Google publicly announced an updated version of its local search algorithm. Even though the specific details are unknown, the update has been described as being more closely related to traditional web search ranking signals.
Furthermore, factors that will be weighed include grammar and spelling correctness, as well as geographic proximities. The goal is ultimately to provide more accurate, quality results to the searcher who is searching in a local context.
The changes can be viewed within Google Maps and among Web results, and is being applied onto US English results. However, Google hasn’t declared whether or when the updated algorithm would affect other regional searches. If the results of the update are successful, it would only be a matter of time until most other regional results are updated.
If you are a business that receives significant organic traffic to your individual store locations via Google, any drop in traffic may be due to the fact that the geographic measurement changes within the algorithm have been updated and are impacting the rankings of your stores. Stay tuned for more news about the “Pigeon” algorithm change.