Google Pigeon Update
Use Pigeon as Your Official Local Guide
Just as how homing pigeons are known to find their way back home, the Pigeon algorithm update of Google was specially designed to give users related query results that are close to home.
During the debut of Pigeon, local businesses that follow good SEO practices especially loved out and found it to be revolutionary. For the very first time, the algorithm of Google made it in such a way that local searches are given the chance to shine and rank much higher than their non-local competition.
This article discusses some of the important things you should know and learn about Pigeon, what the update is, how this works, and how you can adjust your SEO strategy for you to make the most out of this update.
When Pigeon was rolled out on the 24th of July 2014, it gave Google the chance to provide its users with more accurate, relevant, and useful local search results. Building on the earlier algorithm updates Hummingbird, Penguin, and Panda, the focus of Pigeon is mainly on local queries. Not like Penguin and Panda, Pigeon’s update is not based on a penalty but this is a core charge to the algorithm of Google.
For local businesses and searchers alike, Pigeon offers a great experience and the best SEO companies use it to their advantage to provide better services to their clients and give them results that will lead to higher ranks and better visibility on local searches.
What Did Google Pigeon Affect?
Even though Pigeon is not based on penalties, it is obvious that it is still important for you to know the effects of this update on the web crawlers of Google and what you have to implement so that you can get a higher rank as much as possible, particularly if local patrons are the lifeblood of your business.
Poor off-page SEO
Your website is not the only place online that you need to monitor for you to get high local rankings. In case your business is not listed in the online directories such as Tripadvisor, Yelp, OpenTable, and others, Pigeon can consider it as your disadvantage, and as a result, you will have lower rankings compared to your competition.
Poor on-page SEO
The new algorithm for local search now has a closer tie with traditional signals for search ranking. Simply put, your website must have the highest level of authority possible combined with a good SEO E-A-T. You should never skimp on your on-page SEO strategy once you build your website.
How Does the Pigeon Algorithm Work?
The Pigeon update of Google has an effect on local searches and it is on these searches where the location plays a crucial role. Unlike prior to the release of Pigeon, traditional factors for SEO also come into place as they rank local results. Local companies should then try to invest more resources and energy in their SEO strategies on their website and other online locations alike, particularly business directory websites.
Among the most notable and obvious results of Pigeon was the reduction of the local results pack of Google. These packs were originally a set of seven local businesses that will result from the search. These seven were reduced by Pigeon to only three listings in the early part of 2015, approximately one year after its implementation.
In addition, Pigeon also made Google consider businesses with a distance and location with the most relevance to the user. The core algorithm of Google, now smarter than before, changes the local listings in search results and provides the local directory websites with the top spots.
Use Google Pigeon the Right Way – It’s Time to Take Your Local SEO the Next Level
Pigeon is an amazing update for the local businesses, provided that you know how you should go about with SEO. Below are several things that you can change on your website for you to be sure that you get the highest ranking possible and secure a spot in the much-coveted three-pack local results.
Focus on traditional SEO
Make sure that you still pay attention to your traditional SEO. Come up with links, create content that can go above and beyond top, provide the best information to your uses, and use the keywords that your target audience is looking for.
- Emphasize content specific to a region or city. ( Learn more about City Pages SEO )
- Create written content, video, or images that will associate you with a particular area, whether it is a region, city, or state. It will help solidify your authority on the local searches.
- Register for Google My Business
There is a chance that you already have a page on Google My Business even if you cannot recall that you signed up for it. GMB indexes the information of your business so that it will be consistent across Maps, Google Search, and others. After you acquired your page, you can then optimize this so that Google will have all the details it needs to check the legitimacy of your local business.
Publish in different local directories
Build powerful local citations across various directories such as OpenTable, Yelp, Four Square, and others are where people check to find reviews of the best places for shopping, dining and staying local, and more. These websites are effective not just in driving more business to your website as they can also help legitimize it in Google’s crawlers’ eyes. When you have your information published on more websites like these, your own website will also have more legitimacy and authority and its rank will also be higher on local searches.
Use Pigeon as Your Official Local Guide
Every time you perform a local search, Google’s Pigeon update ensures that you will be presented with results with the most relevance to your location during the time of your search. Starting off from the three previous algorithm updates, Google developed Pigeon to provide you the kind of local search results that you want.