Google is rolling out a nationwide update that drastically changes the way prospective customers see you and your competitors through what Google calls “Place Search.”

The new integrated results combine your organic and local rankings in a new Google algorithm intended to make finding businesses easier.

If you’re like us, you’re constantly looking for things in your neighborhood, whether it’s [restaurants in zurich] or a new [sales trainer in houston]. If you specify your location in your query, Google often show your results on a map. But we’ve noticed that much of the time users make simpler searches, like [restaurants] or [dentist].

Google just finished the worldwide rollout of local search results on a map, which will now appear even when you don’t type in a location. When you search on Google, Google will guess where you are and show results near you.

How does Google guess your location? In most cases, they match your IP address to a broad geographical location. You can also specify your likely location using the “Change location” link on the top right corner, above the map. Google is smart and they try to make their guesses as good as they can be so that whether you’re shopping for [groceries], [sporting goods] or [flowers], or looking for your [bank], your [gym], or the [post office], you can just say what you want, and Google will try to find it right where you are. You can also search for specific stores or street addresses near you, like [cornelia st cafe] in New York, for example.

If your Google Place page has pictures, your position on the search engine results pages will also be more prominent.

There’s much more to be seen and discovered regarding this update. We look forward to working with our clients sites to be sure they maintain strong rankings.

For further information on the subject, check out these blogs:

Place Search: a faster, easier way to find local information – from the Official Google Blog

Getting First on Google – First Page Results


Bert Martinez
Bert Martinez

Bert Martinez is a Direct Response Marketing and Sales Jedi. He's worked with companies like Google and Chase, as well as over 1000 small businesses to solve their marketing challenges. Bert helps businesses uncover lost and hidden opportunities that could be worth millions. He's known for creating growth strategies for businesses in a single session.