Recently, Google processed an update to their algorithm called the Pigeon update. Geared specifically to local search results, this update had many local search marketers pulling their hair out as they wondered where the local pack had gone. So today, we’re going to talk what we’ve noticed about the Pigeon update including, specifics about the local 7 pack, if traffic had died down for our local attorneys, and what benefits (if any) that this update came with for attorneys. Well, we’ve got quite a bit to discuss, let’s get right to it.
What Is The Pigeon Update?
As with any algorithmic change, Google has been very quiet about exactly what they planned to accomplish through the Pigeon update. Why they do this is very simple. If everyone knew exactly how their algorithm worked, it would lead to 2 things; both of which are very bad for Google.
- Easily Game The System - With knowledge of exactly what Google’s magic recipe consisted of, low quality websites would be able to game the system; essentially leading to result pages full of spam. This would lead to a bad user experience for Googlers and would ultimately cause some serious damage to Google as a whole.
- Google’s A For Profit Business - Without doing a ton of research and figuring out what makes Google tick, the best way to get to the top seems to be to pay for clicks. Since Google is a for profit business, keeping algorithms a secret is in their best interest. It will cause more and more business owners with little time to spend to spend money instead.
While Google does its best to keep its algorithms secret, great marketers have the ability to use data they’ve found to get a good understanding of the meaning behind algorithms. Here are some key points we’ve found so far…
- Local 7 Packs Are Vanishing - 7 packs on local search results seem to be disappearing. Instead, we’ve noticed quite a few 3 packs and single local results popping up along side organic results.
- Directory Sites Are Doing Well For Head Terms - Head terms include those short tail keywords that everyone thinks they want right off the bat. These include terms like “California Personal Injury Attorney”. We’ve noticed a rise in sites like Yelp, Merchant Circle, and others showing up for these terms and a definite downgrade in local business websites showing up.
- Somehow Local Businesses Are Getting More Traffic - So this was the strange part for us, we’ll talk about it in more detail later. Along with several other major marketing firms including Search Engine Land, we’ve noticed that clients with stellar marketing strategies seemed to be getting more traffic after Pigeon; even though the 7 pack had seemingly disappeared.
How Did This Affect Local Attorneys In Particular?
For our attorney clients, the Pigeon seemed to be a great thing. Don’t get me wrong, at first I really freaked out a quite a bit. Many of the keywords my clients were showing up in the pack for ended up not showing a local pack at all. I thought my clients were going to start calling me asking, “Where did all of my traffic go, and Why am I not getting calls?” However, that didn’t happen! After digging into the Analytics and Google Webmasters’ Tools accounts for my clients, I cooled off almost immediately. Here’s a quick breakdown of what I was seeing…
- Local Attorneys Were Getting More Traffic Than Ever - Directly following the Pigeon update, local attorneys seemed to be getting more traffic than ever before. For one of our clients, we saw an uptick in traffic of more than 12%! “Phew”, I sighed as I wiped the sweat off of my forehead!
- Long Tail Keywords Became King Overnight - We’ve always had a passion for long tail keywords. That’s one of the big reasons that we generally add blogs to our clients’ websites. Well, we’re glad that’s one of our practices because long tail organic keywords seem to be the reason for traffic increases we’ve noticed.
- Organic Traffic Increases Far Exceeded Local Traffic Drops - As mentioned above, our clients started seeing tons of hits from long tail keywords. Generally, these keywords don’t result in a local pack; so, we noticed an incredible increase in organic traffic for our clients.
Is This Update Beneficial To Attorneys?
In my humble opinion, the answer is a big YES! The Pigeon update is actually a great thing for attorneys that are maintaining a blog on their websites. The increase in long tail keywords means that potential clients are finding the answers they need on your website. By taking advantage of changes we’re seeing in this update, not only can you drive more leads to your legal practice, you can start to really refine those leads. If done properly, this could lead to higher conversions!
Do You Want Help Taking Advantage Of The Pigeon?
If you’d like help making sure that you’re getting the most out of the Pigeon update, we’re the team for you! Contact us today to find out exactly how we plan to help!
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