Google has made changes to its Local Services Ads help document on ad rankings, removing the statement that "proximity to potential customers' locations" influences ad rankings. However, Ginny Marvin, Google Ads Liaison, clarified that there has been no recent or sudden change in ranking considerations for Local Services Ads (LSA).
The change was noticed by Chris Barnard, who suggested that proximity may no longer be a factor in LSAs based on the document update. The updated document no longer includes the phrase, "How relevant your business is for the customer's search, for example, services you provide, your business bio, and your proximity to potential customers' locations."
Marvin stated that the proximity of a business's location is often not a key indicator of relevancy. She emphasized that while location is considered, the update to the help document does not indicate a recent or sudden change in ranking considerations. She explained that the LSA ranking has evolved over time, and that the physical location of a business, such as a home cleaning service, matters less to potential customers than whether their home is within the business's service area.
The document also added information about messaging response time. It suggests that enabling message and/or booking leads can increase the likelihood of receiving a lead, particularly during off-hours. The document also mentions that "average response time and any other information about your business that may influence user preferences" could improve profile quality.
