Google Pigeon is an algorithm that was first released by Google in July 2014. The purpose of the algorithm is to improve the quality of local search results relevant to local search queries. Specifically, Pigeon aimed to rectify the issue many faced that searches on Google’s search engine returned different results to searches on Google Maps.
In addition, Pigeon also gave a rank boost to a number of different local directory websites, such as Yelp and TripAdvisor, taking more data from these websites in order to inform its local search results, thus providing more useful content to a user.