Google Announces Local Search Algorithm Updates
Google just announced a myriad of changes to various elements of search. Below I am highlighting the ones that relate to LOCAL SEO and Google Places.
Search quality highlights: 40 changes for February
Improvements to ranking for local search results. [launch codename “Venice”] This improvement improves the triggering of Local Universal results by relying more on the ranking of our main search results as a signal.
Improved local results. We launched a new system to find results from a user’s city more reliably. Now we’re better able to detect when both queries and documents are local to the user.
Link evaluation. We often use characteristics of links to help us figure out the topic of a linked page. We have changed the way in which we evaluate links; in particular, we are turning off a method of link analysis that we used for several years. We often rearchitect or turn off parts of our scoring in order to keep our system maintainable, clean and understandable.
Am not sure if all these changes have been rolled out or are in the process of going live.
The 1st update, called Venice, sounds like the algo is putting even more emphasis on organic ranking factors! Also sounds like the backlink algo changed.
Have not checked my client ranking reports to see if there are any noticeable changes. But just did a quick spot check of results I’ve recently checked and don’t see any changes so far. Sure am glad however than I’ve shifted my efforts away from citations and over to on-site SEO. Sounds like that will serve my clients well.
LET ME KNOW IF YOU SEE ANY CHANGES by commenting below.
Attention SEOs, Agencies & Google Places Consultants
ADVANCED Google+ Local (Google Places) & Local SEO TrainingIncluding: Optimization techniques, templates, time savers, forms & lots more
Visit the Web's Most Thriving "Local" Community
Join the LOCAL SEARCH FORUM Today!
New here? Subscribe to RSS feed or follow me on Twitter. Thanks for visiting!
I couldn't believe my results! Went from #44 to #1 (Chiropractor Washington)
#1 Russ Hayes wrote on February 27, 2012 :
Hey Linda,
If the G is focusing on organic and back links this is a very good thing in my opinion. I’ve been really concentrating hard on onsite SEO for well over a year now and I rarely even need to back link a site. I just don’t bother with it!
Looking forward to further updates!
Russ
#2 Stans wrote on February 27, 2012 :
Hi Linda and thanks for the update,
I’ve just spotted a couple of changes in our client’s ranking that seem to be related to your post:
1) Two listings on page one before (D in local results and 1-st in organic results, just below local ones), only one listing now (B in local results, no sign in organic results);
2) Local results with sitelinks which is heavily influenced by both internal and external links. The search query in question is “San Diego immigration attorney”.
Best,
Stans
Stans recently posted..Local SEO With Zero Budget
#3 shane26 wrote on February 28, 2012 :
Hi Linda…Thank you for the google updates you have provided us here…I am sure a lot of people can benefit from this kind of post…
shane26 recently posted..Pencil portrait mastery
#4 Linda Buquet wrote on February 28, 2012 :
Hi Stans, sounds like 1) your market just flipped from a pack style display to a blended. Now you are A for me.
2) Sitelinks seem to be showing up more and more in local.
Thanks for weighing in. Appreciate it!
#5 Chris Gregory wrote on February 28, 2012 :
I noticed there was an update to Panda as well in that report. I for one favor the more Organic SEO metrics. It will be interesting to see how big of an impact this will make as Organic SEO signals already are a large part for competitive keywords.
#6 Martin Waring wrote on February 29, 2012 :
Just found your blog and some very interesting articles here. I’m a newbie to all of this and I’m trying to optimise a site and Places page for my wife’s business.
I’ve done a lot of local directory adds recently and a bit of link building with no perceived benefit. With client confidentiality vital in my wife’s business there’s no way we are going to get reviews (but then nor do the competitors).
It is difficult to understand sometimes why higher ranking Places pages get the ranks they do. I have one higher rank with a defunct web site and two that should really be in different categories.
#7 Imprezzio wrote on February 29, 2012 :
I’ve noticed that the distance to the centroid is much less important and the title tag is now KEY to ranking (even more so than before). I saw clients jump up quite a bit who had exact matches to the keyword in their title tag.
Also anchor text seems to be more and more important.
Imprezzio recently posted..Majority of Google’s Revenue is From Paid Ads
#8 Robert wrote on March 4, 2012 :
Hmm.. those looks like some interesting changes. I can’t wait to see how those changes can affect the SEO game.
Robert recently posted..guitar software
#9 Google Venice Update – New Ranking Opportunities for Local SEO - Google Places Optimization and Local SEO Blog wrote on March 5, 2012 :
[...] announced 40 updates at the end of Feb. I blogged complete details here. Today I want to focus on the Venice update and some new ranking opportunities for local business. [...]
#10 brian thomas wrote on March 7, 2012 :
Our small holiday accommodation business is registered and owned on Google Places and maintained and updated as required by me.
1. Prime Image on our Google Places business is a 4 year old Goggle maps image; can we not have that as owner selectable to improve business image. Our property was not complete when the cammeras came by!!
2) Name of our B&B an Accommodations business is Pen Llyn Accommodation. Used to appear directly on the map in position A if searched; now we only see a place in Cheshire with atotally different name; a 100 miles away, shown in position A and we are nowhere to be seen!!.
3) If I search for Bed and Breakfast on the Llyn Peninsula we used to appear on Page 1 A to G now we are nowhere. That is really hurting us…
4) Before these changes other businesses in the same sector regularly appeared above us even though they were not registered on G. Places etc and have very poor review ratings in Trip Advisor etc. I have in pure frustration copied a Trip advisor review to Google Places and highlighted the review as such so that people know that i am not bending the rules.
Makes no difference.
Have I offended the great gods at Google; please can we have our business back somewhere close to where it should be.
Would also love some clarification on where and when does Google Places take information from. yellow Pages/trip advisor/bing etc etc. Seems totally random and oh so dangerous for small businesses that put their faith in google.Without 5* reviews on trip advisor and word of mouth we would have gone under honest.
PLESAE PLEASE PLEASE help.
#11 Linda Buquet wrote on March 7, 2012 :
Hi Brian,
So sorry but due to carpal problems and being overbooked with paying clients I cannot offer free one-on-one support to people who post here in comments. Please post in the Google Places forum and myself or another volunteer will try to help you there.
Thanks!
#12 brian thomas wrote on March 7, 2012 :
Thanks Linda have e-mailed you directly.
#13 Gregg Stark wrote on April 13, 2012 :
Thanks for the info Linda. With these changes it would be interesting to learn if an otherwise authority website facing a google panda penalty yet with high PR and great on site seo could still rank well in google places places. When reviewing terms dui attorney or lawyer indianapolis indiana the answer isn’t always clear.
Gregg Stark recently posted..Hello world!