Intro
Google’s algorithm is a complex system. Its main purpose is to deliver the best results for a data entry and it is in constant development to serve it.
On December 16th, Google Search Central’s Twitter account informed about an update on local search. It was named ‘Vicinity’ by Sterling Sky, an online marketing company that offers local SEO services.
This is the largest change to the local algorithm since 2016, and we are going to explain to you what it is and how it affects your business (or benefits it).
What is the Vicinity update?
First things first: the Vicinity update primarily targets proximity as a ranking factor.
Proximity is important for local search results on Google, but some businesses were able to rank far from their actual business location. This can be seen as an unfair advantage.
Google now appears to level the playing field with this update. It will make local search results more relevant to the user and provide a great opportunity to businesses to rank well in relevant local searches.
Now, how could your business be affected?
We already established that Vicinity will give greater chance to rank well in local searches to businesses, but if you are using keywords (inappropriately) in your business name, you have probably already seen a drop in search rankings. Good news is, if you have consistently followed Google’s guidelines on keywords, you could be noticing a difference.
Businesses that used to dominate the entire market are almost all seeing big declines in how many search results pages they show up in. This is also a nice impact if your business was struggling against spam.
Google continues to improve the local search algorithm, and it is expected to be always focused on the user experience.
Your local business needs to continually adapt to the landscape and follow Google's guidelines in order to achieve sustainable search success.
To summarize, this update affects you if:
Your business ranked really far from the office.
Your business has keywords in the business name.
What amount of web traffic and phone call volume do businesses typically get from listings that show up in the three-pack?
Another change is the new Local Pack, which now shows 3 results in what is called the “three-pack”. This seems to provide a better search experience for local consumers, and better search traffic for local businesses.
Brightlocal, an all-in-one local SEO platform, explored 45,000 anonymous local businesses that use their services to provide an in-depth benchmark to help Google My Business users understand how their results stack up against the median business. The results were:
The average business gets an average of 1,009 searches per month.
84% of searches come from discovery. Only 16% are direct.
The average local business receives 1,260 views each month; 943 on search and 317 on maps.
Either if customers find businesses using search or maps, the top ranking results are more
likely to receive the most conversions.
With 96% of local businesses being viewed at least 25 times per month in Search results, you need to look at Google My Business as a critical channel.
Are you not sure about this yet? Wait, because there is more. 49% of businesses receive more than 1,000 average search views per month, and 33% receive 1,000+ on Maps.
So, what are some examples of businesses being hurt by the loss of web traffic or phone calls after the Vicinity update?
Insights from Brightlocal customers observed that consultants and freelancers are the least affected. Around 67% of people in this group stated that they have not seen a difference big enough to worry about.
The problem is with multi-location businesses, which appear to have been hit the hardest. A total of 38% of this type of businesses reported a negative outcome.
When it comes to small local businesses, the results are balanced on both sides. 33% of people in that group experienced a positive impact, and 33% experienced the opposite.
As to agencies working with local business clients, things change (just a little). Apparently, 3% of them have experienced greatly improved rankings, and only 9% didn’t have the same luck.
14% of agencies feel that their rankings have vaguely improved, while 19% believe their rankings have been impaired.
The Google algorithm helps to level the playing field between small businesses and big players. The Local Pack, Local Finder and Google Maps all take data from Google Business Profiles. Therefore, it is more beneficial if you have it well optimized.
What measures should your business take if it has been hurt by the update?
Improving your Google My Business profile is not the only thing you need to take in consideration. Here are other things you need to consider.
Your business is located where it’s located. You can change it, but it’s not a very practical solution, so there’s not much you can do to modify your proximity ranking. Your company’s name and category are already determined, so that is another dead end. What you can actually do is: follow Google’s guidelines for best practices and make your online presence valuable to the ending user.
Google also suggests that, in order to boost visibility, local businesses should:
Enter complete data.
Verify their locations.
Keep opening hours accurate.
Manage and respond to reviews.
Add quality photos.
Is it possible for your business to advertise in the three-pack as a way of dealing with the Vicinity update?
Money is a very powerful tool. You can advertise on Google Maps as a way to attract nearby customers, get more calls and store visits.
Through local search ads, there’s an opportunity for your business to serve a local ad in the three-pack.
This quick tips can help you perform better in the local pack with local search ads:
Enable location extensions.
Optimize your Google My Business profile.
Bid by location and use location targeting.
Optimize your keywords to include location.
When someone searches for nearby businesses on Google and clicks on “More places”, your business location may be featured at the top of these local results.
Similarly, ads that feature your business location may also appear when a user makes a similar search on Google Maps on desktop.
Sources:
Google, Brightlocal, Sterlingsky.
