What is Google Pigeon Update? A Complete Guide and Recovery Tips

Pigeon has a significant effect on many small business websites that are trying to dominate local search. According to Google, the Pigeon update is providing an improvement in location and distance ranking parameters.

This is the reason why it is known to cause surprisingly big waves in the local search world.

What is Google Pigeon Update?

Pigeon update was released in 2013 and it was the first time Google completely re-hauled its algorithm to increase its focus on local results. As Google saw a rise in the number of local searches, this algorithm update was to change the way local results appear. This update combines the results on the web with local results to provide better solutions for the local users. When this got rolled out, the local search results saw a drastic change. Consequently, with this, the user can easily see better results as searches shrink according to the searcher’s nearby location.

The biggest change noticed is that users don’t need to scroll down to get the relevant solution. The pigeon was launched to provide a layout where the local search appears at the top.

How Does Pigeon Algorithm Works?

As mentioned above the Pigeon Algorithm update majorly focuses on local searches. To make the search better for users, the Pigeon update helps to provide the best local results. In this, Google Maps came into play in a major way. This works to provide the search results for a location-based search considering the searcher’s device. In this, Google also stated that distance and location ranking parameters provide a more defined search result within the search radius.

If you want to make your website visible in a particular local search, you need to make sure your website is optimized for location-based keywords too. Google is focusing on doing analysis of the search query and this is best from a searcher’s perspective. There are some small businesses that have potentially seen negative side effects as their websites were not optimized for local search. If you have a website that is not optimized for local search, then Pigeon update will not let you rank high for relevant strategies.

How Google Pigeon Update Change The Local Search?

The local search optimization changed a lot due to the Pigeon algorithm. Google Pigeon works by reducing duplicated content and providing the accurate and best content to the users. It aims to provide the best useful, relevant, and accurate search results for local search queries.

Here are some benefits of the Google Pigeon update:

• The radius of search results decreased significantly. The results include solutions that are physically closer to the searcher. This also made it easier for local companies to grow while ranking better in their local area search results.

• Local searches mimic organic search rankings and provide better solutions considering web search competencies such as knowledge graph and synonyms, etc.

• Google’s tools and maps have also been updated. With this, the local searches have also been revised to be more accurate than ever.

• Local business is able to generate website traffic that result in potential new customers.

• Local businesses getting better visibility in Google search results.

• Help the website with the best content to appear at the top of search results.

• Provide the solutions for the people searching solutions on the Google maps platform

• The update has helped to provide solutions even with the misspellings and synonyms used in search results.

• Google’s local search results became are more relevant.

Pigeon update completely revolutionized Google’s core algorithms. It has sharpened the focus on local results to provide better local search results to the users. Pigeon help Google to provide the search results that include businesses with distance most relevant to the user. This has made the search algorithm to work smarter than ever before. With this, the users can easily get what they are searching for.

Recover Your Website After Pigeon Update

Pigeon is a fantastic update of Google that bought some changes to the search algorithms. The key change incorporates more of the traditional SEO ranking signals. Earlier, the local businesses can easily get to the top while providing their name, address, and phone number.

Now, with the Pigeon update they need to pay attention to the following things if they want to get in top local results:

1. Content strategy

According to the experts, 87% of users get attracted to online content. This impacts their purchasing decision and provides a better content strategy. This helps the business to build local authority and attracts more customers to your website. With the professional content strategy, you can easily distribute your content on local-based platforms to build a strong location factor.

2. More emphasis on traditional SEO

To optimize your website, you can also choose to go for traditional SEO. Work on building links that help to make your website visible to the top in the search engine. You can take the help of professionals to utilize keywords that your target audience is searching for.

3. Presence in local directories

To make your business grow, it is important to make your business presence in local directories. Local directories help people to get reviews of the place with better information. Making a presence on these sites helps to drive traffic to your own site. The more sites you choose to publish your information on, your business will be able to make an authoritative presence. This makes your website rank higher on local searches.

4. Presence on a Google My Business page

To make a better online presence with Pigeon update, it is important to make a presence on a Google My Business page. Google My Business helps to index your business’s information and optimize your website.

5. Backlink Profile

For a better presence on local search engines, it is important to maintain a quality backlink profile. Quality backlinks help to strengthen your website’s authority. When you are able to get solid backlinks from reputable directories you can see your business growing in the target area. This will help to build your backlink profile for local results.

Businesses without optimized websites have lost traffic due to the Pigeon algorithm. Pigeon only rewards website that has better content. This update was a game-changer for several local businesses that were not optimizing the website according to the local search.

This update helped Google a lot to connect web search and map search more effectively and provide more localized results to the users.

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