Google Possum Update

Launched Date= 1 September 2016

2016 was a great year for local Search. Many companies have started using local search engine optimization techniques to take advantage of Google's 3 pack local search results. Local search Engine Optimization Technique is one of the most popular trends in the SEO industry since the mobile revolution.

The update, which SEO teams have dubbed Possum, has transformed local results. To give you an idea of the scale, nearly 65% of the local SERPs were affected by the update, compared to the Google Penguin update, which covered only 3% of websites.

Unlike Penguin, Possum is not a punishment for companies trying to pass suspicious practices to Google's algorithm. Instead, this change is a fundamental shock in the way local listings are presented. This is the main reason why many businesses are affected and virtually guarantees that yours will be affected as well.

Four things to know about Possum to determine  whether it will have positive or negative affect on your traffic.

The Focused of Possum update was included in the local SERP search results ranking, that is, on the search engine results page.

Possum, unlike most other updates, only affects the results of local search. This means that if you try to rank # 1 for a keyword and you do not worry about the location, Possum will probably not affect anything.

Benefits of Possum Update

It's easier to rank companies that Situated at the border of city

In the past, local SEO professionals had regrets for having difficulty ranking clients in a specific city if their business address was outside the city limits.

For example, if a dentist is located very close to the Chicago border, but still outside of Chicago, this poor dentist will have a hard time qualifying in the local 3 pack for a search term as a "Chicago dentist" ".

This did not seem right for many small business owners because, after all, businesses near a city often have customers living there. It is therefore logical that they can achieve them through the results of local research.

But for a moment, Google did not move. Businesses simply could not be ranked in the local results if their address was not within the city limits.

The Google algorithm uses a proximity test to determine if the company is qualified for ranking. Thus, if a company is close to a city, it can be classified with the name of that city.

In other words, the update really makes business classification easier. This is a change from many of the algorithm updates we have seen in the past that tend to lower lists in search engine results pages (SERPs).

The location is important

The new Possum update makes local search results dependent on the location of the search engine.

In the past, search results were more focused on search terms. Google now uses the IP address of the person doing the search to provide more accurate results in the local package 3.

It is important to understand that if you perform some sort of local SEO for another company. Your quality control team must prove your work as a user in the region of the company and not just prove it by searching on Google for the name of the company and its location.

In addition, the further a user moves away from a specific location, the further the Google map moves away. When the map zooms out, business listings in the enlarged version of the map may fall.

 Filtration Based on Address

Google does not like to show its users the same list again and again in the search results. This is especially true in local search.

Some companies, however, have multiple listings for the same site.

For example, a doctor's office often employs several doctors, each with their own practice. Some law firms may have multiple departments, each with a unique Google My Business (GMB) page.

Previously, Google filtered out duplicate entries based on the phone number or domain name. From now on, Possum goes even further and filters them according to the physical address of the list.

Thus, for the above examples, a local researcher would see only a doctor's name from that office and a legal department's list of that law practice.

It should be noted, however, that the other lists are not completely eliminated. They are simply pushed further down the rankings.