On September 1, Google launched their local algorithm update, named Possum by the SEO community.
After the update, business falling outside the physical city limits can rank easier for keywords that included the city name. For example, a car rental business located just outside of Boston city is now able to rank for “car rental Boston” since it’s technically in the same census-designated place as Boston.
The algorithm is now using address and affiliation to filter out duplicate results. A company with the same address as another listing in the same type of business might be filtered out.
The update has put more weight on the user’s physical location. Business will get a higher ranking if a user is searching from a closer location. There is also more variations on the search results among similar keywords.
Google is hoping to provide more accurate and diversified search results for users, while preventing spammers from ranking well. The update has not yet fully stabilized. However, many businesses are seeing positive results in local search rankings. So don’t be scared by the update and keep an eye on your local search results.
If you have any question about your local search rankings after the Possum Update, feel free to consult Overdrive Interactive.
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