The Aftermath Of Google’s Pigeon Updates And Local SEO

The Aftermath Of Google's Pigeon Updates And Local SEOWhen Google finally released its Pigeon update, it hit the SEO industry by storm. Experts were scrambling to and fro to see what effects it had on their sites and client’s sites. The results were nothing short of astronomical and the good points far outweigh the negative.

No one was prepared for what would happen next, so when the final results came in, they made the SEO pros have to change their game plans quickly.

First of all, Pigeon’s local SEO algorithm launched in July 2014. It affected mostly Google Maps search and their web search. This brings about a better combination of factors leading to far more efficient local search engine results. I took people by surprise and some say it was a hindrance more than a boon, but the final tally says otherwise for several reasons.

It’s not that alien to what people see in the standard Google search results, the problem is that no one expected the drastic changes in rankings that occurred in the aftermath.

Mind you, the entire SEO game has changed over the past year, not just with Pigeon. There are multiple factors at work here and digging deeper into what’s been changed and how things work today gives a better insight as to how not only Pigeon works but what’s required by local SEO pros to adapt to it.

Traditional points such as misspellings, synonyms, etc. are taken into account more sharply. Errors can throw off one’s rankings but that calls for webmasters to go back to the drawing board and make sure their sites are up to specs or they could end up at the bottom of the pile. Add to all that, Google had to resolve their battle with Yelp whom Google had disassociated themselves of and got accused by Yelp of pushing Google’s reviews over those of Yelp’s. This issue has been resolved and things are all cozy again in Googleland.

Flying from this cue, Google now also gives a boost to local review sites over their own. This is like fine tuning to the utmost degree and allows for queries to laser target their searches and get the relevant content listed instead of spam.
Other pluses and minuses have come about due to the release and updates of Pigeon. It will take time for Google to fine tune what they have as they’re constantly looking for more efficient ways to do things. Feedback, statistics, trial and error, call come into play here and by the end of 2015, By that time, SEO experts should have a better handle on how to optimize their sites and direct their clients.

There’s no telling really, of what Google has in store for the near future. Any breakthrough in SE technology and tactics could change the game even further. It calls upon SEO pros dealing with local SEO to stay on their toes. Keep in mind that quality content, clearly defined and designed websites, getting good reviews, using social networking to an advantage, are all part and parcel to ensure that the chances of getting a good SE ranking are better.

Google Gives Out a Warning: Why Your Non-Mobile Sites Are No Good

Google Gives Out a Warning: Why Your Non-Mobile Sites Are No GoodIt’s a known fact that we’re a mobile society these days, you don’t see people without their phones in hand on the train or bus. There’s a very good reason for this feat, and that’s because technology has given us the best possible options we could ever ask for (at this point in time, anyways). Google has always been looking out for those whom dedicate their work to a specific site, and when you’ve been building up a site to work on mobile for a year or two that’s got to feel food. Google definitely rewards webmasters who are willing to work harder than the rest, but just how much do you need to do in order to get good rankings? Obviously a mobile-optimized site is going to bring in a lot more traffic, but why would it? Not only that, but why do you need to make use of it so badly? The internet is a very serious business, especially when there is the exchanging of money at hand. Nobody wants to feel like they’re throwing away their hard earned cash at a site nobody even visits, which is why you need optimal rankings. Google is always going to keep you in the loop when it comes to your webmaster needs and wants, especially if your site has the potential to become much more than it already is.

Mobile Optimization

There is actually a process that you can put your website through in order to see if its capable of handling mobile operations or not, but Google isn’t going to put you through it by themselves (even though they essentially help out the entire time). When you’ve put your site through Google’s Webmaster Tools it’ll decide whether or not it can be used on a mobile basis, and if it can’t they’ll send you an alert. This is something that you as the webmaster will need to accomplish, as mobile SEO isn’t going to be implemented by the company who’s paying you (obviously). Make use of Webmaster Tools and you’ll be able to identify whether your site is friendly for mobile users or not, which should be a top priority if you’re serious about your work. Being an efficient site is key, but being a site that has the perfect mobile SEO tactic in place is even better. For some reason it feels like the world of mobile marketing is growing faster and faster, and that’s probably because people are constantly getting phones.

Google will automatically e-mail you if your website falls under the “alert” category, but mobile SEO should always be keeping you alert. The e-mail will go over which pages were actually found as being negatively beneficially when it comes to your web page, as well as how you can go about fixing the problem. This is where Google really shines with it’s business solutions, because they’re very smart about this entire process.