As people become more used to using the internet with their mobile phones and tablets, Google is responding by focusing more of its updates on local search. Local search is a term that describes when online searchers look for businesses or other entities in a specific or regional location. For instance, travelers to Cleveland for the recent Republican convention may have searched for "Cleveland bar and grill" or "hotels in downtown Cleveland." Mobile device users are searching using terms similar to "nearby XX" or "close to XX," XX being a location. This type of search also falls under local search.
What has Google Updated Recently in Local Search?
Local search has become a primary focus for Google in 2016. If you are not yet taking advantage of local search and you have a brick and mortar location, then you should pay attention to these updates and see how you can use them.
- August 3 Google My Business stopped allowing description edits, although you can still change it from Google+ right now. Google wants to get its local information from your website instead through metadata and content.
- Google+ metrics have been removed and Google My Business metrics have expanded. Google is clearly more interested in what your customers use than what you input into a field. Customers that find you through search, used driving directions or leave a review are all being noted.
- Google is now allowing any publisher to have the ability to enroll in Critic Reviews and these reviews can appear in search. Reviews are increasingly becoming important to Google especially in local search. In fact, there is new schema markup for using Critic Reviews. Reviews are extremely valuable for B2C businesses such as restaurants, retailers, sports facilities and tourist attractions.
- Ads are now appearing on Local Finder results and differently on Google Maps. Another focus on local search, relevant ads are showing up in Local Finder results. This can potentially be a good opportunity for a local or regional business. Ads on Google Maps are tied to location pins and are no longer a search Adwords location.
- Google has reduced the 7-pack local results that appear at the top of a page to a 3-pack in most cases. Depending on your market, you make see other configurations from time to time as Google tests changes. This change is primarily made to make Google more mobile-friendly because a 3-pack shows up nicely on a smartphone. However, it also means that you will have more competition to appear in the 3-pack location and should look for longtail keywords that competitors may not be using. The 3-pack is a cleaner look with a map showing locations above the listings. Businesses in the top three listings will net more phone calls and clicks than the former 4th-place business. You can bet that Google will continue to tweak the 3-pack.
What Do these Changes Mean for My Business?
If you have a brick-and-mortar business, you should ensure that your website and listings include your location and what areas your business serves. If you or someone you work has some coding skills, use location schema markup anytime you present your business name, address, and/or phone number on your web pages to help tell search engine crawlers this is your official business location. Ask your customers to review you on Google, and make sure you are listed on Google Maps so people can get driving directions from their mobile device when they come to visit you.
