You probably know about
Google’s Panda and Penguin algorithm updates, but what about the Venice update? A few months ago, Google rolled out Venice, which
focused largely on local search. Although it’s a bit under the radar, the Venice update is extremely important for local business owners because search queries no longer depend on the searcher for location specific words – it uses the searcher’s IP address to deliver location-based results. There’s no better time to focus on local SEO than now!
What exactly is the Venice update?
Released in February, the
Venice update changed how Google users search. Google wants to provide you with the most relevant results to your queries, so they added location to the mix. The two statements they released about Venice were that it made “improvements to ranking for local search results” and that it “improved local results” overall. You may have noticed your “current” location displayed in the left column of your Google search screen. This location, based off of your IP address, is used to determine search results. For instance, you can simply search for “hair salon” and Google will show you sites for salons in your area on the first page (as illustrated below). You can also change it manually if you wish, allowing you to look up businesses in other areas. Convenient, right?
