Google is not renowned for making radical changes to products and services or rolling out changes very quickly. However, they have been very active of late and just when we were getting comfortable with local search, they flipped everything on its head with the introduction of Place Search.
- Pay-per-click has changed
- Organic search has changed
- Online reviews now more prominent
"We're introducing Place Search, a new kind of local search result that organizes the world's information around places. We've clustered search results around specific locations so you can more easily make comparisons and decide where to go". - Google Blog, October 28
7 Changes to Google Search:- Elimination of the 7-Pack Google Map listing
- Ranking algorithm for local listings have been updated
- Google Places pages have greater visibility in new search result layout
- Local results surrounded by more information like including 3rd party review sites
- Information is grouped conveniently to make it easier to digest and compare
- New link for "Places" in the left-hand panel of the search results page so you can switch to these results whenever you want
- Google map now on the right side above the paid search listings, which scrolls as you scroll down the page
Google is Building in Web Intelligence
A Google Place Search result will begin appearing automatically on Google when they predict you're looking for local information. Their goal is make it faster and easier for searchers to find the local information they are looking for that will ultimately help them decide where they want to go.
If you are optimising your products and services using local keywords, the new Google Places Search will definitely impact how they appear in the organic listings. It is important for you and your business to be well educated on these changes as well and understand what they need to do to ensure your local listing is optimised effectively.
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