Vicinity local search algorithm: What is it?

As the term suggests, it’s related to the area surrounding or near a particular place. It was an update that affected proximity. The changes corresponded with Google’s map pack layout changes. Google’s new map is now square, rather than rectangular. If your business dominated the entire market, you might have seen huge declines in SERPs that you show up in. If your brand is keyword-rich and it dominated the entire market that never should, then you might see huge drops.

You can read more about it here