Drop In Google Business Profile Ranking - What's Happening?

[Timur]

So, it's been about 5 months since I started working on my GBP more seriously. Now I have a consistent flow of customer reviews, regular updates, photo uploads, and citation campaigns. It started pretty well, but now I'm seeing a gradual ranking decrease since December. It can't be explained by seasonal fluctuations because, in the appliance repair business, the business grows closer to spring every year. I've lost 0.8 points in the local search grid, and my GBP statistics consistently go down.

My nearest competitor has the latest update in 2021, has no new reviews in a year, and still outranks me everywhere. Can you help me understand what is exactly happening?

 

[keyserholiday]

It's hard to say without knowing the name and phone number of your GBP or the website URL. It could be your website, as Google has rolled out many updates since last November. Read the Whitespark 2023 Local Ranking Factor Study.

 

[Timur]

@keyserholiday
Tnank you, here is the link to GBP
My Appliance Crew
(949) 419-6165

My Appliance Crew - Google Search

I have read this study twice and as far as I can tell, we do everything right

 

[Colan Nielsen]

That's a fairly small change according to the bright local report in your screenshot. But the declining calls trend is worth looking into.

This is a list of things that I typically start with when troubleshooting a scenario like this. 5 Things to Check When Your Google Business Profile Rankings Drop - Sterling Sky Inc

 

[keyserholiday]

There are several businesses in your area. I am not seeing a lot of citations either.

 

[Timur]

There are several businesses in your area. I am not seeing a lot of citations either.

Citations are not important anymore, are they?

 

[Timur]

That's a fairly small change according to the bright local report in your screenshot. But the declining calls trend is worth looking into.

This is a list of things that I typically start with when troubleshooting a scenario like this. 5 Things to Check When Your Google Business Profile Rankings Drop - Sterling Sky Inc

Thank you! That`s a good read!

 

[JS Girard]

Citations are not important anymore, are they?

They are not the central key they once were, but they are still relevant to establish a general prominence. Also, an easily overlooked factor is maybe your reviews have crossed the freshness threshold (that seems to be somewhere between four and 8 weeks). You want to always have one or a couple reviews showing the "new" tag on your GBP to maintain freshness.

 

[Timur]

So rankings keep dropping. The weirdest thing is that I started to actively update and promote the business profile in January, and all my efforts ended up getting my profile lower all the time.

 

[JeffClevelandTN]

Hi @Timur, unfortunately your local pack/map ranking drop may be associated with recent Google algorithim updates. Most of your competitors GBP have their address showing. Please take a look at this thread: How did the March 2023 Core Algorithm Update Impact Local Rankings?

 

[Andrew Swan]

We also saw some recent fluctuations in our Bright Local grids. In areas where we are usually ranking in the 3 or 4 average position, we are now in the low 20s. We track the same group of keywords for all of our locations and we're noticing that 3 or 4 of them specifically are seeing the highest average drops. In the grid reports for those keywords specifically, we are seeing some really strange results - competitors 40+ miles away, competitors with terrible rankings, etc. Not sure if anyone is seeing anything similar to that happening in their local rankings but I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around it all.

 

[JeffClevelandTN]

Hi @Timur, unfortunately your local pack/map ranking drop may be associated with recent Google algorithim updates. Most of your competitors GBP have their address showing. Please take a look at this thread: How did the March 2023 Core Algorithm Update Impact Local Rankings?

@JoyHawkins just released a new video/blog regarding address showing versus not showing for GBPs that further supports why your local map pack position has dropped. You may want to consider your options regarding the displaying of your address. Does Hiding Your Address Impact your Google Business Profile Ranking? - Sterling Sky Inc

 

[Timur]

Well, it looks like a disaster. Asked my colleagues across US., if they're having the same issue regardless of SAB or not, and they are. Their drops are not that dramatic though.

@FLmanSEO have you already found anything in particular regarding these drops? I am lost

 

[bdlowery]

Any update on this @Timur ?

 

[Timur]

Any update on this @Timur ?

Yes, it`s kicking in, finally. But I am afraid to make any forecasts