Remember the old cartoon ‘Catch the Pigeon’ well it looks like Google has to . A few days ago they started a major upgrade of it’s algorithm for local search and lots of websites are starting to report huge changes in their rankings.

To give you a quick ‘heads up’ on this there is a short guide, explaining what the “Pigeon” update is all about, how it affects your rankings and how to adapt your SEO strategy to the changes.

If Local Search matters to you – and it should do for lots of SMEs then you need to start addressing the following  – read the report above for the full details

• Local listing packs disappear for a huge number of keywords
• Website authority given a greater importance
• Local carousel gains extra exposure

Things to start looking at :-

• Google+ Local page for your business
• Proper category for your Google+ Local page
•  Local area code on Google+ Local page
•  Large number of positive customer reviews on Google+ Local page and on third party sources
•  Product/service keyword in business title