You may be asking, “How will the new updates impact local search engine optimization initiatives?” Aside from basic changes to the appearance by updating the color scheme, creating icons and expanding the size of the map to fill the entire screen, there are a few changes to the new Google Map that will likely have an impact on local SEO. Here’s what you can expect:

1. Removal of the left hand navigation: If you have not received an invite to experience the new Google Maps, you have yet to see the extremities that have gone into updating the design and functionality of the map — including the removal of the left navigation which displayed similar search results.

What does that mean for search engine optimizers? Where we once saw markers A-J popping up on the map and the left side of the screen as the only form of ranking results, ranking order on the new map is displayed very differently and does not correctly correspond with web search results.

Listings displayed by top reviewers allow you to discover new places based on others’ recommendations, while your circles will display the best places and businesses based on reviews specific to the people within your Google+ social circles. The third option of discovering places within the map can be found by clicking “Go to list of top results”, which is the most similar option to the left side navigation that was removed from the new design.

2. More emphasis on reviews and ratings: You may have heard that content is king, which it is! But in the world of local search, reviews are king. When clicked on, the typical red markers hovering over the search results display red star ratings, which are now present on search results, Google+ pages and on the map itself.

3. Google+ Local: The need for Google+ is ever-more prominent — and you thought this would be a passing fad? In fact, the need for a Google+ page is more relevant to online marketing now than ever before. As Google has made it clear-the more you use the new Google Maps, the better and more accurate it becomes in guiding your search results based on previous reviews and ratings which are collected through Google+.

4. Maps are personalized to the user: The new map is built specific to each user. Not only does it pull results based on ranking factors such as search popularity, total reviews and your location which SEO’s work hard to improve; it also focuses on search history and personal preferences.