A September 2026 report says it recovered 72 signal names associated with Google Maps’ Oyster Rank system, but that is not evidence of 72 active, equally important ranking factors. The report says 25 names were marked deprecated and does not disclose current signal weights. Google’s public guidance remains the clearest practical reference: local results are mainly shaped by relevance, distance and prominence.
What the reported 72 Google Maps ranking signals mean
Search Engine Land reported on September 8, 2026, that recovered binary material exposed a non-public Geostore scope and an enumeration of 72 Oyster Rank signal names. The report says 25 entries were explicitly marked deprecated. Its examples include reviews, web query volume, listing impressions and opens, direction requests, website clicks, chain membership, Wikipedia signals, popularity, prominence, landmarks and road usage. Search Engine Land’s report
These are reported names, not a verified checklist for businesses. The report says the coefficients needed to determine how much a signal contributes were outside the recovered scope. It therefore does not establish the current weight—or even the current active status—of every name not marked deprecated. In particular, a count of 72 should not be restated as “Google uses 72 active ranking factors.”
How Google says local results are ranked
Google’s current Business Profile guidance says local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and prominence. Its help page explains that relevance is how well a profile matches a search, distance is how far a business is from the searcher (using Google’s estimate of the user’s location if they have not shared it), and prominence is how well-known a business is. Google says prominence may reflect information such as links to a business’s website and review counts and ratings. Google: Tips to improve your local ranking on Google
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Google’s page also includes the sentence, “Local results are mainly based on relevance, distance and popularity.” Its explanatory section uses “prominence” as the heading and describes that concept as how well-known a business is. Keep the wording in context: “popularity” appears in that summary sentence, while “prominence” is the term used in the page’s detailed explanation.
Relevance
A complete, accurate profile can help Google understand what a business offers and whether it matches a search. Google recommends providing details such as the business address, hours, category and attributes, and says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to appear in local search results.
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Distance
Distance is relative to the searcher, not a fixed radius that applies to every query. Google says it uses an estimate of the user’s location when the user does not share one. A business cannot make itself physically closer to a searcher by changing profile text.
Prominence
Google describes prominence as how well-known a business is, and identifies website links and review counts and ratings among the information that may inform it. Google also recommends responding to reviews and adding photos and videos to a Business Profile. Those are official profile-management recommendations; the guidance does not assign them a precise ranking boost.
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Why the report describes a more layered model
Search Engine Land’s account describes more than a single ranking calculation: geographic entities assembled from data, multiple ranking systems, geographic and semantic retrieval, personalization, and a rendering stage that determines what appears on the map. It also reports that geographic footprints vary with the query and environment. These are the report’s observations about recovered material, not a Google-confirmed technical specification.
The distinction matters because a signal name does not tell you where it acts. A factor might relate to candidate ranking, geographic retrieval, personalization or what the map ultimately renders. A reported name alone does not demonstrate a causal effect on a business’s position or visibility. Nor does a ranked candidate necessarily guarantee that a particular listing will be displayed in every user’s map view.
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How to judge claims about a “ranking factor”
- Check who supports it. Google’s help page is public guidance; the 72-name enumeration is reverse-engineered reporting.
- Separate names from evidence of impact. A recovered label is not a known coefficient, weight or demonstrated causal effect.
- Ask which stage it concerns. Ranking, geographic retrieval, personalization and map rendering are distinct concepts in the report’s model.
- Prefer current documentation for action. Google’s public guidance is more useful for day-to-day profile management than an internal-sounding label with unknown status or weight.
How to improve your local ranking on Google
Google says, “Businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results.” Its practical recommendations are to verify the business, keep the profile complete and accurate, provide relevant details, respond to reviews, and add useful photos and videos. Google also states, “There’s no way to request or pay for a better local ranking on Google.” Google Business Profile Help
Those recommendations are not a promise of a particular position: relevance and distance are also part of Google’s public explanation, and prominence is not reduced to any single editable field. Treat an alleged 72-signal checklist cautiously; focus instead on information customers can use and Google can accurately associate with the business.
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How this differs from Google’s older explanation
Google’s December 2010 Lat Long post described relevance, prominence and distance as primary local ranking signals. It is useful historical context, but for present-day profile advice, Google’s current Business Profile Help page is the more appropriate reference. Google Lat Long: How Local Search Ranking Works
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