According to recent reports, the change to Google’s search algorithm that has been in effect within the US since July has been rolled out to further markets.
As a spokesperson for the company confirmed to Search Engine Land, the new Google Pigeon upgrade is now governing search results in Australia, Canada and Great Britain. It is expected that the algorithm will be further pushed out into all other English-speaking regions, apart from India.
The work to facilitate this most recent update was said to have taken place in mid-December. As with the previous Penguin and Panda algorithm changes, anyone searching through Google’s news feeds for tailored results may find that the parameters have changed.
In what will be important news for search engine optimisation (SEO) copywriting services and other digital marketers, the upgrade is said to be devised to deliver more accurate, relevant information about local searches. This will reportedly affect both Google Search and Maps, allowing for users to trawl through accurate posts about the services and businesses in their neighbourhood.
As such, some smaller companies and low-traffic websites may see an increased number of visits from nearby users, hopefully leading to increased referrals and trade.
According to Search Engine Land, it was surprising that Google did not hold off on the changes until the end of the holiday period, when a lot of online searches and transactions are already taking place. The move could benefit smaller firms, which might see a spike in traffic during this time, although it is still too early to know how large the swing will be.
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