Google confirms that a local search algorithm update began rolling out at the end of November and ended on December 8.
This update involved a “rebalancing” of ranking factors that Google takes into account when generating local search results.
This update is officially known as the November 2021 local search update, though the changes are unlikely to be felt until the first week of December.
Google’s advice for this update is to continue using best practices for local SEO, which are linked to in the tweet embedded above.
Remember that the weights of each ranking factor listed in Google’s help guide have been rebalanced.
The following are the ranking factors for Google’s local search results:
- Relevance: the degree to which a local Business Profile matches what someone is looking for.
- Distance: the distance between each potential search result and the location term used in the search.
- Prominence: the degree to which a company is well-known.
Google never provides precise information about the weight of each ranking factor. As a result, rebalancing your efforts may be the best way to respond to this update.
For example, if you were previously focused on optimizing for relevance by filling out your Google Business Profile with information, perhaps now is the time to shift your attention to the prominence of your company.
November was a busy month for SEO, with a number of Google algorithm changes.
However, it should be fairly simple to determine if you were specifically impacted by the November 2021 local search update.
A local search update would only affect your Google Business Profile’s ranking in the local pack.
If your business profile’s ranking remains unchanged, chances are you haven’t been harmed by this update.
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