UPDATED DEC 7, 16:00 (PST)
You may have noticed some inconsistencies in your local search rankings last week. This is thanks to Google removing the location search filters that STAT relied on to bring you local rankings. Because of this, our team had to work quickly to discover and implement a new, long-term solution.
We actually started seeing instances of this feature removal a few weeks ago – before it was reported on the major SEO news sites – and that’s when our team took action, reverse-engineering a solution that would continue to bring you the accurate local rankings that you’ve come to expect from STAT.
We’re happy to report that as of Thursday, December 3, all ranking data has returned to normal and the implementation of this new method of collecting local SERPs was successful.
Cheers,
The STAT Team
[NEW ISSUE] Google’s removal of location filters
Google has removed the location search filters and this has temporarily affected local search rankings within STAT. Our team worked quickly to respond to this change and have come up with a great solution, however, it will not be fully implemented until end of day, Friday, December 4.
How STAT historically brought you local SERPs
If you’re in New York and curious how your pizza franchises are faring on SERPs elsewhere in the world, Google allowed you to override your search location to have a look. Through a filter on the search bar, you could access what Chicago sees. What Los Angeles sees. Even what London sees. Almost like actually being there! And that’s what we, here at STAT, relied on to bring you all the localized SERPs across the globe.
But Google strikes again
As Google has become more confident in their ability to situate your search without the help of a filter, they have been incrementally rolling back this feature over the past few weeks. In fact, Search Engine Land announced today that the feature is gone for good – citing a Google spokesperson who said it was getting “very little usage.”
Many SEOs who do local search would very much disagree with that statement. And historically, we used the location search filter to provide our clients with pin-point accurate SERPs. So because of this change, you may see some temporary inaccuracies in your local results within STAT.
A smart resolution in the works
After some serious brainstorming, and a lot of cups of coffee, we’ve managed to reverse-engineer a solution that’s more responsive and forward thinking in how it adapts to current and future ways that people search.
That said, we’re still working out the kinks so there may be a few temporary inconsistencies in your data over the next couple of days, but everything should be ironed out by the end of day Friday, December 4, 2015 and all your local ranks will be back to normal.
Hopefully this explains any temporary fluctuations you may see in your local rankings. If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to reach out at support@getSTAT.com.
Cheers,
The STAT Team