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nikkispanish7
09-22-2016, 07:03 AM
What is Google’s ‘Possum’ algorithm update?

pablohunt2812
09-27-2016, 03:12 PM
On September 1, Google launched a massive, local algorithm update that had some business owners confused. At first glance, it appeared that their “Google My Business” listings had vanished. This, however, was not the case. Their business listings had simply been filtered. The behavior and initial impression this update made is why many are referring to it as “possum.” The listings are playing a classic game of possum.

After further review, it appears that this update affected ranking signals in the 3-pack and local results. It has been suggested that this update may have been launched in order to expand and diversify local results in order to keep spam websites from establishing a high ranking signal.

One of the adjustments this update made was to Google’s filter for local results. Once this update launched, businesses that are just outside nearby city limits saw an increase in their local ranking. Businesses that try to rank for nearby city-related keywords when they fall short of the physical city limits is typically a challenge, even when they are paying for certain keywords. This is due to the fact that Google Maps can recognize when a particular business’ address is in fact outside of city limits.

This update also caused a lot of businesses to be filtered out of results because the address associated with the business was the same as another listing in the same category. What business owners have to keep in mind is that this filtering process is not a penalty. Google has not removed the listing(s). This filter just picks the most relevant listing and filters the rest that have similar information, much like an organic filter would. This type of filter just proves that the physical location of the searcher is more important than ever.

With so much fluctuation still happening within search results, experts are assuming that Google is still A/B testing certain ranking signals. It is also quite possible that Google could revert back to previous practices.

Do you want to learn more about the recent possum algorithm update? Be sure to check out Joy Hawkins’, a local SEO expert and a top Google contributor, webinar that dives deeper into what this algorithm means for local search.