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- A Significant Local Search Update You Need to Know About
A Significant Local Search Update You Need to Know About
+ more exciting local SEO developments
Hi local SEOs,
I have local SEO things for you 👇️
1. Joy Hawkins’ Diversity Update
This is potentially a significant development in local search that everyone should be aware of. Here's a quick summary of the concept:
The idea is that Google doesn't "like" to rank the same URL in both the local pack and the organic results.
So, if you link to your homepage on your GBP, then you can expect your homepage not to rank as well organically.
For example, a law firm wants to rank for "personal injury lawyer seattle". They rank #1 in the local pack, and maybe they used to also rank #1 organically, but because of the Diversity Update, they have dropped in the organic results.
You might still see a business that’s ranking well in the local pack AND in the top positions in organic. That doesn’t mean the Diversity Update isn’t impacting these search results. The idea is that the organic rankings would be better if they weren’t using the same URL on their GBP.
Ismail Ashik and I had an interesting discussion about this concept’s impact on multi-location businesses. See what we had to say in the LinkedIn comments.
2. Did you catch my new free SEO tool?
It performs a useful function of analyzing the SERPs to calculate "Freshness Distance" so you know how often you need to update your content. Shoutout to Ross Hudgens for the concept!
I built it with AI using the Cursor IDE and Claude Sonnet 3.5 (and it was kind of a nightmare).
It has a cool retro video game theme, which AI whipped up super fast and easy for me.
It responds to the Konami Code (IYKYK) in a delightful retro video game way.
Take it for a spin here 👇️
3. You’re doing local SEO for Google. But what about ChatGPT?
A study by Semrush found that 30% of ChatGPT searches match traditional search patterns, while the other 70% had "unknown intent," meaning people are using ChatGPT in entirely new ways.
For example, if you're looking for an emergency plumber in your city, you’d typically Google “emergency plumber near me.”
However, on ChatGPT, you’d likely phrase it more conversationally, like, “Can you recommend an emergency plumber in my city?” And you would ask follow-up questions like “Could you find one in my neighborhood?” or “Is there a cheaper option?”
The big question is: How do AI search engines decide which businesses to show, and how can you ensure your business ranks?
I think that most of the traditional SEO strategies still apply for AI search engines, but with a few changes in focus. Scroll through this carousel to learn what they are 👇️
See the carousel on LinkedIn.
4. And some local SEO “tea” 🫖 as the youngsters say
Leave a bad review, get “beaten to a pulp” 🤪🥊
A ramen shop owner in Kyoto, Japan, went way too far after getting a negative review on Google Maps, threatening to beat the customer up and offering a cash reward to track him down (shoutout to Chris Levy for the heads-up)
Scroll through this carousel to learn what happened (+ receipts) 👇️
Read the full story on Instagram.
Darren