How Does Google’s 2014 Pigeon Update Affect Your Site?
A couple weeks ago (on July 24th), Google pushed out a new, major update to their search algorithm titled the ‘Pigeon Update’. This is part of a series of updates (most seem to start with a ‘p’) that are changing the way the search engine produces results. The whole goal is to provide more useful and relevant results – and in this case, the core change is occurring in the local search rank algorithm!
Below is the major list of changes involved in this update. But don’t panic, there are basic best practices you can follow so your business isn’t as affected!
- Local listing packs will disappear for a large number of keywords
- Local rankings are expected to depend more on website authority – i.e. domain age, backlinks, and all sorts of other ranking factors
- Ranking boost is seen for Yelp and other prominent local directories – even business websites are being seen less and less, so make sure you’re listed in these directories
- Local carousel remains – this is often shown for searches related to hotels and restaurants
Though the changes seem to be quite considerable, the basic principles of SEO remain the same! Here are some general recommendations for your business so that you’re able to keep up with these major updates:
- Have an individual Google+ Local page for your business
- Use proper categories for your Google+ local page
- Include city and state in your website’s title tags
- Add product/service keywords to your business title
- Have patience and test, test, test
For questions regarding the Pigeon update, please contact us!