Recent revelations from API leaks and DOJ findings highlight that Google uses click-through rates and on-site engagement as primary metrics to rank sites, contributing up to 30% of a site's ranking factors. This suggests that improving user interaction—like enhancing title tags, adding images, and boosting on-site engagement—can significantly impact search rankings.

Does Google use similar engagement metrics to influence local business rankings? Actions like users interacting with business profiles, scrolling through images, and reading reviews might boost local search visibility. While photos play a critical role in attracting user attention, reviews and specific content like menus or price information can drive deeper engagement, do they potentially also elevate rankings?

This underscores the importance of comprehensive competitor analysis to identify effective content strategies, ensuring businesses stay ahead in the local search game. As Google prioritizes engagement metrics, businesses must understand and cater to user desires on a category by category basis going forward.