Google’s Ad Ranking Factors

LSA sorts out positioning of its advertisers based on a ranking system. There is no set rotation. Instead, advertisers tend to fluctuate based on their performance and the performance of their competitors. As an example, an advertiser who misses calls regularly may fall in the rankings. Moreover, an advertiser who is highly responsive may fare better if their other factors are on point. Ad ranking placement cannot be viewed in a vacuum; all factors must be considered when wanting to affect your ranking.

In short, the ranking system considers these factors: Ad Quality & Bid.

Ad Quality:

• Responsiveness (penalty for missed calls & unresponded-to message leads)
• Reputation (reviews: quality & quantity must be solid)
• Radius (reasonable distance between the searcher and the advertiser’s home city)

The Bid:

• Bid (the amount the user is willing to pay for a call)

Within their official blurb on the topic, Google also mentions:

• “Your verification status and whether you obtained a Google badge of trust (Screened (U.S. only) or Guaranteed) or not”
• “The context of the person’s search – When calculating ranking, [Google] looks at the search terms the person has entered, the time of the search, and other user signals and attributes”
• “Whether or not [Google] has received serious or repeated complaints about your business”

“Your verification status” can be construed to mean at which stage the profile is in. If the account is still stuck in the onboarding pipeline, the ad will not show in any capacity. If the profile is in a “pre-badge” status, the ad will appear at the bottom of the top section of live advertisers, underneath the “badged” results.

Rank factors for your Local Service Ads campaign are affected by a number of variables. Through considerable A/B testing, OMG National has determined the most effective way to obtain profile approval, pass background check, license and insurance requirements and get the phone ringing from your campaign. Learn more by calling 800.789.4619 or visit https://omgnational.com/google-calls-advisor/