On Wednesday, September 28th, 2022, Google hosted its Search On 2022 event. This conference announces all of the new arrivals and rollouts Google is implementing, which directly affects businesses like yours! A few exciting rollouts are coming this year, and keeping your site ranked is evolving.
Updates to the systems and the way things work are ultimately good, but that means we ought to keep up to date to ensure business runs smoothly. So here are the four most prominent ways that Google is implementing its newest local search rollouts.
1. Find the Restaurants You Want Easier
Using text or images, users can now search for specific dishes. With this update, users can find the exact dish they’re looking for at restaurants near their location.
If you search ‘chicken alfredo near me,’ you’ll have restaurants popping up in the area that serves that specific dish. This streamlines browsing through restaurants and menus, even allowing you to book a reservation right away. Convenience is at the heart of the changes Google implements.
What could this mean for restaurant owners? We aren’t quite sure yet, but there may be a higher focus on Google Business Profiles in the future so that your rankings in SERPs aren’t negatively impacted.
2. Multisearch Near Me
If you’ve ever been in a position where you’ve wanted to buy something you saw online but have no idea what it is or who sells it, you’ll love this feature! With Multisearch, users can utilize their “cameras as the keyboard.”
You run an image through the search engine, and Google will return results on what stores nearby sell the item you’re searching for in the picture. This applies to more than just items; you can use it for food, as mentioned in the previous point!
3. Google Maps Upgrades
The Google Maps Neighborhood Vibe is a feature that can help those browsing Maps take an organic look at user-uploaded photos and videos of an area you want to explore. This immersive experience seems to be aimed toward helping people find what they feel is worth exploring while contributing to the experience for others!
The Google Maps Live View is a great way to explore places with a lift of your phone to view in real-time. Details like business hours, how busy the area is, and more are available for this live view.
4. Less Review-Focused
Reviews are a powerful thing, but they’re not the end-all-be-all for a place of business. Star ratings ultimately don’t make a business what it is, so Google is rolling out a helpful AI that works with user-uploaded images. They want to deemphasize user reviews as a sole consumer tool and have other types of information available to help users evaluate a location.
Reviews are an excellent tool for consumers to get a feel for a place, but they shouldn’t be the only deciding factor. This update doesn’t mean the death of reviews, but it could mean that reviews are less prevalent when affecting your rankings.
To Sum It Up
These new features are all about convenience and innovation, something Google has long since dedicated itself to time and again. However, these features aren’t just for the consumer, as many will benefit business owners from the Maps entries to their reviews! Giving users more options for text and image searches, Google aims to add more ways people can evaluate their exploration and purchase decisions.
If Google Business Profiles and SEO seem too confusing to get the hang of, but you’re interested in learning more, get in touch with the experts at Optimize4Success.