Google "pigeon" update, is Google turning search over to all the directories?
-
The recent news re an update by Google is beginning to show some interesting changes. The first major piece on this came from SearchEngineLand and had top local people like Linda Buquet commenting. Another post on this regarding a "yelp" correction from Search Engine Land was also illuminating. With the real estate vertical, I am seeing zero local companies in Houston, in the first couple of SERP's, other than the large MLS system, HAR. The others showing are all real estate directories that are nationwide like realty com, zil low, tru lia, etc. You literally cannot get a local brokerage to show on the first two pages of serps using any high volume keyword.
Does this mean Google is choosing to begin relegating its search results to the directories?Obviously, there is no right answer, but it certainly means those of us in the agency world need to be very careful (yes, even more so) going forward. I appreciate your comments.
Robert
-
Hello Miriam,
It is the same. I understand from a local perspective a lot of people are giving this a thumb's up. I am not sure I would at this juncture and we have had a winner or two from it. With Real Estate, if you are a broker, it is a disaster in terms of terms like home(s) for sale, townhomes, real estate or these terms and a geo-locator like Houston. (Dr. Pete spoke to this around my comments on his post The Month Google Shook the SERPS.)
You know I am not a "Google done me wrong" person; it's their web property and as EGOL said for a while they did not monetize it and people had a grand ole time. Today, they are going to monetize it just like we would.The issue is more that, IMO, user experience will suffer and I think they will begin to lose market share, but over time. I talk to enough users who are not in our field and they complain about not being able to find someone local when they are looking. For me as a searcher, I find it odd that if I want to find a specific breed of dog or a specific area for a home, etc. I am forced to use a "national" directory of some sort. Doesn't this remove the need for the search engine??
Best
-
Hey Robert,
A few days in from your original post, are you still seeing same or seeing changes? I totally feel like the dust hasn't settled where the pigeon has landed
-
Hi Robert,
It looks like so. Directories are ranking higher than the actual official sites for many keywords which further forces us to diversify our marketing to different platforms. Let's see what happens this month. They might add a few tweaks.
Noticed that the 7packs are also gone. More 3packs now.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
How to rank in Google against a business with the same name?
My client has a coworking space in London, but shares its name with a recruitment company also in London. When searching for my client's brand name, they don't appear anywhere on the first page as this recruitment company dominates. How can I rank prominently for my brand term if there is someone else in these top spots who isn't a direct competitor (in the typical sense)? Thank you!
Local SEO | | WhitewallGlasgow0 -
What is the 2020 Google ranking weight for EMD (exact matching domains)
I know EMD's ranking factor have been significantly reduced in the past decade, but do you think it can help at all in 2020? Thanks, Ryan
Local SEO | | RyanMeighan0 -
Local SEO & Google Maps Question - 1 Company with Multiple Google Pages
Hey Mozzers! I'm working with a client who has 2 websites (different URLs completely), which one is for all parts and the other is for accessories only. They have multiple brick and mortar locations throughout the US and have done a nice job creating Google My Business pages for each and all verified. Their question is will it benefit them to create and verify another GMB page with same address, but place in "Suite B", a new phone number and apply the other URLs for the accessories site. The business name would also be different, but similar meaning Business 1 = ABC where as Business 2 = ABC Accessories. Their goal would be to try to have both rank or display to improve their local SEO. In theory it sounds like it will work given NAP would be satisfied within the GMB, but wanted to get the Moz community thoughts on this first before moving forward. Look forward to the replies. Patrick
Local SEO | | WhiteboardCreations0 -
How Can i improve Domain "Moz rank and Domain moz trust".
Good Evening , I have few quick questions for you . Please find the attachment . 1.) How can i improve Moz rank and domain Moz trust ? 2.) if you see the numbers , Mine is 0 external links and 0 followed root links domains , How can i work on it to improvise my stats ? 3.) Mine domain is dental clinic ( dentalxyz.net ) , there are other dentalxyz.com and dentalxyz.ca . When i type my my domain name it's shows irrelevant information like other location office. In addition , my youtube channel and facebook name is also different , It's not showing on google search. 4.) I'm trying to upgrade my old nice to new niche. how can i use this moz keyword tool? Where can i use that keywords. 5.) Has anybody tried buying back links from blackhatworld ? Fkmu4am
Local SEO | | hemantt0 -
Wrong Finance Card Result in Google SERP.
Hi All, How do I correct wrong stock price card information for the specific brand in Google SERP? When I search for "DBS Bank stock price" it returns PowerShares DB Silver Fund (ETF) stock price instead of the correct D05.SI Thanks
Local SEO | | PUREGRAY0 -
Understanding Google Places Map
A photography company I am helping to SEO is listed on google maps: https://www.google.com/search?q=izo+photography&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8 But it doesn’t appear on the generic wedding photography search.... https://www.google.com/maps/search/wedding+photography/@-31.7867741,115.7027624,12z Can someone explain to me how Google works in this regard? What does it take to feature on the map when one is broadly looking at the locality of Perth. Thanks in advance for your help!
Local SEO | | Gavo0 -
How do you get on Google Define?
I've noticed that when searching "define: _________ " there are times when Google will bring up a definition from a website. An example of this is when I searched "define: meta tag". Google brings up the definition given by searchenginewatch.com. When searching "define: meta description" Google returns a definition from hubspot.com. I also searched "define: seo" and Google returned a result from Wikipedia. So here's my questions: 1. How do I create a definition that appears in the SERPs? (is there code I should use for this? Does anybody know exactly how to do this?) 2. if I get a definition up, would the location effect the returned results? e.g. I put up a definition for "gobbledygook" on dansnasvhillebarbershop.com (of course located in Nashville). When Nashville locals search for the definition of "gobbledygook" will it pull the definition from dansnashvillebarbershop.com? 3. Do you have any places where I can read more about how it works and strategies to get definitions to come up in google? Thanks!
Local SEO | | Marshall_Motors0 -
Have you heard of any white hat methods for influencing Google's auto suggest/auto complete?
We have a client who has a "friend" who says he can get keyword phrases that include their business name to show up in Google's auto suggest when doing a search. We have not heard much about this and are skeptical to these claims as we know how Google comes up with these suggested keyword phrases. Wondering if anyone in the community heard much about tactics to influence auto suggest/auto complete and would like to know your opinion about it.
Local SEO | | CraigSDM0