Google Experiements with New Look and SERP
November 24, 2009 – 12:02 amBack in April 2009, I wrote an article about how important is to get your website listed in popular local directories.
This is NOT a new push from me. Other SEO experts have been talking and getting their clients listed locally for years.
Going forward, I really think it’s important that you get your business listed locally as soon as possible if you want more business locally.
If you have a business, you need to get your website listed in Google Local, Yahoo Local, and Live Local. In fact, it’s important to get your business listed regardless if you have a website or not. Just remember to list your correct business address and telephone number.
I’m almost certain that potential customers will call your business if your business is local to them.
Fast forward to November 23, 2009, and Google has started experimenting with their SERP again. In this case, I searched for “plumbers fort worth”, and I was presented with a different SERP than what I’m used to seeing.
Normally, when I’d searched for “plumbers fort worth”, Google would displayed local businesses in a A through J format above the organic search results. Today, I saw something completely different.
Check out the screenshot:
SERP Google Local
In addition to the local businesses, Google has added a clickable map above the listings of businesses. Now instead of the former A through J business listings, Google is only showing A through E.
Naturally, you could always click the map to see the original A through J or just click on the “More results near Fort Worth, TX” text link below the E listing.
Personally, I think the addition of the clickable map is a great feature because now I can see instantly where I could go or call to get a plumber that is closest to me. This same feature also applies to mechanics, lawyers, and dentists in your local area. Simply use the following format: services + name of city
From an SEO perspective, this new SERP sucks! If you’re an SEO expert that ONLY focus on organic results, and you have not listed your client’s website in Google Local, your client is missing out on a lot of potential customers.
Do a search now for something local to you, and you’ll see that organic listings are pushed all the way down. On my 1440 x 900 screen resolution, I can barely see the first organic listing.
What does this new change mean for you as an SEO or Internet marketer?
Most importantly, you have to get your business listed locally — now. Additionally, you might have to invest some money on Google AdWords to compensate for the possible drop in organic website traffic that you would normally received from Google.
Personally, I’m surprised that Google hasn’t implemented this new SERP sooner. As a service media company, Google could have increased their AdWords revenue by undermining SEO efforts by simply making it harder for local search traffic to find organic results. Consequently, some websites that were ranking high organically for local search keywords will have no choice but to start using AdWords if they wanted to continue receiving traffic to their website.
In short, it appears that Google wants everyone that is listed organically to start advertising on AdWords. Arguably, being listed for free organically in Google is not enough anymore. In a way, Google may be delicately persuading you to pay for your free organic listing, and to start using AdWords if you want to continue receiving more website traffic from the world’s most popular search engine.