Insights on Local SEO from Google’s API Documentation Leak: A Compilation of 5 Key Points
Last week, news broke of a leaked Google Search API documentation, and our team wasted no time in crawling through it to find any information relevant to local SEO. However, much of the information seemed either basic or irrelevant to our purposes. Nevertheless, we have compiled five key points that may provide some insights into improving local SEO.
1. Video, video, video!
While not specifically a “local SEO” tip, the documentation did mention the importance of video content. Video results are increasingly appearing in search results across various verticals. The documentation highlighted the classification of a site as an “isVideoFocusedSite” if it has over 50% of URLs with watch pages. This suggests that creating video content could potentially improve rankings in local search engine results pages (SERPs). Small local businesses can quickly turn their websites into video-classified sites by adding short videos on separate pages.
2. Are local bot clicks ‘CRAP’?
In the realm of local SEO, there are services that use bots to simulate location-based searches and click on results to enhance prominence signals. The leaked documentation referenced a “CRAPS signal for the locale,” indicating that specific locations may have scores for how clicks on results affect rankings. While it is not advisable to engage in these practices due to Google’s terms of service, it is worth exploring how bot clicks impact rankings for competitor businesses to gain insights.
3. Local authority vs. topic authority
Local SEO typically revolves around proximity, prominence, and relevance. The documentation mentioned “titlematchScore” and “localityScore” as components of the “LocalAuthority” signal. By ensuring that title tags throughout a website are relevant to user queries and have a strong localityScore, businesses have a better chance of achieving good local rankings. While proximity may be fixed, playing around with title tags across the site could yield improvements in local rankings.
4. LSAs vs. Google Ads?
The leaked documentation raised questions about the impact of paid clicks on organic rankings. Local Service Ads (LSAs) are ad units that appear above local packs and other local surfaces. Testing different ad units against rankings and organic clicks can provide insights into their effectiveness. Tracking competitors who heavily invest in these ad units can also shed light on how rankings change.
5. Twiddle with local results
The concept of “Twiddlers” emerged from the documentation, referring to category constraints that promote diversity in search results. Instead of worrying about competing with dominant directories like Yelp, businesses can aim to become one of the limited results in a local search by creating pages about local businesses or content related to their industry. By being listed as an authority for a specific location, businesses can increase their visibility in local search results.
While the leaked documentation contained many other potentially significant factors, these five key points offer actionable insights for improving local SEO. From creating video content to exploring the impact of bot clicks and optimizing title tags, businesses can experiment to enhance their local rankings. Furthermore, LSAs and Twiddlers present unique opportunities for businesses to stand out in local search results. However, it is crucial to approach these strategies ethically and within the bounds of Google’s terms of service.
