Google has officially unveiled new SERPs based on its Place Search functionality. Launched less than a month after the introduction of Google Instant, Place Search is expected to bring about major changes in search rankings for local businesses. To start with, Google has compromised on the 7-pack for local results in an effort to reverse-engineer its search algorithm. Implications of this new functionality will force local business to rethink SEO strategies in terms of keyword usage and online presence.

What is Google Place Search?

According to the official Google blog, Place Search is “a new kind of local search result that organizes the world’s information around places”. With this functionality in place, Google has merged search results for organic searches with the listings in Google Places. According to the official blog, this would help online users to search for genuine local listings and compare them in a more organized manner.

Here are two screenshots of the Google search result page for the keyword ‘austin bar-b-que’ (retrieved from the official Google blog). The first screenshot displays search results when the Place Search functionality was not deployed. In this case, the search page used to show Google Map listing of the 7 pack (top seven local business listings), followed by organic search results.

Here are two screenshots of the Google search result page for the keyword ‘austin bar-b-que’ (retrieved from the official Google blog). The first screenshot displays search results when the Place Search functionality was not deployed. In this case, the search page used to show Google Map listing of the 7 pack (top seven local business listings), followed by organic search results.

The second screenshot is the revised form of the Google search page after Place Search functionality has been successfully deployed. Google Map listing has been moved to the sponsored results section. The organic search result section shows Google Places listings in a comprehensive manner.

Interestingly, the Google Map on the search page moves down as the user scrolls. This has been done to establish the relation between map listings and search results and also to ensure user-friendliness.

It is noteworthy that the rank of restaurants has also changed significantly in the new version of the search page. Stubbs BBQ, which was on first rank in the 7 pack listing, has moved to second rank in the new search result. An understanding of the new search result dynamics is essential to save your business from severe losses.

What it Means for Local Businesses

With the introduction of Place Search, Google has revised its search listing algorithm. On a detailed analysis of the new search page, it is notable that:

• Local results are gaining prominence in the search results.
• With map being moved to the sponsored list, advertisers will have to face more competition for Adwords.
• With more information available for local searches, users will be able to compare results.

However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Here is how Place Search is going to impact local businesses:

• Business with no websites can get registered with Google Local/Places. Earlier, it was possible for such businesses to grab a position in the 7 pack without any web presence. Now, businesses with a functional website will getthe leverage.
• Google is considering both local results and organic results to show an exact number of listings. Thus, businesses with good organic ranking will be able to break into the 7 pack easily. However, businesses with no local listing will suffer a severe search rank loss.
• There is a possibility of user reviews driving the online business.
• Vertical directories might suffer a drop in search ranking unless they are able to find a place among the clustered third party links associated with each listing.

Quick Tips to Survive

Adaption is the best policy to survive a change. To make your business loss-proof from this new Google search algorithm, local business have to:

• Invest into building a professional website
• Get listed in Google Places
• Promote the website offline and ask customers to write reviews for you
• Re-strategize SEO efforts to include the new functionality