Claudia Tomina's recent analysis reveals that menu items and Google Maps popular times are significant ranking factors in Google's local ranking system. Through extensive testing across various businesses, she found that adding specific menu items to a Google Business Profile improved the business's ranking for related searches. For instance, changing "Caesar Kitchen" to "Caesar salad" led to a notable ranking improvement from 71st to 1st position within a day.

Additionally, Claudia observed that businesses busier during Google Maps' popular times tend to rank higher than less busy competitors. Her research indicates that higher activity during specific times of day can boost a business's local ranking.

She shared her findings, including ranking charts, on her blog, check it out for more details.