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Google Updates the Local Pack - Like it?

Now instead of showing 7 local results, Google shows 3.

What does this mean for number 4 and so on....well less calls and sales says this article.

What are you going to do to get into the top 3 spots?

This should force even more dealers to finally pay closer attention to the consistency and quality of their local citations.

NAP records (Name, Address & Phone #'s) need to be managed - this was a newer ranking factor introduced in the Pigeon update last Summer. Unfortunately, it seemed as if it was given enough emphasis.

I covered several local optimization items in a webinar last year, the local info starts on page 17 of the deck:



Who knows if this new grouping will last or if it's just a temporary move by Google, either way, it should act as a motivator to get your local presence as tight as possible.
 
I ran some experiments with this for both automotive and non-automotive clients.
After adding proper location data across all sources I could find (a list I found on these forums) we saw a substantial bump in location.
I still have a ways to go and I'm tracking it extensively, but it does appear that more location data across the web can absolutely help with the map results.

The other thing I noticed quite a bit is that they change substantially for each keyword.
ie: ford dealer vs ford dealership
The results on the map for many of the searches I did would have 2 of the 3 results be entirely different with the one word change.
 
I ran some experiments with this for both automotive and non-automotive clients.
After adding proper location data across all sources I could find (a list I found on these forums) we saw a substantial bump in location.
I still have a ways to go and I'm tracking it extensively, but it does appear that more location data across the web can absolutely help with the map results.

The other thing I noticed quite a bit is that they change substantially for each keyword.
ie: ford dealer vs ford dealership
The results on the map for many of the searches I did would have 2 of the 3 results be entirely different with the one word change.

Do you mean adding location variations to the search query or set the search location of Google?
We get a ton of different SERP fluctuations for "used cars for sale" "used car dealer" "used car dealerships" and so forth.
 
Do you mean adding location variations to the search query or set the search location of Google?
We get a ton of different SERP fluctuations for "used cars for sale" "used car dealer" "used car dealerships" and so forth.

Changing the search query. For example, I have a client with the following, assuming my location is set to their city.

CITY Ford - ranks #1
CITY Ford Dealer - ranks #4
Ford Dealer - ranks #2
Ford Dealership - ranks #3
Ford Store - ranks #1
etc

I'm also seeing these rankings change on a daily/weekly basis. I'm wondering if they are intentionally cycling through them or not.