Gas Safe Engineer Discovers Google's Secret Emergency Call Algorithm

It's 2:17am on a freezing January Saturday. A boiler has just died in a terraced house in Manchester. The homeowner, a parent with a sick toddler, grabs their phone and types "emergency boiler repair near me."

Within 0.3 seconds, Google's algorithm has analysed dozens of heating engineers, ranked them based on multiple factors, and decided which three will appear at the top of the screen with that coveted "Google Verified" badge.

What factors determine who gets that call? Until recently, this was largely a black box. But between official Google documentation updates, industry testing, and data analysis, we now have a clear picture of how the algorithm works, and how to optimise for it.

The Algorithm Revealed: What Google Actually Measures

Google's Local Services Ads algorithm is fundamentally different from their regular search algorithm. It's not about keywords, backlinks, or content. It's about trust signals and responsiveness.

Here are the confirmed ranking factors, in order of importance:

Deep Dive: The Review Score Sweet Spot

Here's something counterintuitive: a business with 150 reviews at 4.8 stars typically outranks one with 30 reviews at 5.0 stars.

Google's algorithm favours volume with consistency over perfection. Why? Because:

• More reviews = more data points = higher confidence in the score
• A perfect 5.0 with few reviews could be friends and family
• Steady review flow signals an active, legitimate business
• Recency matters, recent reviews carry more weight than old ones

The target: Aim for 3-5 new reviews per week minimum, maintaining a 4.8+ average. Respond to every review, positive and negative, within 24 hours.

Deep Dive: Why Response Time Is Everything

Google routes all Local Services Ads calls through their own tracking number. They're not just counting leads, they're measuring every aspect of your responsiveness:

• Ring time: How many rings before answer
• Answer rate: Percentage of calls answered vs missed
• Message response: Time to respond to text/booking requests
• Call quality: AI analysis of conversation (yes, really)

Businesses that consistently answer within 2 minutes get a "Highly Responsive" badge on their profile. Those with slow responses or high missed-call rates get demoted, sometimes immediately.

When Do Emergencies Actually Happen? The Data

Understanding when boiler emergencies occur is crucial for staffing and availability, which directly affects your Google ranking.

Analysis of UK boiler breakdown data reveals clear patterns:

Regional Breakdown: Where Boilers Fail Most

Not all areas see equal breakdown rates. Hard water regions and older housing stock correlate with higher failure rates:

The 24/7 Advantage: How Availability Affects Rankings

Google prioritises businesses that are open at the time of search. This creates a massive competitive advantage for contractors offering genuine 24/7 emergency service.

When someone searches for "emergency boiler repair" at 2am:

• Contractors marked as "Open 24 hours" get priority placement
• Businesses with limited hours may not appear at all
• The algorithm checks your listed hours against real-time availability

Critical warning: Don't mark yourself as 24/7 unless you genuinely have an answering service. Google tracks whether calls are answered during stated hours. Marking 24/7 availability and then missing calls at night will tank your ranking faster than having limited hours.

Algorithm Optimisation Checklist

Based on everything we know about the algorithm, here's your optimisation checklist:

Frequently Asked Questions