Search engine giant Google states that they have released an update that affects how local search results will be generated.
In a process that began early in November, Google is now implementing neural matching to local search results, which enables them to better understand the general meaning behind searches and match them to the local businesses that are the most relevant. This is the case even if the keywords in the search itself aren’t specifically included in the name and description of the business.
Below is a post from the official Twitter account of Google Search Liaison regarding the update:
“In early November, we began making use of neural matching as part of the process of generating local search results. Neural matching allows us to better understand how words are related to concepts. Neural matching is an AI-based system Google began using in 2018 primarily to understand how words are related to concepts. It’s like a super-synonym system. Synonyms are words that are closely related to other words.”
What that means, essentially, is that there are some listings for businesses that may now be surfaced for searches that they normally wouldn’t have appeared for prior to Google launching this specific update.
Google further states that even though the update itself has officially launched, the local search results that are currently being displayed the way they currently are now are in no way finalized. They say that these results will end up changing as time goes on.
Google has yet to go into more detail in regards to what extent local search results will actually be impacted by this new update; however, they did confirm that the update that was recently launched was a global one that affects all countries and languages.
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