Google has confirmed that the large upheaval in local search results observed by many Digital Marketing companies in mid-November, is due to the addition of Neural matching to its platform. It has now added the name “Nov.2019 Local Search Update” to the Google core search algorithm updates.
Google states that Neural matching helps it to better understand searches that have local intent, without using a local company or business name. They started using this in 2018 to better understand search questions and help them improve query relevance and mapping within their Algorithm.
The result of this extensive change has meant many local search results have moved around wildly from week to week and even day to day, leaving many Business owners with listings that have disappeared from the Google first page for the first time in years. We at Simply Digital are monitoring all the movements for our own clients, in order to determine how to move forward within these new parameters.