed in the U.S. between data providers, Search Engines, and directories. Identify the most important sources online that must have correct and precise business information.

Top Local Citation Sources by Country

When it comes to your local SEO strategy, building citations is a key factor to increasing your online visibility. Start creating your listings using our list of top local listings for the USA, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Italy, Brazil, and Poland.

Get Help Managing Your Google Listing

Short on time or local expertise? Get Whitespark’s GMB experts to turn your Google listing into a high performing, high converting tool to win business. Gain the competitive edge you need to stand out, increase listing engagement, and take control of your branded search results.

Whitespark’s Super Fantastic Guide to Optimizing Google My Business

Google My Business (GMB) is critical to any local company wanting to show up in Google search results & Maps. We’ve put together this guide to optimizing your GMB listing so you can take advantage of this product, own your branded search results, and ultimately earn more customers.

Everything You Need to Know About Google Posts

Learn how to take advantage of Google Posts, and implement this feature to help make your Business Profile listing stand out in branded searches, as well as local  results.

Helpful Support Numbers to Call on the Top U.S. Citation Sites

Trying to update or remove incorrect listings on the top sites in the US? We’ve put together a list to customer support numbers you can call if you prefer to talk with a real person, or if you are having no success with online forms and email requests.

Citation Sources That Allow Hidden Addresses

Building citations for your business is a key component of local search, but what if you don’t want customers to see your address? We’ve compiled a list of sites that allow businesses to keep their address private, while still getting the benefits of citation building, and establishing an online local presence.

Acceptable Google Maps NAP Abbreviations and Variations

We’ve compiled a list of address abbreviations/formatting that are acceptable and won’t impact your NAP (name, address, phone number) consistency. Even though Google’s algorithms are capable of normalizing data, it’s always reassuring to know which variations are a-ok.

The Best Citation Sources by Category for USA, CAN, UK & AU

We’ve performed and analyzed hundreds of searches to determine the Top 20 citations by category (ie. accounting, insurance, car dealers, etc.) based on an aggregate score. Check out our recommendations for your industry.

The Best Citation Sources by City for USA, CAN, UK & AU

We’ve searched local queries across multiple cities to determine the Top 20 authoritative citations by city (ie. Melbourne, Calgary, London, Austin, etc.) based on an aggregate score. Check out your city and see what citations you need.

Whitespark Local Insider (Monthly Newsletter)

Sign up for our monthly newsletter and stay informed about the latest Whitespark happenings, recent blog posts, and all sorts of interesting local search news.

The Whitespark Local Pulse (Daily Newsletter)

Never miss a local search post. We collect all the latest blog posts across the local sphere and send them to your inbox daily.