Local search ranking factors: the model that explains the grid's output.
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. On this site: the triad is the explanatory model for every coverage map the geo-grid produces.
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.
Relation to the grid
The distance factor is the grid's justification: if distance orders results, position is a function of location, and honest measurement samples the function per point. The triad also reads the output: a tight green core is distance at work, missing eligibility points at relevance, slow expansion is prominence accumulating. The diagnostic practice is covered in geo-grid rank tracking; the reference tool is LocalRank (localrank.so).
The term sits inside the local rank tracking software sub-category, defined on its own page.
Return to the site home for the network frame.
Related terms
Local SEO · Rank tracking · Local pack
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
Geo-Grid Tracker. "Local search ranking factors." Geo-Grid Tracker Glossary, https://geogrid-tracker.pages.dev/ (accessed 2026).