Proximity for LSAs Is Gone + GBP Optimization Tips

Hey!

No intro today. Let’s roll.

1. Proximity is no longer a ranking factor for LSAs

Chis Barnard was the first to notice that Google updated the LSA help document and removed the mention of "proximity to potential customers' locations" as a ranking factor.

Ginny Marvin confirmed the update and clarified that while proximity is considered, it's "often not a key indicator of relevancy".

This is good news. It was kind of stupid that proximity was ever considered in the LSA ranking algorithm. If a business wants its ad to show across all areas of the city, it should be able to pay to show it.

Now, if they would only let service area businesses rank in the local organic results for the areas they service.

Businesses should be able to rank in the areas they specify with service areas, and if you caught my newsletter last week, there are some hints that this might be happening now.

Maybe the two are related?! I'm running some tests and will report on my results soon.

See what other SEOs have to say about this on Twitter and LinkedIn.

2. Customer-uploaded Updates: An underutilized GBP feature

A lot of people don't know about this, but customers can add Updates to your Google Business Profile.

The "Updates from customers" section shows prominently on Profiles in the Google Maps App on desktop, and it's really eye-catching 👇️

Here’s how it’s done:

1. Go to the Profile of a business on Google Maps mobile.

2. Select the "Updates" tab.

3. Select "By visitors".

4. Click "Add a photo update".

Questions:

• Do customer-uploaded Updates impact rankings? Possibly through secondary behavioral signals.

• Do they drive conversions? Probably. They show that your business is active and the posts that customers upload could help sell specific products, services, or features of your business.

✍️ Takeaway: Encourage customers to add updates!

See my suggestions on how to encourage customers to use this feature on my LinkedIn and Twitter!

3. The best way to optimize your GBP’s Q&A section

Q&A is one of the most prominent and converting sections on your Profile. Here’s how to optimize it to get more customers 👇️

@darrenshawseo

You need to optimize the Q&A section of your Google Business Profile (Google My Business) and here's why: #seo #localseo #googlebusinesspr... See more

4. Can you ace this local SEO pop quiz?

Try it out!

@darrenshawseo

How many categories can you add to your Google Business Profile (Google My Business)? #seo #localseo #googlebusinessprofile #googlemybusin... See more

If you haven’t yet, make sure to follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok for a daily dose of local SEO info!

Darren