Archives: Local Search Ranking Factors — Darren Shaw on Reviews, AI Search & What Drives Local Rank

From the Near Memo archives, we’re revisiting one of our most popular episodes featuring Darren Shaw of Whitespark, the current steward of the Local Search Ranking Factors study, originally created by David Mihm. In this conversation, Darren joins Mike Blumenthal, Greg Sterling, and David Mihm to unpack the methodology behind the survey and the major findings shaping local search today. Topics include: • The true role of reviews in ranking • Why review recency is becoming more important • The future of AI search and LLM-driven discovery • The surprising decline of link signals • Why behavioral signals may be Google’s most powerful ranking factor • And what businesses should prioritize right now. This episode captures a pivotal moment in local search as the industry transitions from traditional search results to AI-driven discovery interfaces. 00:00 Introduction – Darren Shaw & the Ranking Factors Study 01:10 Methodology of the Local Search Ranking Factors Survey 04:30 What's New in the Latest Survey 07:20 AI Search and the Future of Local Discovery 14:00 Review Signals and Why Review Recency Matters 18:30 Review Spam and Google's Enforcement Challenges 20:40 Surprising Findings and Divergent Opinions 24:30 The Decline of Link Signals 27:00 Behavioral Signals and Google's Data Advantage 30:20 AI Ranking Factors and Expert Lists 36:50 What Businesses Should Actually Focus On 41:10 Darren Shaw's AMA and Final Thoughts