By default, Google orders the Points of Interest (POIs) displayed within your
brand cluster in the Local Aggregator Unit based on their relevance and
usefulness for the user's query. A VSS can optionally opt in **Ranking
Preferences** to re-order candidate POIs using signals from the
[POI Feed](https://developers.google.com/actions-center/verticals/local_vss/reference/poi-feed-doc.md.txt).

## How It Works

- Our ranking systems select the most relevant Points of Interest (POIs) for a user query. If you opt in to VSS Ranking Preferences, the ranking of your POIs is adjusted based on your preferred signals.
- **Account Scope**: Your configuration applies uniformly across all brands under your Local Aggregator integration.

## Supported Preference and POI Feed Fields

| Ranking Preference | `VssPoi` Feed Fields | Sorting \& Validation Rules |
|---|---|---|
| **Reviews Rating** | `rating` (`float`, required), `rating_scale` (`int32`, optional) | Sorts descending by normalized rating (`rating / rating_scale`). `rating_scale` defaults to `5` if omitted. Must satisfy `0 <= rating <= rating_scale` and `rating_scale > 0`. |
| **Reviews Count** | `num_ratings` (`int64`, required) | Sorts descending by total user review count (`num_ratings > 0`). |
| **None (Default)** | N/A | Preserves Google's default query relevance order. |

## How to Opt In or Update Preferences

1. **Populate Feed Fields** : Ensure `rating`, `rating_scale`, and `num_ratings` are populated in your daily POI feed and validated using the [POI Feed Validator](https://developers.google.com/actions-center/verticals/local_vss/reference/poi-feed-validator.md.txt).
2. **Submit a Request** : Open a case using [Actions Center Support](https://partnerdash.google.com/apps/reservewithgoogle/support/cases/open) (or contact your Google representative) providing:
   1. **Actions Center Account ID**
   2. **Primary Ranking Preference** : `Reviews Rating`, `Reviews Count`, or `None (Default)`
   3. **Secondary Ranking Preference** *(Optional)* : `Reviews Rating`, `Reviews Count`, or `None`

You can request updates to your ranking signals up to **once per month** , or opt
out at any time by setting both signals to `None (Default)`.