A homing pigeon finds its way home, and Google’s Pigeon update was built to give users relevant search results close to home. When it launched, Pigeon was a big change, and local businesses with strong SEO practices liked it a lot. For the first time, Google’s algorithm let local results outrank non-local competitors. Below we explain everything you need to know about Pigeon: what it is, how it works and how to adjust your SEO so the update works for you.
Launch Date: July 24, 2014
Pigeon gave searchers more useful and accurate local results. It built on Panda, Penguin and Hummingbird, focused on local queries and was a change to Google’s core algorithm, not a penalty.
What Pigeon changed for local rankings
Pigeon doesn’t hand out penalties. You still need to know how it changes the way Google’s crawlers judge your site and what it takes to rank high, especially if your business depends on local customers.
Poor on-page SEO
Pigeon tied Google’s local search algorithm more closely to its traditional ranking signals. That means your site needs as much authority as you can build, plus good E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness). Don’t cut corners on SEO when you build it.
Poor off-page SEO
Your own site isn’t the only place on the web you need to watch if you want high local rankings. If your business isn’t listed in online directories such as Yelp, TripAdvisor or OpenTable, Pigeon can count that against you, and you’ll rank below your competitors.
How the Pigeon algorithm works
Pigeon affects local searches and any search where location plays a big part. Before Pigeon, traditional SEO factors carried little weight in local results; now they count. As a result, local companies have to put more time and money into SEO, both on their own sites and on other platforms (business directory sites in particular).
One of the most visible changes after Pigeon came in Google’s local results “pack.” These packs used to show 7 local businesses for a search. In August 2015, about a year after Pigeon launched, Google cut the pack from 7 listings down to 3.
Pigeon also makes Google weigh a business’s location and its distance from the user. Google’s core algorithm now reshuffles the local listings in the results, and local directory sites often take the top spots.
How to adjust your local SEO for Pigeon
Pigeon is a real opportunity for local businesses that know how to do SEO. A few changes to your site can push you toward the highest ranking you can reach and a spot in the much-wanted local 3-pack.
Keep up traditional SEO
Do the old-fashioned hard work of traditional SEO. Build links, publish content that gives your users the best information you can, and use the keywords your target audience searches for.
Publish city- or region-specific content
Create images, videos or written content that tie your business to a particular city, state or region. Content like this builds your authority for local searches.
List your business in local directories
People go to local directories like Yelp, OpenTable and Foursquare to read reviews of places to shop, eat and stay near them. These sites bring in a lot of business: they send customers to your own site, and they also make you look legitimate to Google’s crawlers. The more of these sites that carry your business information, the more authority your own site has and the higher it ranks in local searches.
Claim your Google Business Profile
Chances are you already have a Google Business Profile (Google called it Google My Business until 2021), even if you don’t remember signing up. It keeps your business information consistent across Google Search, Maps and other Google services. Once you’ve claimed the profile, fill it out so Google has everything it needs to recognize you as a real local business.
Why Pigeon helps local searchers
When you run a local search, Pigeon gives you the results most relevant to where you are at that moment. Google built it on top of the three algorithm updates before it to return local results people actually want: nuanced, legitimate listings (not spam) that are physically near you. Searchers get a better experience, and so do the local businesses that show up for them.