On July 24th, 2014, Google pushed live what Search Engine Land is calling the “Pigeon” update. SEO sources are reporting that this update is specifically affecting the local search algorithm. This update has further intertwined organic and local indicators, algorithms and results, and it has the potential to affect the rankings of many small businesses.

Matt McGee said it best on Search Engine Land: “[Update will] benefit big directory sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor — sites that have stronger SEO signals than small, individual restaurants and hotels are likely to have. For those businesses and websites,local search has just gotten a lot more difficult.”


Small businesses will likely notice an effect on their rankings. Whether the effect is positive or negative is yet to beseen.

Additional Details:

*.Major directories such as Yelp, Zagat, Urbanspoon, TripAdvisor, and others are seeing increased page 1 rankings and influence in the search results
*.The update has only been released to US English results, but the percent of queries impacted has not been reported
*.Google said that this new algorithm improves their distance and location ranking parameters, and aims to provide a more useful and relevant experience for searchers seeking local results, although it may makeit more difficult for individual businesses to rank in the search results

source:http://www.searchinfluence.com/2014/07/pigeon-algorithm-update-released-thursday-72414/

In 2011 it was Google Panda, 2012 - Google Penguin. Now its Pigeon, whats next. . . Antelop?