What is Proximity Factor?

Heavily for generic searches ('pizza near me'), less for specific searches ('best deep dish pizza downtown'). If someone searches without location intent, Google defaults to showing businesses closest to them. For specific queries, Google weighs relevance more heavily than distance.

Yes, but you need to excel at everything else. Strong reviews, perfect Google Business Profile optimization, excellent website SEO, and high prominence signals can help you compete against closer competitors. You're fighting an uphill battle, so your other signals need to be stronger.

Yes, your verified Google Business Profile address determines your location for proximity calculations. If you're in a large building or complex, make sure your address is precise. Moving your business to a better location (closer to target customers) can impact rankings.

SABs hide their physical address and compete based on the service areas they've defined in their profile. Google still considers where you're physically located (if verifiable), but primarily focuses on whether you serve the area where the searcher is. Define your service areas accurately to appear in those zones.