Google Pigeon?
As of yesterday Google has made some great internal changes that will vastly improve local search. Search Engine Land has dubbed this update Google Pigeon, the ever popular homing bird!
This roll out, though mostly done behind the scenes brings significant changes to the way local and organic search results are listed. Previously Google had been accused by various online directories of showing Google listings before those of their competitors, like Yelp. The Pigeon update seems to have dramatically changed this.
While this is a behind the scenes change, you are sure to notice results right across the board. You may notice a increase or decrease in your website traffic in the coming weeks, as Pigeon stands to improve distance and location rankings.
What does this mean for you?
People searching your business or organization will now receive more relevant search information. So make sure your site is as optimized as possible so that your customers can still find you. Now would be a good time to make sure all of your ducks, or should I say pigeons are in a row.
This update as of today has only been launched for the US English, but don’t be surprised when it comes to your neck of the web! This is excellent news for those of us who have local directories.