Pigeon (local search update)
Rebuilt local ranking so that traditional web ranking signals, including links and on-page factors, applied more directly to local results.
What changed
Pigeon tied the local results stack more closely to Google's core web ranking signals and changed distance and location handling, which shifted many local packs and shrank the geographic radius for some queries. Directories such as Yelp and TripAdvisor gained visibility, while some small local sites lost it. Google confirmed a local change had happened but did not publish a name or detailed guidance; the name was coined by Search Engine Land. It rolled out in US English first and reached other English markets in December 2014.
Timing
Rollout began 24 July 2014. No completion date was announced. Rankings typically remain unstable for the whole rollout window, so measurements taken inside it are not a reliable read on the outcome.