"The Three Local Ranking Factors: Relevance, Distance, Prominence"
The three factors Google says it uses to rank local search results.
What it means
Google describes local ranking as a mix of three things: relevance (how well your listing matches what someone searched for), distance (how close your business is to the searcher or the area they searched), and prominence (how well-known and well-reviewed your business is, both online and off).
Why it matters
You can't fully control distance, but relevance and prominence are things a business can actively work on — filling out your listing accurately, choosing the right categories, and building up genuine reviews. Understanding the split helps you focus effort on the two factors you can actually move.
ask datanephew
Can datanephew tell me how I score on these three factors?
Not directly — that would require a Google Business Profile connection, which isn't available yet. It's a concept worth understanding on your own for now.
Which of the three should I focus on first?
As a general rule, prominence (reviews and reputation) is the one most businesses have the most room to improve — but this is general guidance, not something datanephew can measure for your listing yet.