A lot of movement in the 3-pack / Local Finder

More threads by Robin

It looks like the spam algorithm refreshed. Perfect timing, I was literally drafting an article about it. I'm seeing lots of changes so far in the local results for the few that I've managed to check so far.
 
I'm also seeing a lot of changes in the 3-pack. I'm curious to read your views on this in your new article.
 
Thanks for the heads up Robin and for starting the discussion.

I've only checked one pack so far but I've been watching Seattle Chiropractor for years and today there are all kinds of Chiros I've never seen before in the 3 pack and Finder!
 
Brian Barwig said on Twitter he's also seeing a shake-up...

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Im seeing huge swings and many new faces in the Local Pack this morning. Must be a big update going on. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LocalSEO?src=hash">#LocalSEO</a></p>— Brian Barwig (@BrianBarwig) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrianBarwig/status/771346886250926080">September 1, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
I don't know if it's because it's rolling out still or what but i am noticing a lot of differences between the 3 pack and what shows if you click on more places to get to the maps listings.

When I click through to the more places on a bunch of searches the top 3 are completely different then the 3 pack on the serp.
 
Tim,

Funny you mentioned that. I saw a bunch of fake locksmith listings get back into the local results that were previously filtered. Just removed some :p
 
As I Tweeted, I'm seeing a good amount of flux today in the Local Pack. Businesses which were there yesterday are not there today and vice versa. Some of the Packs which I have been following lost some big players which had been there for a while. The businesses did not appear to be spammy on the surface but took big hits today.

There didn't appear to be much movement outside of the Local 3 Pack, meaning if you clicked through to the Local Finder, the results outside of the 3 Pack were similar to what I was seeing yesterday. A couple of position changes but nothing too major. The 3 Pack appears to be where the big shakeup was.

I have one client in particular who was ranking in the 3 Pack for several terms and today is completely gone....out of the 3 Pack and the Local Finder. Not sure what is going on there yet, maybe a bug.

Like everything with Google, I'd give it a couple days to settle down, but it does look like a big update. I may do a post on it if I have time.
 
Is anyone seeing any change in organic? Because I'm not.
 
My article on Search Engine Land (that I heavily revised yesterday morning after the shakeup) is due to publish Tuesday morning. They were going to publish it today but I thought it'd be better not to have it come out on a Friday before the long weekend lol.

I will post it on here to get others' feedback on if they're seeing the same things. I believe this update and the one at the beginning of July are related.
 
Brian Barwig said:
I have one client in particular who was ranking in the 3 Pack for several terms and today is completely gone....out of the 3 Pack and the Local Finder. Not sure what is going on there yet, maybe a bug.

Like everything with Google, I'd give it a couple days to settle down, but it does look like a big update. I may do a post on it if I have time.
Click to expand...

Had the same issue with a client. Dropped everywhere. Did a soft edit in the GMB dashboard and rankings were restored within 15 minutes.

Have you tried a soft edit yet?
 
Agreed - Changes I'm seeing are 3 pack and maps with little change in organic comparatively. I see more than one client attorney which was prior ranking 3 pack completely missing. I hope to god that it's a shuffle and they'll be back.

What kind of edit is "soft"? Change in description verbiage or?
 
danieljc said:
Agreed - Changes I'm seeing are 3 pack and maps with little change in organic comparatively. I see more than one client attorney which was prior ranking 3 pack completely missing. I hope to god that it's a shuffle and they'll be back.

What kind of edit is "soft"? Change in description verbiage or?
Click to expand...

Yes, you can make a minor edit in the description as a soft edit.
 
This image from Algoroo today shows a Viagra site up and a dot gov site down. Something doesn't seem right.
Algoroo9-2ViagraWinner.jpg​

Algoroo9-2ViagraWinner.jpg
 
I noticed a big move up for a client which I'm sure is related to this local algo change. Four days ago, according to my Brightlocal ranking report, they were at #30 in maps. As of yesterday, they are at #1 for the same keywords. That's the first time they have ever been that high in a year of tracking.

When I saw that position I got really excited and emailed the company to crow about our accomplishment.

Here's one piece of advice: wait a few days for things to shake out before you start the bragging! I may have jumped the gun since these algo changes show a lot of fluctuation.
 
Scott, is your client still there or has he dropped again?
 
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