Local SEO might seem confusing, but that’s only because of its massive potential. If executed properly and with a focus on improving customer experiences, local SEO can be reduced to a simple series of best practices that any business owner can follow.
The Pigeon Update of 2014 completely overhauled the way local search works. Rather than relying almost exclusively on traditional search factors like onsite content and offsite link profiles, Google now scours the web for local directory websites like Yelp to determine the average rating and user reviews of local businesses, which it uses when determining rank. Sites with a high quantity of positive reviews rank much higher than sites with negative reviews or a low quantity of ratings.
