It looks like Google is making some changes to the local search results again. LocalSEOGuide.com spotted changes in the search results on July 30 that indicate a new direction from Google.
When you click on the reviews link for a local listing, an overlay pops up instead of taking you to the business’s Google+ page.
Andrew Shotland of Local SEO Guide gave his initial commentary on the new functionality, including the following:
“There’s a review sort and a prominent ‘write a review’ button. Pro Tip: Google wants you to write a review.”
On the same day Shotland posted his discovery, we saw a Google+ post from Google Local New York about Google City Experts, a new program that incentivizes reviews on Google Maps:
On a similar note, Google also plans to kill the Google+ Local app for iOS on August 7 in favor of the Google Maps app for Android.