Google has been continuously revising and updating its search engine algorithms and ranking signals that affect SERPs of all websites. Experts who have been monitoring this study are unanimous in their outlook that the factors that affect top search engine rankings can be categorised as follows:

– General Ranking Factors
– Specific Ranking Factors
– Ranking Factors for Google’s local pack
– Negative Ranking Factors

Within the general ranking factors, the top factors are as follows:

o Signals about the links (Anchor text that links domain authority)
o On-page signals such as keywords in title pages
o Categorisation that links nearness to the searcher
o Web citations
o Clickthroughs, clicks-to-call

Within the specific ranking factors, the important factors are as follows:

o Domain authority of the website’
o The Qualityand the Authority of Inbound Links
o The city/ state mentioned in the Google My Business (GMB) landing pages
o The click through rate from search results
o The relevance of the product or service keyword in the domain content

The local pack is also important if one looks at the sub categories that it comprises:

o Physical address of the business enterprise
o How well have the citations been structured?
o Google my Business (GMB) should reflect proper industry association
o Closeness to the business location
o Quality and authority of the citations

The factors that negatively rank the website are as follows:

o Putting the enterprise in the wrong business category
o The listing is detected at a false business address
o Mismatch in phone numbers
o Presence of malware on the site
o Violation of Google My Business (GMB) requirements

As a conclusion, users must be careful in ensuring that their business is listed properly on GMB and must take steps to be careful about the information that is going around the web about their business offerings. Any negative feedback or comment on the internet can affect their business negatively.