Local search is often described through long lists of unofficial ranking factors. Google’s own Business Profile guidance offers a simpler primary-source framework: local results are mainly based on relevance, distance, and prominence.
Relevance concerns how well the business matches what a person is searching for. Google recommends complete and detailed business information to help it understand the business. Distance concerns the relationship between the business and the searcher or the location implied by the query. Prominence concerns how well known the business is and can reflect information such as links, reviews, and broader web presence.
The three factors explain why no single tactic controls local results. A highly prominent organization can still be geographically distant. A nearby business can be irrelevant to the requested service. A relevant business can have weak public prominence. The system weighs multiple signals.
This primary-source framework is useful for setting expectations. Documentation can improve clarity and relevance. Publishing genuine authority can contribute to a stronger public presence. Reviews, links, and mentions can contribute to prominence. None of those actions eliminates distance or guarantees a specific result.
Dominator therefore treats local search as a system in which accurate public information and genuine authority matter, but not as a deterministic scoreboard that can be purchased.