With the use of Candidate Cards, Google Posts debuted in January to help candidates get their messages and issues front and center to searchers. Candidate Cards offer candidates the opportunity to communicate directly to voters and control some of the content in search about them.
Google is now experimenting with this new technology to create Local Cards for local businesses. The intent of Local Cards, powered by Google Posts, is to allow the business or their marketing partner/agency to communicate something directly in search results.
Having control and getting the information to searchers is great, but what about organic traffic?
Perhaps Google Posts is Google’s replacement for Google Plus; perhaps it is an extension of the Knowledge Graph. Either way, it’s a game changer for Local SEO, organic traffic, and social media.
Local Cards are large and distracting, and they’re the main thing searchers will see for specific queries on desktop and mobile devices. Whether it’s for a business name search or a non-branded business category search, Local Cards are created from snippets of content that organizations publish in the Google Posts platform.
For websites that are currently part of Google’s experiment, the Local Cards appear just below paid search ads, where we normally see local packs and maps listings. The addition of space for a fourth paid search ad, along with the potential to insert a Local Card, will have a significant impact on decreasing organic search levels. The traditional properties you would likely see in the local space–local packs, Yelp, Yellowpages, etc.–are being pushed below the fold, along with other organic listings.
So less organic traffic is a bad thing, but getting in front of searchers is a good thing, right?
Rather than waiting around and hoping Google uses your valuable content in the Knowledge Graph or Answer Boxes, early adopters can directly publish content on their own. You’ll have prominent displays in Google search engine results pages; however, like Knowledge Graph snippets, these clicks won’t lead users to your website. Instead, they’ll help with branding, awareness, and sharing valuable information, which will hopefully lead to more referral traffic. Social media managers will love it because it’s another platform to share content and increase brand awareness for their clients.
Want to get in on the Google Posts action? Sign up to join the Wait List today.
