Essential Update: Top 12 Local Search Insights from the Third Quarter of 2023

The period of time that preceded the current one in the realm of local SEO was a tad less intense compared to the year's earlier quarters, yet it wasn't without its significant revelations and a substantial update from Google.
As we're on the brink of the festive shopping rush, it's the perfect moment to delve into newly surfaced prospects or to get a grip on the latest guidelines, especially before the season's hustle overwhelms the local businesses that are part of your marketing portfolio. So without further ado, let's dive into the heart of the matter!

Snapshot depicting the appeal mechanism on Google
This quarter's applause goes to Ben Fisher for his exhaustive exposition on the pivotal updates from Google regarding local entities. Already operational in the European Union and slated for a global rollout at a date yet to be announced, are modifications to the Google Business Profile restoration procedure.
Ben's key takeaway is the incremental transparency now injected into the process, shedding some light on the reasons behind your listing's suspension. However, the thorn in our side is the new limitation: you're afforded only a single shot at submitting a reinstatement request. Ben provides a couple of invaluable resources:
The appeal interface
Information on the appeal process
It's possible that Google might refine this system further in the months to follow. In the interim, should you find yourself with a suspended listing under your care, Ben's piece is a must-save for navigating the reinstatement path more effectively.
Experiment with the “&near=[ZIP]” parameter for simulating remote locations
Social media post about incorporating &near=zipcode into a search string to mimic local search outcomes
Allocate a mere minute to view Chris Long's instructional clip on the simulation of a zip code-specific location by tweaking the search URL. Chris maps out the process for us:
Jot down the ZIP code of the desired area
Initiate a search with your intended query (for instance, "fence repair near me")

Take 60 seconds to watch Chris Long’s useful video on emulating zip code location by editing the URL of your query. Chris offers this process:
1. Copy the ZIP code of the geography you want to emulate
2. Search for your target query (e.g.. "fence repair near me")
3. At the end of the URL, append "&near=[ZIP]"
4. Click enter and analyze the local search results
Bear in mind that Google's search results can be intensely localized, meaning that any simulation method or strategy might not precisely reflect what an individual searcher might encounter in their local travels. Nevertheless, the next time you're aiming to get a ballpark understanding of search standings in an out-of-the-way area, give Chris' method a whirl. It's swift and surprisingly enjoyable!

Mike Blumenthal has spotted an intriguing pilot where reviews arise not from individual critics but from intermediary platforms like Best Company and Home Advisor. Google has intermittently displayed critiques from other websites in sections titled “Reviews from the web” or with similar terminology. Yet, this specific trial blends those third-party testimonials seamlessly with the direct feedback from customers. Stay vigilant for this experiment's appearance in your locality.

Social media commentary where Joy Hawkins elucidates that spam reviewers faced no severe consequences even after three reports.
To grasp why Joy Hawkins likens the act of reporting review spam on Google to the futility of “trying to teach a goldfish to play the piano,” take a look at her video detailing the vexation she endured after multiple reports of fake reviews. Joy records how her reports led to the removal of some reviews from the offending company's profile, only to have them purchase new ones, leading to a perpetual cycle of deceit. Without Google imposing penalties on businesses that flout the rules by procuring reviews, consumers will remain susceptible to misleading top-tier ratings, and the integrity of local search results will be compromised. And on that subject…

Notice to a reviewer about their review being withheld for possible guideline infringement.
We once again tip our hats to Mike Blumenthal for broadcasting this capture of a French critic receiving a notice that their review could not be published due to potential non-compliance with Google's policies. Whether this is a pan-EU strategy is still unclear (if you're in the know, do reach out), but it's evident that such a protocol is not yet in effect in the US, where there's an unfortunate trend of trailing behind Europe in regulatory matters. Imagine how fantastic it would be if Google could implement this warning system globally, alerting not just individual reviewers but also signaling on the profiles of corporations repeatedly caught in the act of breaching review policies?

This quarter presents us with three distinct points of interest in this sector.

A number of intriguing developments have taken place in the domain of Google listings over the last quarter, such as:

A local listing's overview snippet embedded with enigmatic annotations that lead nowhere.
I seldom place myself in the spotlight within these quarterly summaries, but I had to share this curious phenomenon I stumbled upon in the local search packs! On my Twitter (sigh, 'X') feed, I'vecompiled several examples I encountered that seem to include numerical annotations within the descriptions in the local pack. Take a look at this instance, where the figures ascend to as high as 9:

An image capture displays several footnotes peppered throughout a local search packet
Delving into another peculiar instance of GBP, there's a footnote alluding to a menu hyperlink:

An enigmatic footnote purports to be a link to a menu yet fails to lead anywhere upon clicking
The conundrum here is the non-functionality of these footnotes. They are not interactive; they lead nowhere, unexplained and seemingly purposeless. They could be mistaken for glitches. Yet, they emit a sense of déjà vu. These snippets, don’t they remind you of AI similar to what we’ve seen in trials like SGE? It’s now my suspicion that my findings might be heralding an amalgamation of AI and local data in the near future. Stay tuned!

Google now blocks the upload of services as products, prompting a notification of unsupported content.
The letdown shared by many, as articulated by Claire Carlile, is palpable; the capacity to list services as GBP products seems to have been withdrawn. This was once acceptable, but such is the nature of Google’s local search landscape: fluid and unpredictable, where yesterday’s methods are today’s faux pas (hence the necessity of staying informed through articles like this). It's my hope that Google will reconsider this decision. For Service Area Businesses (SABs), their services are their commodities; these are their products.

Discussing SABs, who wouldn't be ecstatic to see their listing in the local pack embellished with the coveted "Provides" justification, capturing the attention of prospects? The workings behind this, possibly by the skilled Colan Nielsen operating from the depths of GBP, pique my interest. When a Local Search Forum member inquired about the absence of this justification on her listing, Colan’s advice was to reach out to Google support and have them entirely remove the “on-site services” feature from your profile, potentially enabling the "Provides" justification to emerge. This was new information for me, and I am eager to hear more such revelations.

Snapshot of the refreshed policies page by Google
This release lays bare Google’s hitherto concealed protocols pertaining to the circumstances under which they might suspend an account. The complete analysis by Near Media is a must-watch. To paraphrase:
“Google has unveiled several new policy declarations concerning the regulations that govern suspensions and the removal of content from Google Business Profiles (GBP). These standards, which have been tacitly applied to listings and their content, are now clearly stipulated to inform how infractions by users can influence a business’s continued access to a listing or its potential removal from Google. Although the transparency is appreciated, the intricacies warrant close attention.”
The essence of local search is authenticity, and I wholeheartedly endorse Google’s effort to publicly announce such policies.

Google Maps sporting a blue zone overlay signifying pedestrian and vehicular distance
Take a look at what Andy Simpson stumbled upon while exploring “nearby searches” on the map: a blue zone that seems to be new to all of us. It designates walking and driving ranges, and as Andy suggests, could be an asset for businesses selecting new sites, considering Google’s focus on the proximity between users and businesses. Imagine the advantage of owning a business within walking distance for customers.

An organic search result highlights multiple external citations of a business.
While not strictly local, being on the receiving end of a “Mentioned in” feature as observed by Brodie Clark could benefit local businesses, particularly for those affected by the recent disappearance of FAQ-rich results. Google seems to be experimenting with this feature, which serves as a testament to the importance of the Authoritativeness aspect of E-E-A-T. It's worth pondering who is talking about your brand and how to secure more mentions from reputable sources.

A visual representation shows a storage facility coming up in search results for restaurants
We wrap up with an intriguing study by Joy Hawkins initiated by a question at a LocalU event regarding why a storage business was appearing in restaurant search rankings within the GBP Performance section. Disregarding the unlikely scenario of people storing leftover dinners in storage units, and without clear explanations from Google, Joy formulated and validated a hypothesis: the business was involved in the paid Performance Max campaign on Google Ads, which assigns a branded pin on Google Maps, frequently for searches unrelated to the business in question.
Joy confirmed that a branch not participating in Performance Max did not exhibit this peculiar data, lending credibility to her theory. She also cautions against hastily attributing performance declines reported by Google to SEO, as they may stem from paid advertising.
And that concludes our roundup of Q3 in the realm of local search marketing. We're now setting our sights on the festive and frenetic holiday shopping period. I invite you. A captured image displays a series of footnotes interspersed within a local pack

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