There may have been a local ranking algorithm update that Google quietly pushed out on Thursday, January 4th. The BrightLocal Local RankFlux tool showed a significant spike in volatility on Thursday, and some local SEOs have confirmed seeing ranking changes for their clients around then.

The BrightLocal Local RankFlux tool showed a 5.92 Flux score last Thursday, here is a screenshot:

I asked if any local SEOs noticed ranking changes here are some of the responses:

There was a confirmed change with the openness signal in local ranking weeks ago. So this might be unrelated to that?

Have any of you noticed local ranking changes in Google Search and Google Maps?

Update: Superheated again on Tuesday, Janaury 9th:

Forum discussion at X.