The Google Knowledge Graph Carousel has been announced Google, and has started appearing for local user searches for “restaurants, bars and other local places.” The knowledge graph carousel was announced in a Google+ post billed as it’s official release.

The knowledge graph carousel simply removes the map listing from searches, and places them above the organic results displaying images, reviews, how expensive it is, and what category it falls under. All in all, local SEO became a whole lot busier in these upcoming months. Luckily, I’ve been able to preach the necessity of getting your Google+ Business page verified and updated prior to this release, because we’re moving past the realm of just showing up in the map section of organic results. Local is now front and center, and will easily take all of the eyes away from the organic structure and place it directly on to the carousel.

This is what you see when you search “italian restaurants Pittsburgh”

Another thing that’s clear, is that these Google business pages and map listings are created with or without your consent, giving the user the ability to post reviews/comments for everyone to see. The importance of claiming these listings so you can respond and react to these situations will also be magnified now that more people will surely be clicking throughout those listings.

How to claim your Google+ business page and the Knowledge Graph Carousel

• Logged into your Google account visit this link: http://www.google.com/intl/en/+/business/
• Add all the applicable info and save the page
• Select the option to verify by postcard(if option for phone isn’t available)
• Once the post card arrives, type the link on the card and enter in the pin number, your business should then be verified.

This verification process should then merge your local map listing as well as verified Google+ business page listing. Once that’s complete, you’re then able to update information, change the business name, add blog posts, images, and anything else you can think of to help promote your business. Having this page verified is essential to providing a very good step forward in attaining customers throughout Google local search.

The knowledge graph carousel may be new, but it’s a much-needed step in the right direction for Google. Sure, it makes doing SEO that much harder, and it’s another thing to troubleshoot and figure out, but it brings the process of finding a local business away from a website, and directly into Google for the direct result.