5 Local SEO Insights from Google’s API Documentation Leak

Author: Andrew Shotland | June 6, 2024, at 12:43 pm | Reading time: 9 minutes

When the news broke last week about the leaked Google Search API documents, our team quickly analyzed them for insights relevant to local SEO. While much of the information seemed basic or highly technical, some key takeaways could impact local search strategies.

Key Insights

1. Embrace Video Content

Although not exclusively a local SEO tip, the emphasis on video content in the leaked documents is noteworthy. Google considers a site video-focused if more than 50% of its URLs have watch pages. Video content is increasingly appearing in search results across various industries.

For local businesses, adding video content can quickly classify a small site as video-focused. For example, a veterinarian could create short videos on pet care tips. Ensure these videos are self-hosted or hosted on a non-mainstream video platform. Including geolocation metadata in your videos can also be beneficial.

2. Bot Clicks and Their Impact

Services that use bots to simulate location-based searches and click on results to boost rankings have been discussed in SEO circles. The term "CRAPS" (Click and Results Prediction System) signal in the leaked documents suggests that location-specific click behavior might influence rankings.

To test this, one could theoretically run local bot clicks on competitor businesses and observe changes in rankings. However, this practice likely violates Google’s TOS, so proceed with caution and at your own risk.

3. Local Authority vs. Topic Authority

Local SEO often revolves around proximity, prominence, and relevance. The leaked documents mention a "localityScore," which is part of the LocalAuthority signal. Improving title tags across your site to better match user queries could enhance your localityScore and potentially boost local rankings.

For instance, if your site ranks third for "SEO Company Pleasanton," analyze the title tags of higher-ranking sites. Adjust your title tags to increase relevance and see if it impacts your rankings.

4. Local Service Ads (LSAs) vs. Google Ads

Rand Fishkin speculated whether Chrome click stream data could boost organic rankings via paid clicks. In local search, comparing the effectiveness of standard PPC ads and LSAs in influencing rankings could be insightful.

Track competitors heavily investing in ads and monitor changes in their rankings. This can help determine which ad units might be more effective for boosting local SEO.

5. Understanding Twiddlers

Twiddlers in Google’s system can limit the diversity of results, such as capping the number of blog posts in a SERP. For local SEO, this insight shifts the focus from competing against directories to becoming one.

For example, a local accountant could create a page listing top accountants in the city. This approach mirrors a common B2B strategy and could be applied to local businesses to enhance visibility.

Intriguing Attributes to Explore

Several attributes from the leaked documents warrant further investigation for their potential impact on local SERPs:

- localyp: Possibly classifies local business directory sites.
- localsearchAuthoritySiteAnnotation: Indicates a site’s authority for a location.
- qualityGeoBrainlocGoldmineBrainlocAnnotation: Likely pertains to popular locations and advertisers.
- indexingDupsLocalizedLocalizedCluster: Deduplicates results based on location.
- imageRepositoryGeolocation: Geotagged images might still influence local rankings.
- knowledgeMiningFactsLocalizedFact: Prioritizes local sources for facts.
- tofu: URL-level prediction, possibly a key to understanding ranking dynamics.

Conclusion

While these insights from the leaked Google API documents provide food for thought, testing and validation are crucial. Experiment with these ideas and monitor their impact on your local SEO efforts. And remember, some tactics might be against Google’s guidelines, so proceed with caution.