SEO 101: How Local SEO Changed in 2014 and How to Get Ready for 2015 by @albertcostill
Heres an interesting piece of information you should be aware of as we head into 2015: Google changes its search algorithm around 500600 times every year. As Moz points, however, thats nothing to be worried about. Most of the time these are minor changes, but every now and then Google shakes things up significantly think Google Panda and Google Penguin.
Regardless of the size of the update, Moz recommends marketers be aware of the dates of these Google updates, because it can help explain changes in rankings and organic website traffic and ultimately improve search engine optimization. And, since Google owns over 67% of the search engine market, whenever it does make a change, we have to pay attention.
While 2014 saw updates regarding Panda, as well as the removal of Authorship, it was also a very interesting year in regards to local search. This past year alone we experienced the launch of Google My Businesses, a major Pigeon update, and some significant changes with Carousel.
Well take a look at how these three changes have impacted local SEO and then provide a couple of tips to take with you into the next year.
Mark Mitchell notes on the BrightEdge Blog that Google Places was first introduced with Google Plus (Google+) in 2011, which became Google+ Local by 2012. This past June Google announced that this free service had been renamed to Google My Business.
Sarah Perez explained on TechCrunch that Google My Business is a suite of tools for business owners, offering them a one-stop shop to update their business information, add photos, read reviews and, of course, use Google+. The idea behind Google My Business is thatbusiness owners caneasily update and increase their visibility on Google search, Google Maps, and Google+ through one dashboard.
In fact, as Ashley Zeckman states on SEW, you can now access the following applications on one screen:
By the end of October the Google My Business App available on both Google Play and iTunes was beefed up so business owners could read and respond to online reviews. As Business News Daily states, this means youll receive an alert whenever someone posts a review on Google+ Local and be able to respond to that review in a timely manner. The update to the app also works with AdWords Express so you can track ad campaigns from anywhere via your mobile device or login via desktop.
Key takeaway: Google My Business can be used by small business owners to engage their audience in one convenient location. Because of this, you can now respond to reviews quickly and keep your customers in the loop.
On July 24, Google turned the local SEO community on its head with the algorithm update, Pigeon Jim Yu stated in SEW that many believed itwas the biggest Google update to the local search results since the Venice update in 2012. One of the biggest impacts wasdirectories were now being favored in the results above local businesses. And while that may have been welcoming news for sites like Yelp, it wasnt exactly a great day for top-ranked websites.
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SEO 101: How Local SEO Changed in 2014 and How to Get Ready for 2015 by @albertcostill