What is Local Search?
The Internet has continued to grow since its inception. First, it was a new porthole of shopping and information. But, the problem has always been sorting though the data to find what you are looking for in the first place.
Google revolutionized the web. It designed an algorithm that sorted the web and brought to you the most relevant possible answer to your question. The primary answer was following the links and finding the nodes of information. A node is a hub of activity. It is similar to a town center. All the roads lead to the town center and that is where the most activity occurs. Google followed the roads or links and found the specific town center that most answers your inquiry.
Google does not do this out of the goodness of their heart. They knew if you could answer any question with a specific answer and not waste time then people would keep coming back. Google then turned their search portal into an information machine. Advertisers can now target a specific ad for specific audience.
For example, an advertiser for an auto parts dealer could erect a billboard along a major highway to lure customers to its store. It would receive tremendous exposure. But it would not be very targeted. But what if you get could get an ad for your auto parts dealer in front of someone who is actively looking for information about auto parts. When you type in auto parts dealer Chicago il on Google.com, Google returns an answer to you question and also targeted ads. Placing a targeted ad to an active customer results in the most conversions. It is your best chance to obtain a new customer.
Search engines have evolved to capture local search inquiries. They noticed some important trends.
- 30% of all search inquiries are by local consumers.
- 70% of all households consult the web.
- 85% of yellow page users also use online searches.
- 33% growth rate in local searches last year.
Local businesses need to find the customers and the customers are online. Learning how to find them online is now more important than ever.