What separates page-one local-service sites — measured, not guessed
Every figure here is measured on real sites — never estimated. These are correlations in our own measured sample, not claims about the whole market, and never statements of cause. A group is shown only when we have measured at least 5 distinct sites; below that we say so plainly. The sample grows as we measure more.
Measured on 148 distinct real sites (69 top-ranked, 80 bottom-ranked) across 18 markets and 10 industries. Grows as we measure more.
The cross-industry board
Across every industry we have measured, these are the signals the top-ranked pages share more often than the bottom-ranked ones — the same handful, regardless of vertical.
| Signal (measured) | Top-ranked | Bottom-ranked | Gap | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Has an embedded video | 70% | 39% | +31 pts | ▲ top-ranked |
| Terms / legal link | 54% | 28% | +26 pts | ▲ top-ranked |
| Privacy policy link | 82% | 57% | +26 pts | ▲ top-ranked |
| Site icon present | 96% | 76% | +20 pts | ▲ top-ranked |
| Mentions the target city/market | 78% | 60% | +19 pts | ▲ top-ranked |
| Visible contact email | 17% | 34% | -17 pts | ▼ bottom-ranked |
| Testimonials / reviews on page | 52% | 35% | +16 pts | ▲ top-ranked |
| Visible phone number | 87% | 71% | +16 pts | ▲ top-ranked |
| Visible street address | 79% | 63% | +16 pts | ▲ top-ranked |
| Title length in the effective range | 59% | 74% | -15 pts | ▼ bottom-ranked |
| Breadcrumb navigation | 47% | 33% | +14 pts | ▲ top-ranked |
| Embedded map | 41% | 28% | +13 pts | ▲ top-ranked |
| Has JSON-LD structured data | 88% | 75% | +13 pts | ▲ top-ranked |
| Navigation landmark region | 92% | 79% | +13 pts | ▲ top-ranked |
| WebSite/SearchAction structured data | 65% | 53% | +13 pts | ▲ top-ranked |
| BreadcrumbList structured data | 37% | 24% | +12 pts | ▲ top-ranked |
Presence among the 69 top-ranked and 80 bottom-ranked distinct sites we have measured. Higher on top-ranked = a signal the winners share more often. Correlation, not cause.
The basics no longer differentiate
These are present on ~everyone — top and bottom alike: Served over a secure connection (HTTPS), Character encoding declared, Open to search indexing, Has a title tag, Share of descriptive (non-generic) link text, Forms submit securely. In our sample they do not separate page-one sites from the rest. The gap is in the completeness signals above, not the basics.
By market
A market shows a benchmark only once we have measured ≥5 top-ranked sites in it; the rest are honestly marked insufficient and fill in over time.
| Market | Measured (distinct sites) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Injury Lawyer — Phoenix | 9 top / 6 bottom | benchmark |
| Interior Designer — San Diego | 7 top / 7 bottom | benchmark |
| Hvac Repair — Broadview | 6 top / 8 bottom | benchmark |
| Plumbing — Austin | 5 top / 10 bottom | benchmark |
| Med Spa — Scottsdale | 4 top / 3 bottom | insufficient (N<5) |
| Medical Spa — Denver | 4 top / 3 bottom | insufficient (N<5) |
| Personal Injury Lawyer — Houston | 4 top / 3 bottom | insufficient (N<5) |
| Plastic Surgery — Houston | 4 top / 7 bottom | insufficient (N<5) |
| Plumber — Dallas | 4 top / 6 bottom | insufficient (N<5) |
| Plumbing — Houston | 4 top / 3 bottom | insufficient (N<5) |
| Cosmetic Dentistry — Austin | 3 top / 3 bottom | insufficient (N<5) |
| Cosmetic Dentistry — Raleigh | 3 top / 3 bottom | insufficient (N<5) |
| Hvac Repair — Phoenix | 3 top / 3 bottom | insufficient (N<5) |
| Interior Designer — Austin | 3 top / 3 bottom | insufficient (N<5) |
| Med Spa — Miami | 3 top / 4 bottom | insufficient (N<5) |
| Personal Injury Lawyer — Atlanta | 3 top / 3 bottom | insufficient (N<5) |
| Plastic Surgeon — Dallas | 3 top / 3 bottom | insufficient (N<5) |
| Plastic Surgery — Miami | 3 top / 3 bottom | insufficient (N<5) |
How we measure: every site is read live and scored on the same 58-signal catalog; only confirmed / observed measurements enter these aggregates (a site that refused a read is excluded, never counted as zero). We never publish an individual site's numbers.