Trending [November 5, 2019 Local Algorithm Update] Unexplained big drops in GMB rankings

[JoyHawkins]

I did my write-up last night. More to come on this: The Bedlam Update [November 5-10, 2019]: What You Need To Know - Sterling Sky Inc

 

[IMP]

Here's another one that helps illustrate the difference between today and yesterday.

Joy is this local Falcon and how many miles?

 

[IMP]

Our clients that have all the GMB best practices who ranked in maps for years have dropped out and not returned as of yet. Glad to have this forum to round table with others on this.

 

[JoyHawkins]

Its Places Scout. I think it's like 20 miles or so

 

[Tim Colling]

We had a few clients that were not badly impacted, and more that were significantly hurt. I hope that they "bounce back" like some others have reported. None of our clients saw any positive impact. We definitely are seeing more spammy GMBs surfacing now and playing whack-a-mole getting them knocked back down.

 

[JoyHawkins]

Tim,

So even after Nov 10 you are seeing big declines?

 

[Tim Colling]

So even after Nov 10 you are seeing big declines?

Yes, in at least one case. I'll be going back over things later today or tomorrow to double-check.

Isn't Google just swell?

 

[Tilak]

Update: One of my client were dropped in maps ranking but not yet returned who ranked in maps for years.

 

[Maxw555]

Experiencing the same. Have a client who had been in the 3 pack for 3- 4 years. They are now down to the 9-10 spots. Also, last night it appeared to revert back to normal for about a half hour. After that half hour window they again were back down to 9-10 position. No clue what is going on. A lot of spam in top 3 now.

 

[IMP]

I have several that have always been in the map pack doing all the best practices and have fallen out and have not bounced back yet. Still monitoring. Seeing other businesses showing in maps with no reviews or any best practices still.

 

[areadirector]

Yes not everyone has seen the big "bounce back" yet...

 

[keyserholiday]

Google is now confirming multiple updates last week. Tweet

 

[whitespark]

 

[whitespark]

Here's another one for Painters where the results are quite far away from me.

For comparison, results for non-SAB businesses like dentists and accountants are still very close to me:

See how zoomed out the map is for painters and plumbers, and how zoomed in it is for dentists and accountants?

 

[Tim Colling]

If so then this should be a good thing, if Google is focusing on "quality" not "proximity". Somehow, I just am not ready to trust Google's ability to assess quality though.

 

[JoyHawkins]

I'm seeing a mix of both. Depends on the keyword - some zoomed out and some zoomed in.

 

[Yan Gilbert]

Screenshot of a SERP two weeks ago and yesterday. Same 3 listings showing up and map is the same zoom.

However in this case below, the newer result is pulling listings from further away, so it is possible proximity was affected. I'm thinking the map adjusts afterwards though.

 

[Matthew Summers]

I don't know. I've been crunching some numbers this morning for different clients, with varying results. In some cases, it seems clear that proximity became a lot less important:

But I'm not seeing the same pattern for all clients:

I guess when it comes to algorithm updates, 'The truth is rarely pure and never simple.'

 

[JoyHawkins]

So far based on the hours I've poured over screenshots and ranking trackers, I'm becoming more convinced the main factors that got updated are related to relevance, not proximity. With Possum, almost every SERP got changed drastically based on proximity. I'm not seeing any of the same patterns here. I don't think this update is at-all similar to Possum. I'm still collecting more examples before I publish more. It's way too easy to jump to the wrong conclusions based on one or two scenarios.

 

[whitespark]

I don't know. I've been crunching some numbers this morning for different clients, with varying results. In some cases, it seems clear that proximity became a lot less important:

But I'm not seeing the same pattern for all clients:

I guess when it comes to algorithm updates, 'The truth is rarely pure and never simple.'

Yes. It's all over the place. My quick look at a few SERPs is not at all conclusive. Just food for thought.

My HOPE is that it's category dependent. I hope that Google has stopped making proximity such a strong signal for SABs. Their physical location is not something the user cares about. They are just looking for the best painter, plumber, pest control technician, etc. Proximity should be dialed down for SABs and the results should be more based on relevance and prominence.