A local search ranking upgrade from Google might have been released around September 7th. This is in addition to the September 2022 core upgrade, which got under way on September 12, and the helpful content update that ran from August 25 to September 9. Remember that we are about to provide the fifth update to the product reviews.
Several local SEOs have reported changes to their clients' rankings on or around September 7th in a topic on the Local Search Forums. Remember that if this exists, it will have nothing to do with any core updates or useful content updates and will likely exist on its own.
I'm hearing a few stories like this lately," said Joy Hawkins, a seasoned local SEO, in reference to instances where local ranks have substantially shifted. "I'm hesitant to offer guidance on this because analysing ranking decreases takes a lot of effort and requires relatively in-depth knowledge of the website, industry, and rivals. I would advise checking to see whether simply the local pack rankings have changed, or if their organic ranking has as well "Added she.
Some claim that this only affects the local pack, not the other organic findings. Just the local pack ranks have changed; organic rankings are still doing quite well, according to one source.
Seeing directions icons on Google Maps for service area businesses (SABs) that shouldn't have them - and they don't work. Maybe this is related to all the insane fluctuations we're seeing for SABs. Something is broken... pic.twitter.com/iJq66XGTV4
— Joy Hawkins (@JoyanneHawkins) September 14, 2022
If you were impacted by the recent version of the Kansas bug it looks like the fix is being rolled out. https://t.co/QLTXuXzDhL
— Joy Hawkins (@JoyanneHawkins) September 23, 2022