Web and Map Search Results now more closely aligned with the Pigeon Update

Google has recently rolled out their Pigeon Update Australia, Canada and the UK.  Pigeon rolled out in the US in July last year, but Pigeon has finally landed in these other countries and is continuing to be rolled out across all English speaking countries except India.  The algorithm, which aims to assist people searching for local businesses, affects both the search results from within a Google Maps Search and a Web Search.

Changes Results for Yelp searches

The update increases the addresses a concern from Yelp that Google was returning results from it’s own reviews before Yelp’s even when the search had requested Yelp specific information.  Pigeon fixes this and also increases the relevance of sites like Urbanspoon, OpenTable, TripAdvsiro, Zagat,  and Kayak.

Pigeon Update is a significant algorithm change

As always, it is important to understand what Google is trying to do, and, as always, Google is trying to provide the most relevant search results for people searching for a product or service.  Restaurants are a location based service/product, so it is now critical that Google is fully aware of your location.  One neat little trick that you will want to take advantage of is making sure that you cover all of the search terms that people will use.  What do Tourists call your area?  Which suburb are you in?  Does you area have a nickname.  Google understands that neighbourhoods, or local spaces, are fuzzy and can have multiple names and Pigeon starts to recognise this, so make sure you are covering off on the search terms that are appropriate.

Google My Business accounts more important than ever for Restaurants

We believe that the pigeon change makes have a correct and up to date Google My Business account more important than ever for every Restaurant.  Creating a Google My Business account is one of the most important things you can do to increase traffic, followed by integrating with your website.  This is a quick and easy process and something that every Restaurant should check now.  If you don’t have one, create your account today, becuase Google will send a postcard out to your address to verify that your business actually exists.  Your account won’t be active until you have entered the verification code.

Mobile is more important than ever

The introduction of the Pigeon algorithm is a big positive for Restaurants, making it easier to be found by customers who are in the local area looking for a place to eat.  Many of these users will be on a mobile phone and we have written of the importance of ensuring that your website is optimised for mobile traffic before.  We believe that Google also takes into account whether a website is optimised for mobile when creating search results for people on a mobile, so to capture the benefit of the Pigeon update, it is really important to ensure that your website is optimised for mobile.

https://marketing4restaurants.wistia.com/medias/4urezr5696?embedType=seo&videoWidth=640

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