We even took the opportunity to implement a feature that allowed BrightLocal Local Search Grid and Local Rank Tracker users to select the run-time of their reports to ensure reliability in the face of this realization (more on that below).

Now, time as a ranking factor seems to be rearing its head again; in a new twist, Claudia Tomina’s latest case study highlights how Google’s popular times graph seems to correlate with improved rankings. 

Source: Reputation Arm

Does Google’s ‘Popular Times’ feature influence local rankings?

When you opt into Google’s Location History, your information contributes to the pool of data that goes into determining popular times at local businesses. This data is anonymized by the time it gets to the SERP, and can provide users with live visit data, including typical visit duration and the estimated wait time. 

In Reputation Arm’s latest blog, Claudia Tomina found a correlation between a business’s popular times and its local ranking.

In her case study, Claudia ran ranking reports on two businesses side by side and compared them with the popular times data from their respective GBPs. Her research revealed that as popular times increase for a business, so does its ranking visibility for keyword rankings. 

She notes that because many restaurants will have similar popular times (such as a spike around dinnertime), sometimes the rankings boost will come later. For one particular business, this occurred at 8pm, despite not being their peak time. It is near their peak time of 7pm, but vying for less competition; the reported popularity of competitors dies out around 8pm, giving our original business the opportunity to shine. 

A follow-up piece additionally emphasized that these sorts of hourly trends are only one ranking factor in what is likely to be a whole host of influences. 

We asked Claudia to summarize her thoughts on her findings:

Claudia Tomina

Chief Product Officer at Reputation ARM

“​​After examining the Google API leak documents, I discovered GoogleApi.ContentWarehouse.V1.Model.WeboftrustTimeRange, which states:

‘Time range (start time and end time). Used to indicate the times in which a LiveResult is considered “hot” and thus a potential for boosting.’

Could “Live, Busier than usual” on Google Maps’ Popular Times graph signify that a business is “hot,” thereby providing a “potential for boosting” rankings? This potential ranking boost is yet to be confirmed by Google, however, the image below provides strong evidence suggesting this could be the LiveResult Google refers to.

[The image shows] an unverified listing that was able to outrank a popular chain restaurant while displaying the “Live: As busy as it gets” status under the popular times graph.”

What should I do with this information?

While there isn’t much you can do to completely change this particular ranking factor, it’s important to be aware of its significance and how you could move the needle. 

Awareness is key, so be sure to continually monitor hourly trends, track your keywords at an hourly rate, and be conscious of your popular times graph. Understand that while this can influence what you see on an hour-to-hour basis, it’s not the be-all and end-all of rankings—there are still a variety of other factors to consider. 

If you want to try to take advantage of this particular boost, this is a great opportunity to try out targeted promotions to run traffic through your door on those typical “quiet times.” 

Scheduling your local ranking reports

Following the revelation that opening hours affect local rankings, our product team got to work on a new update for the Local Search Grid and Local Rank Tracker.

You can now select a preferred three-hour window for reports to run in your local time. Just head to your report settings to amend the frequency, day, time, and timezone, and voila!

While we don’t recommend running your ranking reports around ‘Popular Times’ (as these are based on user visits and location history and could change at any time!), scheduling ranking reports during business hours will help you get the most accurate ranking data for your brand. Just keep in mind your popular times to add context to your findings. 

Known as Google I/O, the keynote is Google’s opportunity to announce the latest advancements in its technology and offer a glimpse at what’s to come. Past Google I/Os have seen the public introduction of such Google products as the Google Assistant, Google Lens, and more.

And, like always, 2024’s summit is the subject of the week in the search industry. Following its May 14th premiere, search professionals are scrambling to figure out what Google’s self-coined “Gemini era” means for the industry. 

As noted by Google’s Liz Reid,

“With each of these platform shifts, we haven’t just adapted, we’ve expanded what’s possible with Google Search. And now, with generative AI, search will do more for you than you ever imagined. So whatever’s on your mind, and whatever you need to get done, just ask, and Google will do the Googling for you.”

There is a lot of fancy talk surrounding what seems to be an even fancier product. But what does that really mean for local SEOs, who already spend their days deciphering Google’s ever-changing algorithm?

In the words of Near Media’s Greg Sterling: Gemini was the star. Search was there… but in more of a supporting role. Nonetheless, search still got its screentime, with four important updates for local SEOs to focus on—AI Overviews, multi-step reasoning, topic clusters, and itinerary planning with Gemini Advanced.

Let’s take a look at the big announcements most relevant to local SEOs…

AI Overviews

This looks more interesting beyond the standard SGE integration we know. Example of an "AI-organized search results page", bringing it together in a dynamic/full-page experience. Apparently this will be launching within the US in the coming weeks (in labs first). #GoogleIO pic.twitter.com/QaIvFagETT

— Brodie Clark (@brodieseo) May 14, 2024

What is it?

AI Overviews is the official name of what was previously called Google’s ‘Search Generative Experience‘. It uses the information collected via Gemini’s multi-step reasoning (more on this below) to present a clear, organized search result that answers all of the user’s questions… and then some.

AI Overviews are, essentially, a quick overview of the answer to the query with links to learn more. 

Gemini becomes the user’s “personal agent”, offering the user all of the pertinent information regarding their query. This allows for complex questions to be answered simply and clearly, all within a single search result page.

This new feature is due to be rolled out to US users this week, with more countries coming soon.

These search results pages consider information that a typical searcher may not have even considered. Take a query about “anniversary celebration dinner spots in dallas.” Gemini’s approach to search intuits the need to check the weather before offering locations.

Breezy summer evening? Gemini knows that a rooftop bar might do the trick. So, once again, it all comes down to detail—businesses must offer Gemini as much specific information about themselves as possible so that they’re first on Gemini’s list when a relative search is made.

What does it mean for local SEO?

In our article on SGE in June 2023, we explored what an AI-generated search response would mean for local search. Since then, some elements of this new search function have changed, but most remain the same.

The key thing that all content publishers should be wary of is whether Google will be showing links, citations, and sources in its AI Overviews. For now, it seems like there’s no consistent answer to that. Some searches return what you might call a ‘zero-click’ result (where the response provides the answer and nothing more), while more complex or debatable answers are prefixed with ‘According to’ and link to the source of the response, presumably so that Google can put the onus on its sources for contentious or controversial topics.

What about searches for local businesses? Well, examples of this were given quite an airing in the keynote, and it seems like, for now, any business information returned for local search terms comes from the usual places: Google Business Profile, directories, citation sites, review sites, and news articles and blog posts recommending businesses.

Keeping your business profiles across Google and other listings platforms remains as crucial as ever, and some form of the ‘local pack’ will likely remain, as Google has a vested interest in adding value to its Google Business Profile product.

The bigger question will be around whether local businesses will continue to see value in publishing localised or locally-relevant content to attract customers via what was the organic ‘ten blue links’.

In a world where Google can take the contents of your article on “the best events for visitors to [your town]” and hand it to searchers without ever linking to your business, you might be thinking again about investing in an organic search strategy.

Ultimately, AI Overviews is the biggest shift in Google search that we’ve seen in decades, and we’ll be closely monitoring how it works in order to provide our readers with the best advice on improving and understanding visibility in the Gemini era.

BrightLocal’s Take on AI Overviews

Kristian Bannister

Chief Product Officer at BrightLocal

We’re excited by the changes coming in Google’s AI Overview and the potential opportunities for local businesses and those working in local SEO.

We always want to ensure that our products equip our customers with the right data and the best insights to help them deal with the changing landscape of local search. Undoubtedly, the release of AI Overviews is one of the biggest changes we’ve ever seen to search results, and we owe it to our customers to fully understand:

• What this means for our existing ranking tools
• How it will impact local search results, search behavior, and businesses
• How we can help marketers adapt and thrive in this new dawn of search

What This Means for Our Existing Ranking Tools

We always ensure that our existing tools continue to work as expected. Google continually makes small changes to its SERPs, which could impact how we and our partners gather ranking data. We already have numerous alert systems in place to ensure these changes don’t interrupt our tools. But we’re being especially vigilant with the rollout of AI Overviews to ensure there will be no (or at least minimal) interruption to our tools and no impact on accuracy.

We’ll also be looking into ways to help businesses better understand their visibility, with keywords triggered by AI Overviews within our rank trackers if we believe these insights have potential value for our customers.

How This Will Impact Local Search Results, Search Behavior, and Businesses

Right now, we aren’t completely sure what this may mean for local search results and businesses. My personal speculation is that simple “how-to” content is likely to be an area where AI Overviews start to take away traffic, as Google will be able to serve it directly in SERPs. That does pose a significant threat to businesses that have built revenue models on the back of this content.

In local search, we could see AI Overviews becoming a tool for discovering and better evaluating local businesses. Local businesses rely on some sort of transaction, whether it’s visiting a restaurant, getting an oil change, or hiring a plumber. AI Overviews won’t replace the end goal, but they will likely change how consumers find and evaluate businesses, which itself is likely to impact local SEO strategies.

How We Can Help Marketers Adapt and Thrive in This New Era of Search

This is where things get exciting. We’ve been following the development of SGE and anticipating this launch for some time. Like you, we’re in a phase of discovery and exploration with this new technology, focusing on understanding what new problems and opportunities may arise that we can help our customers address. Our mission is to help marketers become brilliant at local SEO, and these changes make that mission even more important as we all enter uncharted territory together.

We’ll be looking outwardly at what our industry peers and experts are saying, but we also want to hear from our customers. If you want to reach out to me personally to share your thoughts and ideas, I’m available any time. Please feel free to reach out at contact@brightlocal.com. And if you see any significant changes in your or your client’s local rankings, we’re on hand to help at support@brightlocal.com, as always.

Multi-step Reasoning

What is it?

Throughout the summit, Google emphasized multi-step reasoning as a key feature of the Gemini era. So, what does that mean? 

According to Google, ‘multi-step reasoning’ refers to the tool’s ability to take a larger, multi-part question and break it down into sections before determining what needs to be answered and in what order. It then uses reason, alongside Google’s vast information index, to answer the questions logically. 

Coming soon, we’ll bring new multi-step reasoning capabilities to Google Search. It breaks your bigger question down into parts and figures out which problems to solve and in what order, so research that might've taken you minutes or even hours can be done in seconds. #GoogleIO pic.twitter.com/Op8Iu7K21m

— Google (@Google) May 14, 2024

What does it mean for local SEO?

Considering that Gemini needs to get its information somewhere, it’s more important than ever that businesses provide Google with the most detailed and accurate information possible for Google to find.

Ratings, reviews, business hours, and more can all come into play when someone queries Google, and the last thing a business needs is for Google to spit out the wrong information or, even worse, overlook it entirely.

Topic Clusters

What are they?

Remember the query about anniversary spots? Just because outdoor seating could be a good option due to the sunshine doesn’t mean it’s the only option.

Instead, the personalized search results page will be broken down into what Google refers to as “topic clusters.” These clusters group results based on unique angles of the search, such as “outdoor seating,” “rustic charm,” or “restaurants with live music,” offering users different directions to take their query. 

What do they mean for local SEO?

Details. Details. Details. We can’t say it enough. For Google to determine that a restaurant belongs in that “rustic charm” cluster, it’ll need evidence to prove it. Having a fully filled-out Google Business Profile, a robust history of reviews, and a detailed website all help signify to Google that yes—this is one of the top “rustic charm” restaurants in town.

Gemini Advanced

What is it?

Gemini Advanced takes all the above functionalities and offers a full-fledged itinerary-planning capability. Whether you’re trying to figure out a family-friendly meal plan or planning a romantic trip to New York City, Gemini Advanced uses its multi-step reasoning capacities and topic clustering features to provide a fully personalized AI overview of the ideal plan. 

What does it mean for local SEO?

With Gemini Advanced, Google will look at more than just your business—it’ll look at the context surrounding it.

With the advanced contextualization and reasoning around search results, Gemini Advanced will know not to show the local ice cream parlor in the dead of winter following a Christmas Market. However, it may know to show it if it serves the best hot cocoa in town and is only a block away from the market’s entrance.

But, to make those connections, it needs the correct data to draw upon… such as an updated menu, mentions in local publications, and a host of positive reviews.

Google on Responsibility

Acknowledging the uncertainty that always comes alongside new technologies, Google assures that they’re approaching Gemini with the same AI principles they say they’ve always abided by. 

Google’s AI Principles

• Be socially beneficial
• Avoid creating or reinforcing unfair bias
• Be built and tested for safety
• Be accountable to people
• Incorporate privacy design principles
• Uphold high standards of scientific excellence
• Be made available for uses that accord with these principles

Also, according to Google, they are introducing Gemini with the intention of maximizing the benefits for people and society. And, while local SEO may change according to these new tools, we trust Google’s intention to use its AI for a better user experience. 

In Summary

Overall, the significance of these updates to local all comes down to the same thing: data accuracy and detail are more important than ever. With an expert tool crawling the web to find the best possible fit for a user’s query, businesses need to ensure that the tool can find them—and everything it needs to know about them. Things like having comprehensive and descriptive FAQs will become even more important players in visibility.

That being said, this is all based on what we know right now. The most important thing is that businesses continue to stay agile and up-to-date on industry trends; with Google’s constantly changing methods, it’s important never to get too stuck in your ways. This year’s Google I/O is simply further proof of that.

Spotted first by Saad Alikhan and then Khushal Bherwani on Twitter, the feature presents ‘offers’ and ‘events’ Google Business Profile (GBP) Posts sourced from four local businesses. This feature is only visible for local searches on mobile devices. It has not yet been spotted on Google Maps. 

Google > Mobile

I saw "Nearby events and deals" section in SERPs (featuring local listings), this might be new.

Sending to: @rustybrick SIR. pic.twitter.com/WcdMrkttZs

— Saad AK (@SaadAlikhan1994) January 1, 2024

What does ‘Nearby events and deals’ look like? 

Clicking on one of the tiles directs you to a full-screen view of the GBP offer post, alongside a tile for the business’s GBP, which, when clicked, takes you to the business’s GBP. The four-pack does not seem to have a ‘show more’ option. 

This result tends to show up further down the SERP, below the local pack, organic results, ‘People also ask’, and ‘People also search for’. However, its location isn’t always consistent from SERP to SERP.

Each of the four tiles shows the Google Posts’ original image and title alongside the business’s name and Google review score.

How does ‘Nearby events and deals’ work?

To test what does and doesn’t show with this feature, our team took to Google to discover what appeared when searching for local businesses across a variety of both large and small cities. We also wanted to test which industries were likely to show this, and what this could mean for local businesses. 

We only managed to trigger this new feature when searching for businesses in the food and restaurant vertical. All of our results were based around North American (US and Canada) cities; UK cities did not trigger this feature.

Queries in larger cities such as Chicago and New York City were far more likely to return this feature, as was the Canadian province of Ontario. In smaller cities, such as Durham, NC (population 332,680) and Pomona, CA (population 146,017), the presence of the feature varied, indicating that business volume may have an impact on Google’s decision to show this panel. Only one search conducted for Pomona returned the panel. 

This is further supported by the fact that the feature consistently shows in a pack of four, indicating that a greater volume of businesses with active Posts is needed. 

That being said, multiple searches returned Posts of seemingly unrelated businesses. For instance, a search for ‘boba ontario’ returned a ‘nearby events and deals’ section fully populated by two coffee shops, a chain bakery, and a brewery.

This seems to be more common with some searches, with ‘boba new york city’ also returning a group of seemingly unrelated results.

There were also many repeats across SERPS, such as two of the four results being the same for both the queries ‘bottomless brunch new york city’ and ‘buffet new york city’.

It’s worth noting that non-food and restaurant queries conducted across a variety of verticals yielded no results of this type at all. The non-food and restaurant queries we tried were the following: ‘nail salon’, ‘divorce lawyer’, ‘gyms’ ‘yoga’, ‘bouldering’, ‘bike shop’ ‘dentures’ ‘toy shop’, ‘fish market’, ‘bachelorette parties’, ‘bed and breakfast’, ‘jewelry store’, ‘bridal gowns’, ‘healthcare’, and ‘organic market’, all tested using both Durham, NC and Chicago, IL.

Let’s look at the queries that did yield this type of result:

Why should I care?

For anyone managing business profiles for food businesses and restaurants, you’ll already know the importance of using Google Business Profile Posts to boost conversion. Now, it would also seem that to get the chance to be displayed in the new SERPs feature, you need to be actively posting and optimizing your GBP Posts. 

The images used on Posts are important to get right, especially as they’re now more visible with this new feature. Make sure your images are high quality, eye-catching, and with text that is easy to read. The ‘Nearby events and deals’ feature crops images into a square, so keep the text within a safe space in the center of your image so important information won’t be cut off in the margins. 

What does this mean going forward?

It’s possible that this selection could grow more and more accurate as the feature ages—especially if businesses take this opportunity to dive into the world of Google Posts. With this knowledge, this is a good time to make the most out of your GBP Posts—especially ‘events’ and ‘deals’ posts—to ensure that you’re maximizing the possibility of eyes on your profile. 

And, right around the same time that we saw RankFlux’s average score jump to a 4.38 out of 10, Joy Hawkins announced that she and her team at Sterling Sky had discovered a new local ranking factor: the opening hours stated on a business profile.

This announcement has led to lots of discussion throughout the community, with local SEOs sharing their take on the matter, speculating Google’s intentions, and running tests to verify the claim.

With no current consensus on the matter, what’s the best course of action? Leave those opening hours alone for now, and keep an eye on what’s going on. So… what exactly is going on?

What happened?

The announcement came during Sterling Sky’s Local Search Seminar with Joy Hawkins, Darren Shaw, and Luc Durand. Joy shared an image of two drastically different local search grids, noting that the two reports were run only two hours apart—one at 7am, before the business opened, and one at 9am, right after opening. 

The initial tests determining this were done on three businesses—seemingly in the categories lawyer, psychiatrist, and phone repair—and were all seen on desktop. 

3 so far. Trust me, it is.

— Joy Hawkins (@JoyanneHawkins) December 4, 2023

Sterling Sky has since run tests on “at least a dozen” businesses across multiple verticals, according to the webinar that announced the finding.

Hawkins also noted a difference between ranking patterns for more competitive keywords and less competitive ones: competitive keywords seem to encourage more variation in ranking.

You'll notice more ranking variation for closed/open businesses on competitive keywords. Here is an example of a really competitive keyword ("car accident lawyer") with quite a bit of variation, vs a less competitive keyword ("slip and fall lawyer") where there is no change. pic.twitter.com/dV04KEx2xl

— Joy Hawkins (@JoyanneHawkins) December 8, 2023

The Community Responds

It’s generally agreed upon that such a change to the algorithm could have big implications for both businesses and searchers. Alongside this, the announcement itself was met with apprehension and confusion, with many questioning Google’s intent. 

“I think it is more than likely a bug vs a feature that was not thought out. In some ways it kind of makes sense: if a business is not open, should you show them on the map pack?

“Based on what Joy is seeing, if a business is marked closed they will not display as ranking in a local rank tracker. This was not true before. But there are some great arguments as to why this is a bad experience, such as users searching for a business and are planning for a future visit or service.“

– Ben Fisher, Steady Demand

@dannysullivan really want to know if this is intentional or a bug. It makes sense for some industries, but not for others.

— Joy Hawkins (@JoyanneHawkins) December 7, 2023

Additional questions have arisen regarding the significance of the long-standing ‘Hours’ dropdown, a Google feature that allowed searchers to filter their local pack results by hours. 

It’s been posited that in the case of an intentional change by Google, perhaps data from this dropdown led Google to believe that searchers would appreciate hours being taken into the algorithm’s consideration.

After all, there are conceivable benefits to hours as a ranking factor, according to some. Usually, these revolve around minimizing the possibility of searchers showing up to a closed business.

Yes, definitely.

— Joy Hawkins (@JoyanneHawkins) December 8, 2023

However, alongside many others, Darren Shaw of Whitespark notes the potential issues of such a ranking factor, citing a variety of situations that would lead a searcher to look for a business that might not be open at that very moment. 

Andrew's tweet is a perfect example of why this Google update is terrible for the quality of the local search results.

Google is now only showing businesses that are open right now?

So many reasons why this sucks:
– It's my lunch break and I'm researching X to do after work.
-… https://t.co/cPfyYZDDSW

— Darren Shaw (@DarrenShaw_) December 7, 2023

In fact, his initial tests showed no indication to verify the effect of opening hours.

However, following further investigation, Shaw later went on to say that opening hours having an effect on ranking was “definitely a thing.” He also notes that opening hours aren’t a “binary ranking factor”—meaning that changing your ranking hours one way or the other won’t ensure that you rank… or that you don’t.

Yan Gilbert of Local Falcon also corroborated Sterling Sky’s data. 

Operating hours are now factored into the Google Maps rankings #localseo pic.twitter.com/Koxbnc3MV7

— Yan Gilbert (@YanGilbertSEO) December 7, 2023

Others posted their own examples of the change.

Somewhere in the world, it is 5:00 p.m. … in this case almost 9 but you can always check if the business hours are a ranking factor. This is maps results, just refreshing the page, nothing else. @mblumenthal @JoyanneHawkins @ColanNielsen @rustybrick @Kevin__Pauls pic.twitter.com/TCcwvZB9IK

— Stan Kolev (@stankolev) December 10, 2023

However, despite these endorsements across the community, many are still uncertain as to the longevity of these ranking fluctuations. 

Just to add a note here, if it’s a “bug” we’ve been seeing this since January of this year, and I noted what was happening back in April. This appeared way too consistent to be a bug in my opinion, particularly in the restaurant space. It appears that this is occurring in more…

— Matt Brooks (@m4ttbr00ks) December 8, 2023

What Google Has to Say

Ultimately, most seem to be looking towards Google for answers, with many echoing the sentiment that it could be a bug. 

And, while Google’s Search Liaison has answered briefly, Google has yet to elaborate on the matter.

I'll pass it on. I doubt it has to do with the core update. It seems more likely a local ranking change, if it is one.

— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) December 8, 2023

So… what next?

What does this mean for BrightLocal?

So far, we haven’t seen enough to say whether this is definitely a ranking factor long-term.

Before we confirm anything, make recommendations or change processes, we want to do due diligence to offer our customers the best service and insights possible.

That’s why we’re currently using Local Search Grid to run a wide-ranging and comprehensive study using data from 50 businesses across 10 verticals to truly understand whether a business’s opening hours impacts its ability to rank in the Local Pack.

We’re aiming to be analyzing the results of this study early next week, and intend to publish them shortly after. We hope that this study will allow the local SEO community to better understand the impact that opening hours have.

In addition to this, we are looking into what this means for our rankings tools as a priority and will be sure to let you know if any platform or report updates are required.

What should I do?

Until we know more, whether that be from the rash of studies that are cropping up or from Google itself, we would say to sit tight, don’t panic, and don’t make any huge changes to your opening hours in response. 

It does seem that changing your opening hours to 24/7 has an impact on ranking. However, there are risks associated with this, whether it be the big kind (a profile suspension) or a smaller kind (a scathing review), so we would advise against making any changes at this moment. The last thing you want is an onslaught of one-star reviews. 

In fact, according to BrightLocal’s 2023 Local Business & Trust Report, 62% of consumers would avoid using a business if they found incorrect information online. In some verticals, correct opening hours were especially significant, with consumers viewing correct opening hours as the most important factor for retail businesses (53%), food and drink businesses (51%), and entertainment businesses (47%).

“I encourage businesses not to jump the gun here; think about it and measure their calls. Do you really ever get a call at midnight?

“After this study was released I got a ton of calls from storefront clients, all asking ‘should I switch to 24 hours?’ My response is simple: if you will take a client at your door at 2AM, sure! If not, why risk being reported?

“Sure, 24 hours is least likely to lead to a suspension, but it can lead to a nasty review you will not be able to get removed, or if something else is fishy with your profile, you can be suspended.”

– Ben Fisher, Steady Demand

If you’re looking to investigate more closely, you can always run your own Local Search Grid reports during your business’s opening hours and compare them to the results of when it’s closed. Otherwise, just keep your eyes peeled for more information on this as we have it.

And, in the very wise words of our very own Claire Carlile:

Claire Carlile weighs in on opening hours

Local SEO Expert at BrightLocal

Waaaa, the sky is falling down! Quick, quick—set your hours to open 24/7! No, seriously, don’t do that.

It makes sense that Google would take opening hours into account when deciding how to rank results—especially when someone is very specific in their search query (for example ‘coffee shop near me open now’) or is looking for a service where immediacy is a factor (for example ’emergency plumber near me”).

I feel pretty sure that Google will turn down the dial on opening hours as a generic (in the sense that open businesses are better ranked and closed businesses are not ranked so well) ranking factor soon. 

Let’s think about the types of businesses that would want to do this: businesses that are located in one city but trying to expand their reach into another area, and service-area businesses. Unfortunately for both groups, ranking outside of your area is a bit of a unicorn… a magical thing of myth and legend, not likely to be found in your backyard. 

That being said, there are certain things you can do to help. Like with our beloved unicorn, it just takes a bit of imagination. Let’s run through the ins and outs of ranking in areas beyond your physical location.

Well, I want to, so why can’t I?

It does make sense that Google would want to keep their local results, well, local. We can’t fault them for that. They presume that a local query ought to return the most local results, and that does make sense.

What they fail to realize is that, at times, businesses are more than happy to operate 30 minutes (or more, depending on the geography of that area) from their address.

For example, a Service-Area Business (SAB) could be forced to use its home address. Or a catering business can provide top-tier desserts to parties across the Southeastern quarter of the state.

As per usual, all we can do is learn how to work within the framework that they’ve defined. So, in this case, that requires getting creative and, sometimes, being happy with ranking in the organic results versus in the local pack.

So, what can you do?

Optimize the Google Business Profile (GBP) You Do Have

You can’t expect to rank in a new area if you’re not even ranking in your own immediate geographic area. As such, it’s important to make sure your Google Business Profile is optimized and that you’re following all the best practices to ensure that you keep it that way. Prove to Google that your business is worth showing in the first place, and take it from there.

SABs, Take Extra Care

Just like any other business, SABs need to make sure that their Google Business Profile is fully optimized. However, that may take a slightly different form.

One element that SABs need to take special care to stay on top of is their service areas. Once upon a time, SABs had to define an address and then had the option of setting a radius of service around that address.

Now, Google allows SABs to enter specific service areas by city or postal code. SABs can have up to 20 service areas, with the main caveat being that the boundaries of the areas they defined must not be more than a 2-hour drive from where the business is based. You can read Google’s guidance here.

The service areas you add won’t affect how you rank, but they might encourage your potential customers to click on your listings as they’ll see that you have said that you serve their area.

Double Down on Prominence and Relevance

There are two main reasons that a customer would be willing to patronize a business that’s outside their area: they know exactly what they want and only want the best of it, and/or the proximity doesn’t really matter, because the business comes to them. 

Either way, to make an impression on both customers and the algorithm, it’s important to make sure that your business is showing high relevance and high prominence. Both speak to a worthwhile business that knows what they’re doing and is worth exploring.

After all, if you’ve just found a bee’s nest in your home, are you more likely to hire a pest control specialist who is known for safe, ethical, and effective bee hive removal, or the general pest control company down the street with little to no online presence? 

Put in the work to prove your expertise and history of happy customers. This will paint you kindly in the eyes of both patrons and Google. 

Rack Up Those Reviews

This goes back to prominence. The better and more reviews a business has, the higher its prominence. To prove that your business is worth the trip to customers and worth ranking to Google, make sure that you’re regularly collecting good reviews from across all the geographic areas that your business services.

Reputation management tools can come in handy as you’re trying to get more reviews and stay on top of the ones you do have.

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Create Geo Pages (but Be Careful)

Geo pages, sometimes known as city pages, are pages on your website that detail an area that you work in but do not have a physical address in. It can be difficult to create unique value on these pages given the lack of a physical address and the associated elements to accompany it (think hyperlocal content like parking instructions, location staff bios, etc…) 

It’s important to remember that ranking geo pages is difficult. Don’t jump in with dozens of new geo pages and hope that some will rank. Start with a few, 3-5, and test the waters.

Get a (Real) Address There

Say you’ve been keeping a close eye on search terms in an area, know that the need isn’t being met, and your other attempts just aren’t enough. Consider cutting out the middle person and opening a physical address there. While it is a big step, if you have the data and confidence to back up the fact that your business will thrive there, the best way to make sure that you’re seen—both by local customers and by Google—is to put yourself forward in a big way. 

Notice, however, that I say real address. I’m talking about a brick-and-mortar office space that you can staff and sign. Unfortunately, for many, a PO box or coworking space won’t cut it. More on that in a moment. 

Myths

We’ve got some more unicorns to talk about. While these all may seem like very real, whimsical ways to get yourself ranking outside your area, once we take a closer look… we’re talking about a horse with an ice cream cone on its head. Maybe not quite as magical as it seemed at first glance.

Myth: Geo Pages Will Make You Rank

I know, I know. “Didn’t you just say that this is one of the few things I can do?” Yes, yes I did. But, as ever, it depends… 

A plumber operating in a metropolitan area with 2 competitors on their block alone may not have the best success with this, so it is a myth in the sense that city pages are the sure-fire solution to ranking across areas. For many businesses, this will be the case.

However, a small business with a niche offering might do very well to make city-specific pages. A florist who offers gothic-style wedding bouquets across Northern Utah could find themselves ranking for the query by creating city pages for Tremonton, Brigham City, and Logan, with examples of weddings that they’ve serviced in each city… bulk those pages out with reviews from happy newlyweds, and it makes a case for Google to show them in the organic results at the very least, and the local pack at best! 

Myth: A PO Box Will Do

Not only will a PO box not do, you’ll likely be penalized for the effort. Google explicitly prohibits the use of PO boxes or “mailboxes located at remote locations.” While it may seem like a clever way to get your hands on a new GBP, assume that Google is way ahead of you and say NO to PO! 

Myth: Virtual Offices Are The Way

Many companies offering virtual office spaces will claim that the practice is Google-approved, but no matter how many times they promise you low-cost access to ranking in a new area, resist the temptation.

Google has expressly said that “if your business rents a physical mailing address but doesn’t operate out of that location, also known as a virtual office, that location isn’t eligible for a Business Profile.” 

The same goes for coworking spaces—even though they may seem like a quick fix to the problem unless you can prove that you keep the coworking space fully staffed during your opening hours, are actively meeting clients there, and have clear, permanent, and fixed signage for your business displayed, then a coworking space is out of the question.

Expert Opinions

As we all know, SEO is ever-changing. So, to check up on the latest thinking, we went ahead and reached out to the experts. Here are some of their top tips and tricks on ranking outside your area—or, at least, trying to.

Claudia Tomina

Chief Executive Officer at Reputation ARM

Showing up at the top of search results for areas far from your actual location is challenging and requires a mix of strategies. Search results prioritize businesses based on how close they are to the searcher. This is especially true for the local pack. A business may never be able to show up in the local packs outside their city address, but they can put forth efforts into achieving top rankings in local organic results and in paid ads. 

Prior to jumping into your strategy, ask yourself these questions: How competitive is my product/service/industry? How many local businesses am I trying to outrank? How difficult will it be to rank outside of the target area and is it worth the time/energy/dollars? Paid ads are one quick and easy way to rank outside the service area and if your competitors are doing it then you may need to also. If you are looking for an ongoing SEO strategy to help in local organic results then these strategies should be implemented: 

1. Local Listings – By adding your business details to online directories specific to the city you’re targeting, you’re telling search engines, “Hey, I’m here too!” 
2. City-Specific Web Pages – Create special pages on your website for each city you want to target. Make sure to add the city in the title tag, meta description and URL structure. Ensure your content is unique on each city page and is helpful. 
3. Blogging – Share stories or articles about the work you’re doing in these other cities. 
4. Linking Strategies – On your website, connect your blog to the city-specific pages and city specific pages should be connected to service pages. 
5. Local References – Whenever possible, mention city events you may be sponsoring, landmarks or other city specific details on your city pages. Essentially, you need to tell your neighborhood and the neighboring ones, “I’m here, and I have something valuable to offer!”

Claire Carlile

Local SEO Expert at BrightLocal

If you’re looking to gain organic visibility for locations beyond the reach of your physical location (and the ability of your Google Business Listing to secure three-pack and map pack visibility) then the organic local results are your best bet. Assess which listings or niche sites have visibility for your important search queries. If you can get a listing on them you’ll be able to piggyback on their rankings.

If the SERP features competitors ‘city’ or ‘regional’ landing pages then it might be time to invest in your own unique, compelling, and useful content. Make sure that you understand both the opportunity and the level of competition, so you can pour your efforts into producing excellent content that can gain authority and that might (immediately or eventually) give you a chance of outranking those sites.

Phil Rozek

Owner at Local Visibility System

1.  Make your service area explicit on every single page you hope to rank. Describe it in the footer and in the main body of the page, linking to any “city” pages when applicable along the way. 
2. Un-silo your site. In many cases your “city” pages will be less likely to rank than your “service” pages or your homepage. The city pages should go heavy on service content, the service pages should go heavy on “service area” content, all should interlink generously, and all should get links from the homepage. 
3. Do what you need to do to get backlinks from sites geared to the farther-away reaches of your service area, or create (and optimize and embed generously) YouTube videos tailored to customers in those farther-away areas, or both.

Andrew Prince

Senior SEO Manager at Rocket Mortgage

1. If you want to rank outside of your service area, consider the scale of a topic. If your service area is a city, but you want to rank outside of it, consider widening your content’s scope to the county or state to start including a wider audience.
2. Avoid using LocalBusiness schema on pages you want to rank for outside of your service area. That may send mixed signals if you want your targeting to be in a different area.
3. If you want a Google Business Profile to rank outside of a service area, ensure your profile’s website link goes to something generic like a service page rather than a city page.

Bonus Tip: Consider if you should even rank outside of your service area at all. Traffic and leads from outside of a service area tend to be less engaged and be lower-quality leads.

Rachel Tinker

Manager of SEO at Blue Corona

I always advise taking a closer look at who is ranking in that area first. What categories are they using, do they have well-built out services, do they have their products listed? Optimizing your profile definitely gives you the best chance at improving your visibility. 

When it comes to ranking truly outside your service area, you have to first come to terms with the fact that the local pack isn’t really where you’re looking to rank, because you’re up against businesses in that service area that are much more likely to occupy the local pack. In those instances, I recommend creating location-specific pages about your services and creating locally targeted blog posts to build relevance on a local level.

Summary

Ultimately, your course of action will be based on a variety of factors, including competition density, specialization, and business model. A family-owned HVAC company will have a different course of action than a small-chain catering business. While there’s no sure-fire way to ensure ranking outside of your area, there are small steps that you can take. No matter what, analyze the situation and the needs and capabilities of your business before diving in, and let what you find inform your course of action.

The following article is an introduction to Google Search Console to help businesses understand what they’re doing when setting up and integrating the platform. If you’re after something a little more senior, take a look at our Advanced Guide to Google Search Console for Local Search.

Google Search Console. The ubiquitous beast felt by all. Menacing, looming…

Okay, maybe I’m being dramatic, but to the unindoctrinated, that thing is scary! A dashboard of figures and foreign lingo, it can be a lot to get your head around. But, not to fear, that’s what I’m here for: let’s run through (in the simplest terms possible…) what it is, why it’s important, and how to get it integrated with your website and GA4. 

What is Google Search Console?

Google Search Console (GSC), also referred to simply as Search Console, is Google’s tool to help you measure your site’s traffic and performance in Google’s search results. It’s free to use for anyone with a website and can be used to not only keep an eye on your rankings but figure out ways to improve them.

Okay, so… why should I care?

The information GSC provides offers a solid foundation for you to continue to build your strategy upon. Some of its insights are invaluable when it comes to your local SEO—and that’s before you consider some of its other handy features like managing sitemaps. 

With Google Search Console, you can identify your highest-ranking pages, identify your lowest-ranking pages, see how many total backlinks your site has, identify increases and decreases in ranking, and more. 

Essentially, to know where you’re going and how to get there, you first need to know where you’re at. 

How to get started with Google Search Console

The only requirement to use Google Search Console is having a Google account. In that account, you can have up to 1,000 sites—referred to by Google as properties. 

From Google: “A property is Search Console’s term for a discrete thing that you can examine or manage in Search Console. A website property represents a website: that is, all pages that share the common domain or URL prefix that you specify. You can manage multiple properties, and choose which one to see or manage using the property selector in Search Console.”

That being said, to actually view the information on a particular site, you must be able to prove that you’re that site’s owner. There are a few ways to do this.

First, it’s important to know which type of property you’re looking to add: a URL-prefix property, which will only include URLs with a specific prefix, or a domain property, which will include all subdomains underneath a particular site.

If you’re looking to verify a domain property, the only way to verify is through DNS record verification. On the other hand, a URL-prefix property can be verified in a variety of ways, including HTML file upload; HTML tag; Google Analytics; tracking code; Google Tag Manager; Google Sites, Blogger, or Domains account; or domain name provider. 

If you are unable to do any of the above, it’s also possible to have a property owner grant you access. 

You can read more about each method as well as common verification errors on Google’s Search Console Help. 

Once you’re verified, you’re ready to start exploring GSC and its many features!

Navigating a Search Console Report

Before you dive in completely, it’s good to have an idea of what you’re jumping into. In terms of general navigation, Google’s got you covered with this handy article on the different parts of a Search Console report.

The main thing you’ll be focusing on is the Performance Report—it is the bread and butter of your GSC experience. It shows you a variety of insights on how a particular site is performing in search. 

Locating the Performance Report

To find the Performance Report, ensure that you are on the correct property by checking the navigation bar. 

Once you have confirmed that you are where you need to be, find the Performance section and then click on ‘Search results.’

Search Types

There are 4 search types that you can view in the Performance Report; web, image, video, and news, with the additional option to compare any of the prior. Merely toggle between the options with the search type button. 

This allows you to see where your site is ranking beyond just the standard results page. 

Performance Report Metrics

In any of these search types, four main metrics are being measured: total clicks, total impressions, average click-through rate (CTR), and average position. You can have any of these four metrics displayed visually on a graph. Total clicks and total impressions are selected by default, but you can also view the average CTR and average position on the graph. 

Total Clicks

Clicks are the amount of, well, clicks you’ve gotten on your website from the search results. Ideally, you’re aiming for high clicks and high impressions. 

Total Impressions

Impressions account for any time a website has appeared in the search results for a query. When a website appears on the search results page of a user’s search, then it counts as an impression. The user does not have to click the link for it to count, and even if the link is at the bottom of the page and the user did not technically scroll to that point, it still counts. 

Average CTR

The average CTR is a percentage representation of how often users clicked through to the site from the search results. The higher the CTR, the better. 

Average Position

Average position accounts for… the average position of a website in search results. Generally speaking, any average position 1 through 10 is a good place to be. 20 through 29 means that your site could use a little more work, and anything lower than 30 means that your website needs some serious updates. 

Generally, all of these metrics need to be taken into account and looked at holistically when considering the status of your website.

How to Do Effective Local SEO Reporting

Read More

Performance Report Dimensions

Once you’re past the primary graph and metrics, you reach the additional Performance Report dimensions: queries, pages, countries, devices, search appearance, and dates. These give you an even more granular view of where and how you’re appearing in the search results.

Queries

This shows the top queries associated with a keyword phrase alongside the corresponding clicks and impressions. This part of the report shows the top 1,000 queries that encouraged traffic to your website. 

Pages

This shows your top-performing pages alongside the number of clicks and impressions that they garnered. 

Countries

This shows the top countries that your website is performing in, alongside clicks and impressions (perhaps not the most helpful dimension for our sector…) 

Devices

This section shows the top devices that are accessing your site. It is split into mobile, desktop, and tablet, and can help give an idea of which formats you need to pay special attention to optimizing for. 

Search Appearance

This takes a look at search statistics for rich results, meaning how much traffic is coming through from results enhanced with rich data. 

Dates

This section orders all of the clicks and impressions by date and can be set to descending or ascending order. 

It’s additionally possible to add all of the above aside from dates (which is a default marker) to the graph. You do this by clicking ‘new’ next to the Search Type and Date buttons and selecting the dimension you would like to add.

Just the Beginning

While you may have found a whole new foundation to work from just from the Performance Report, GSC doesn’t stop there, and you shouldn’t either. A quick look at the navigation panel shows just how much you can do with GSC, from viewing your various enhancements to to taking a look at your page experience to seeing a list of your internal and external links. 

GSC is a treasure trove of potential insights, so take your time and familiarize yourself with the possibilities.

How to Get the Most Out of GSC

If you’re what Google calls a ‘light user’ of Google Search Console, meaning that you use your website to promote your business, but your website isn’t your entire business, then GSC can be viewed as more of a monthly endeavor than a daily one. Google will email you if anything unusual happens in terms of crawling or indexing, or anything regarding search guideline violation or hacking. 

Other than this, Google encourages you to keep an eye on your dashboard to ensure that you’re not having any unusual dips in clicks or increases in errors. They also note that you need to keep an extra close eye on things when new content is uploaded to the site, as this is a common time for fluctuation in the search results. 

For the more hardcore users among us, GSC offers a variety of possible uses, from monitoring the total number of indexed pages and indexing errors to finding and fixing AMP errors. 

Integrating with GA4

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a powerful tool in its own right. Google describes GA4 as “an analytics service that enables you to measure traffic and engagement across your websites and apps.” 

And, unbeknownst to many, it can be combined with GSC to give you an even more comprehensive look at how your website is performing. 

Getting Started with Google Analytics 4 for Local SEO

Read More

In order to integrate the two, you must link a GA4 data stream with a Search Console property—something that can be done in either GA4 or GSC. Then, you’ll be able to view your Organic Search Query Reports and Organic Search Traffic Reports from within the GA4 platform. 

Ultimately, this simple integration will allow you to view more of your site’s data from one platform and ensure that your various profiles stay linked. 

Conclusion

Google Search Console is a tool that you don’t want to miss out on. Free and easy to use (once you get the hang of it!), it can offer invaluable insights as to how your page is ranking and why it’s ranking that way. 

While you may not be able to directly change those rankings with the platform, it gives you a solid foundation of data on which to base your local SEO strategy. 

Manually Manage Your Social Media Links in Google Business Profile

Google has now added the ability to proactively add your social media profiles as links to your business profile! 

This is an extremely welcome update, as previously these links were automated for you—sometimes resulting in incorrect links which you didn’t have the ability to change. It would take a lot of effort to match your social media profile links to your GBP through your website, clever schema, and even, well… luck! 

To edit your social media links, simply head to the New Merchant Experience, click ‘Edit Profile’, toggle to ‘Contact’ and scroll to the area to add your social profiles.

You have the space to add your Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and YouTube profiles. Once saved, your profile edits will go into review for around 10 minutes, before you can see the updates live on your profile. 

This new feature is still in the process of rolling out to users across the globe, so may not be available for you yet. 

Appeal Image or Video Rejection in Google Business Profile with This New Form

The reasons behind the rejection of images and videos on Google Business Profiles have often been shrouded in mystery, with Google’s history even including instances where images were seemingly rejected without clear rationale. These rejections could have been attributed to various technical factors, such as safe search settings, issues with user accounts or account verification, or even potential bugs. However, the explanations were seldom provided.

In a recent update to the Google Business Profiles (GBPs) guidelines, Google has taken steps to shed light on the situation. Alongside technical considerations, the new guidelines explicitly state that content may face rejection if your listing lacks full verification, your personal account is deactivated, your profile encounters suspension, or if the content submitted is found to be duplicative.

To enhance transparency, Google has now introduced a support form that enables you to appeal a decision made against displaying specific content. This fresh avenue will hopefully help people to seek clarity and reconsideration.

Google Now Alerts Business and Reviewer If the Review Was Not Posted

Historically, Google has been a little flimsy with how it flags a review that’s not posted. It generally used ‘published’, ‘pending’ and occasionally ‘rejected’, and only allowed the reviewer to see this.

Now, in Europe only at the moment, there’s a whole new label: ‘Not posted’. This is specifically for European consumers when their reviews get filtered. It can’t be seen by the business, and the review won’t appear on the GBP.

In France (all of Europe?) reviewer GPB reviews now include explicit language in the contribution area that specific reviews were filtered and are not showing. Previously they showed to reviewer and not to the business but carried no alert pic.twitter.com/0wMoYwvST3

— Mike Blumenthal (@mblumenthal) August 10, 2023

The new ‘Not posted’ label is visible to reviewers and was spotted in Europe. In this instance, it’s specifically where a review has potentially not met Google’s review guidelines; it shows that it’s been filtered out and isn’t showing.

Those outside of Europe will be shown the review as it is posted, even when it hasn’t.

Google Tests ‘Manage Photos’ Feature in Google Business Profile

It’s a very small test, but at least a few people have seen a new ‘Manage photos’ option appear in the NMX. This was previously a hidden feature for people managing multiple listings, where you had to click on the image to take you there.

While you apparently can’t actually upload things like cover photos here (you still need to use ‘Add photo’), it’s great to have a place to manage them a little better. Who knows? Maybe this test will stick?

Source: Sohan Jain

Google Tests Local Services Ads List View

Google is currently experimenting with displaying two local service ads in a list view, a departure from its previous format of showcasing three local service ads (LSAs) in a carousel arrangement.

This adjustment marks a shift for Google, as it had transitioned to featuring three LSAs about a year ago, up from its earlier display of two, and is now in the process of testing the viability of reverting back to the presentation of two LSAs again.

Source: Len Raleigh

Our Thoughts

Once again, we’re pretty happy with these updates. They range from innocuous (we’re not going to pretend to have super strong feelings about the update to LSA presentation) to pretty darn impressive (we’re still celebrating the introduction of social media link management.) But, hey, that’s just us. To share your thoughts, head over to our Facebook group, The Local Pack.

This email leads users to a page offering an “Overview of Google Business Profile policies” that “outlines our key policies and explains the most common issues that merchants may experience.” Despite being some of the most detailed content on the topic offered by Google yet, they warn, “it is not comprehensive” and directs readers to their page on all GBP policies and guidelines. 

In this article, Google touches on various account-level restrictions, eligibility, ownership, posting restrictions, and reasons that submitted content may be rejected or fail to publish. 

The clarification of account-level restrictions is important to note; these restrictions include the merchant’s Google account not being in “good standing,” their account being restricted due to repeated violation of GBP policies, and suspension due to other, non-Business Profile violations. Merchants must make sure that both the account that they’re running their GBP through and their GBP itself are in accordance with guidelines, or else they risk suspension or restriction.

In addition to this, Google touches on issues regarding eligibility and ownership, specifying what demarcates an ineligible business as well as potential issues with ownership, including a business not existing, the use of a P.O. box in lieu of an address, and unauthorized or inactive owners.

Google also re-emphasizes the importance of acting in accordance with their prohibited and restricted content policies and posting restrictions.

While this may seem like a small update, it’s a big step in terms of Google’s clarity regarding guidelines, and well worth your time to get to know. Familiarizing yourself with these policies and their nuances helps to ensure that your GBP stays up and running smoothly.

While no significant changes have been made, the tweaks that we are seeing seem to be making GBP… better. 

In addition to the long-awaited removal of a buggy feature, users have spotted the addition of an automated FAQ feature and a messaging availability status. Let’s dig in.

Goodbye, GBP Call Tracking

First spotted by Ben Fisher on Twitter, Google appeared to have gotten rid of the notoriously buggy feature that was GBP call tracking. 

Google Business Profiles removed the call tracking feature silently today.

Good riddance, that was a buggy mess that would redirect calls to other merchants. pic.twitter.com/Pj9ZCDjtt8

— Ben Fisher (@TheSocialDude) July 7, 2023

Before its very timely dismissal, users reported that the “feature” would send direct calls to the wrong merchant.

No more GBP call tracking—the people rejoice!

The GBP Messaging Features We Didn’t Know We Needed

Availability Status

This one is a bit of a sticky one, with some speculation that it may not be as new as people think. However, according to a July 25th Tweet, it is a new feature; one that allows you to change your messaging availability status as well as manage your away mode. 

In addition to making availability online, Google Business Profile chat also allows you to manage the away mode. pic.twitter.com/7LMy1y7PX8

— Shameem Adhikarath (@shemiadhikarath) July 25, 2023

A note from Google stating that “this feature is currently available to some users” and that “it will roll out to all users soon” certainly implies that it’s new.

Automated FAQs

In another Twitter spot, Google appears to have added an “Automatic FAQs” option to GBP messaging. 

New to me!

GBP offering automated FAQs based off on your profile information such as hours, contact info, etc.@DarrenShaw_ @JoyanneHawkins Have you guys seen this?

cc: @rustybrick These are different from this https://t.co/LwBrG3RDUs pic.twitter.com/eGzJ8V1IQI

— Darcy Burk (@darcyburk) July 20, 2023

FAQs in GBP messaging offer instant answers to common questions asked by customers, and previously had to be manually populated by the business.

The new feature prompts users to “let Google create questions and answers based on your Business Profile and website.” 

Additionally included is the option to use business information in automated FAQs—specifically “opening hours, appointments, contact info, location, payment, delivery and website.” 

The two seem a little redundant given that the feature appears to draw from your business information regardless, but perhaps Google plans to add more types of information that can be included in these automated FAQs—this option being listed under “Types of automated FAQs” seems to imply as much.

Through the Eyes of the Customer

And let’s not forget the clever, how-did-we-not-have-this-before addition: the option to view your GBP as a customer. Despite a distinct lack of hype around it, we think that this is an incredibly handy feature businesses can use to see any bits they may be missing or places they can continue to optimize. 

New GBP Feature: Not groundbreaking but there is now a link to see your GBP as the customer sees it. Good if you are making updates and want to compare both views. pic.twitter.com/n6Wro7HKFP

— Ben Fisher (@TheSocialDude) July 24, 2023

Our Thoughts

Overall, we’re pretty happy with these changes. While minor, they all seem to be slowly but surely making GBP more business-friendly and intuitive… or so we can hope. 

Spot a new GBP update? Let us know in our Facebook community, The Local Pack. 

Now that SGE has been made available to those on its waitlist (currently in the US, and hopefully worldwide soon) it is set to shake up the search world in multiple ways when it finally rolls out. 

In fact, Greg Sterling of Near Media has suggested that ”local and products may be two of the most affected segments”. 

We’ve gone ahead and compiled what we know so far about SGE for local search, what the experts say about it, and how it might impact both users and businesses in the future. 

So, what is Google’s Search Generative Experience?

Put simply? Say goodbye to ‘hairdressers near me’, say hello to ‘mens hairdressers offering traditional wet shave and trim package in Boston’.

The snapshot returned to the searcher is designed to offer a comprehensive, detailed response to the user’s query—no matter how complex the question (within reason, of course… but, hey, who are we to doubt Google?). The response is generated using a variety of Large Language Models (LLMs) such as MUM and PaLM2, allowing users to, in the words of Google:

• Ask entirely new types of questions that you never thought Search could answer
• Quickly get the lay of the land on a topic, with links to relevant results to explore further
• Ask follow-up questions naturally in a new conversational mode
• And get more done easily, like generating creative ideas and drafts right in Search

But don’t fret—this isn’t the end of shortt-tail searches. Google SGE seems to respond just as thoroughly to classic searches like “brew pub near me”.

These results can then be expanded upon, through what Google has dubbed ‘conversational mode’, where users will be prompted with further questions that follow the natural line of questioning (or, at least, what Google’s AI predicts it to be):

What does SGE look like for local search results?

While SGE won’t be available to the public for a while yet (there’s no consensus on when), it has been made available for use by those who joined the waiting list in the USA.

We’ve had a quick play around with some local searches in the US and have noticed a few key things:

• SGE results appear in a colored box, with the caveat “Generative AI is experimental. Info quality may vary.”
• Results show a 5-pack that looks similar to the existing local pack.
• The 5-pack has a short description next to each pack result; this sometimes includes reviews.
• It also shows a carousel of cited results, above a view of a map with pinned locations. 
• At the bottom of the SGE results, we see the prompt to ‘Ask a followup’ with additional prompts to continue the conversation.
• In some cases, Google will offer the traditional local pack accompanied by a prompt offering the user an AI-powered response.

What are the experts saying about SGE and local search? 

SEOs have jumped at the chance to delve into SGE to find out what it looks like, how it works for the end user, and what it could suggest for people working in the SEO space. 

RicketyRoo’s Amanda Jordan has noted that results vary between Google SGE results and the local pack:

I’m seeing multiple opportunities for local here. You get very different local business recommendations if you ask your query outright vs converse with AI.

— Amanda Jordan (@amandatjordan) May 26, 2023

Others pointed out the significant overlap that exists between SGE results compared to traditional local pack results.

In her piece for Local U, Sterling Sky’s Joy Hawkins noted that SGE results give visibility to businesses that show in the local pack already. However, she has found that “the two lists don’t match up identically. Sometimes the map in the AI box has a wider map view which shows different businesses than the local pack.”

Aleyda Solis commented with a similar point in her own piece, saying, “The SGE provides the least useful result I’ve seen: pretty much a duplication of the map pack that Google is already featuring below the first two organic search results anyway. Not useful.”

How will BrightLocal respond to SGE?

Myles Anderson on SGE

Myles is the CEO and Co-founder of BrightLocal

 

As a local business, understanding your ranking in search has always been complex. Your business can appear in multiple result types including traditional organic results, the local pack, knowledge panel, maps results, video results, and even in local service ads if you monitor those. 

For local businesses, it’s not as simple as saying “I rank #4 in Google”. With the introduction of SGE, we have a whole new set of results to monitor and report on. The monitoring aspect is pretty straightforward and we’ll be updating our ranking tools shortly to include these new result types. We are seeing different businesses, and different ordering of results, in the SGE pack vs local pack; even the quantity of local results showing in the SGE varies for different queries. 

All of this increases the complexity faced by marketers in determining how their clients are performing in search, and our team is focusing hard to reduce this complexity and provide clarity. 

Overall, I think that your ranking will remain a valuable data point to monitor, but the ultimate proof of success is in lead and revenue generation and the clarity of these metrics is less distorted by changes in Google’s interface.
  

What does this mean for local businesses?

With the heart of SGE being comprehensive results, Google has placed an emphasis on vertical experiences, including local search. According to Google, “SGE will provide context about local places, using AI-powered insights that make it easy to compare and explore options.” 

Preliminary research by Near Media revealed that most local searches seemed to return a snapshot featuring five or more listings as well as a carousel. Clicking on individual listings prompts a knowledge panel; clicking on one of the carousel items brings the user to the business’s website. 

SGE also allows for more specific comparisons of businesses: 

Andy Simpson, Digital Law Marketing, has even found that SGE uses content from Google reviews in its answer, meaning that processes like review management may be more important than ever: 

SGE using text from GBP reviews to help answer follow up questions.#LocalSEO #SGE pic.twitter.com/7lcXm3WUgU

— Andy Simpson (@ndyjsimpson) May 26, 2023

The takeaway? Local businesses shouldn’t be scared about SGE. In fact, it’s still distinctly possible that SGE will give small businesses more opportunities to get in front of customers due, at least in part, to the duplicated local pack.

While that also potentially leaves more opportunities for your competitors, we’d suggest continuing to keep your listings optimized and keep your business as visible in organic listings as possible. 

We know that SGE shows business descriptions, images, and reviews in results, so make sure these are up-to-date and relevant. 

So, in essence, while SGE may be something to keep your eye on, for now, the best thing to do is continue on with best practices for local SEO while Google continues to experiment.