{"id":2056,"slug":"whitespark-2026-local-ranking-factors","title":"Whitespark 2026 Local Search Ranking Factors — GBP 32%, Reviews 20%, On-page 15%","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","candid-team"],"topics":["local-seo-mechanics"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** Whitespark Local Search Ranking Factors 2026 (47-expert survey, vendor) — local-pack ranking weights:\n\n- **GBP signals: 32%**\n- **Review signals: 20%** (up from 16% in 2023)\n- On-page: 15%\n- Behavioral: 9%\n- Links: 8%\n- Citations: 6%\n- Social: 5%\n\nTop 3 individual factors: **primary GBP category**, **proximity to searcher**, **keywords in GBP business title**.\n\n**Source:** Whitespark (Edmonton, Alberta — Canadian vendor; sells local SEO tools/services).\n\n**Caveat:** Vendor expert-opinion survey. Practitioner consensus, not controlled measurement.\n\n**Confidence:** Industry-consensus (vendor-originated).\n\n**Why this matters for Candid:** The standard reference for local-pack weights. The widget should treat GBP optimization as the highest-ROI moderate-gap work for local businesses (2-4 weeks for map-pack movement) and review work as the rising-importance complement.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-smb-widget-difficulty-to-work-june-2026","title":"Research brief: SMB widget difficulty-to-work mapping — three tiers of work for three sizes of gap (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"tier-2-findability-and-trust","title":"Tier 2 — Findability + trust infrastructure (MODERATE GAP)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-23T19:16:02.715Z","updated_at":"2026-06-23T19:16:02.715Z"}