Pelham, AL – Digital Marketer Explains Google Local Search Update – SEO Impacts

If Google has not thrown you off with its many recent updates and redesigns, they may get you with their new Google Vicinity Update. This algorithm change was confirmed in mid-December and has had businesses everywhere watching their SEO change drastically. It has been over five years since Google released an update this big, and companies should notice.

This week on the blog, we discuss this update: what has changed, how it impacts SEO, and how businesses can make sure they are actively improving their SEO.

You may be wondering what the point of all these updates has been, and they have all been to make Google’s user experience better. This particular update is all about proximity and ensuring that when a user performs a search, they get genuinely located nearby businesses.

This has been done in a couple of ways:

1. Businesses that are not local will no longer show up in the top results.
2. Businesses that have been keyword stuffing in their names are no longer rewarded for that.

On the other hand, businesses that have followed Google’s guidelines have found themselves benefiting from these recent changes. Going forward, all businesses must adhere to these guidelines so future algorithm changes do not negatively impact.

If you want to learn more about this significant update, make sure you head over to the Fusion One Marketing blog.

To help you further grow your SEO and help if you suffered from the recent Vicinity Update, we are highlighting a step-by-step guide we created just for you. It is all about local SEO updates you should make right now!

We have covered practical steps you can take today to set yourself up for SEO success:

1. Set up a Google Business Profile for your business.
2. Make sure your listing information is complete and up-to-date.
3. Be consistent.
4. Make sure you have images on your profile and update them regularly.
5. Collect reviews.
6. Do your keyword research and actively use them.
7. Keep your social media updated.
8.  Add location pages to your website.
9. Optimize your content.

Here is a little snippet from the complete guide that should convince you to check it out. We mention making sure you have plenty of photos on your Google listing. And this is why! 960% more search views than the average business when you have photos and a lot of photos. People want to see things. They don’t want to read a lot; they want to see what you’re doing. So, it’s a great way to increase engagement, and of course, get your brand message out there a lot better.

We cover each of these in detail, sharing how they impact your SEO and how they can benefit you over time. If you take our advice and implement these strategies, we promise you it will make a difference!

Fusion One Marketing is a full-service digital marketing company headquarters are in Birmingham, AL. Fusion One specializes in Local SEO, Social Media Marketing, Pay Per Click, and Website Designs. Fusion One Marketing was created in 2011 with its main focus to help small and medium businesses navigate the digital marketing world. Our goal for businesses is simple “More Calls –More Businesses”. For any questions about this info or services we provide, please get in touch with us for your Free Digital Consultation.