A WebmasterWorld thread reports that Google may be scaling down the use of the local 7 pack of Google Maps results for some very local specific queries.
One full member at WebmasterWorld said:
Up until a day or two ago, many queries we track that would normally spawn the Google Places 7-pack, have changed. Logged in or logged out of Google services, the local Google Places 7-pack is harder to make come up.cityname pizza - cityname plumber - cityname locksmith - cityname product, etc.
It seems like Google has turned back a few dials on the queries, to lessen the chance Google Places would automatically spawn.
Personally, I still see the 7-pack for most local queries, here is an example:
It wouldn't surprise me to see Google scale this back with all the anti-trust stuff going on now.
Back in 2009, Google pulled back on this from 10 to 7 local results and then at little later removed SEOs and designers from the local pack completely.
Do you see Google downscaling the local pack in your search results.
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.
