The Importance of Local Search Optimisation
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Local search optimisation is a subset of SEO or Search Engine Optimisation as we know it. As its name suggests, it is chiefly based on targeting localised searches for a particular product or service. In this day and age, where it is increasingly becoming more and more important to discover a niche for one’s business, one needs to up one’s game as much as possible. In this connection, a few points are mentioned below which should get your attention:
Google Has an Affinity for Promoting Local Businesses
As the years have progressed, it has been observed that Google has a proclivity of displaying slight favouritism toward companies, which are newly springing up on the horizon of the internet world. Though a huge part of its ranking algorithm is related to brand history and reputation, Google also attaches a lot of importance to localised search preferences. Thus, it serves up more nimble and newer brands for viewers to feast their senses on.
This also means empowering the owners of small businesses. Since a majority of small businesses have very restricted access to the resources, there is more potential in breaking new ground. Google has always been known for providing free tools for assisting companies in getting trade and a customer base online. Google Analytics, Google AdWords, Webmaster Tools etc. make for a few good examples. All these exist for the sole purpose of helping companies in increasing their visibility online.
Results are Getting More Individualised as the Days Go by
Google also places a lot of emphasis upon providing the people with individualised results, which cater to their needs. It’s true that it’s customised and highly prediction-based search features are completely limited at present. Presently, the search engine can generate specific and highly particular results which follow the search patterns and search preferences of a particular person, who uses Google to search very often. As long as the person is logged into their Google account, their search history and the geographic location both are huge factors which decide the search suggestions that they receive.
Over the years and days, Google is slowly growing to be much more sophisticated and refined; and as is natural, users would start to demand results which are even more custom-made or individualised. Local search optimisation, thus, will grow further in scope and importance.
Mobile and Wearable Devices are Coming More into Vogue
Over the years, the number of Google searches done through mobile devices (such as Smartphones and Tablets) has grown by leaps and bounds. And as all of us know, the majority of mobile searches are normally done while one is on the go. With the advent of various wearable devices, such as the Apple Watch to cite an example, users will increase the frequency of the go-to searches a lot more; and with needs that are highly specific and urgent.
Therefore, it is inevitable that proximity-based searches would be increasing in terms of popularity, and all the localised searches would be based on super-specific and exclusively marked-out locations, compared to regional or neighbourhood-specific bases. In effect, super-specific locations should be searched and targeted in terms of optimisation; hence, devices would have to shore up on a more geographically relevant network of information and get rid of all the remaining barriers that exist between the physical and digital worlds.
Competition is Ever-Increasing
Competition is ever-increasing in the field of digital commerce or e-commerce. Every single day, lots of new sites are born, and new businesses emerge to become competitive enterprises. Therefore, potential search visibility is on the decline in many places. Features such as the Knowledge Graph are slowly and steadily taking over search engine results pages (SERPs) and blue chip brands are emerging as dominant.
In such circumstances, business owners are forced to target niches so that they can achieve the much-needed visibility.
If you were looking for reasons to concentrate exclusively on local search optimisation, then all the aforementioned points should provide you with the answer and more. As days go, local SEO will further grow in importance, in the face of increasing competition and enhanced demands for quality and immediate gratification.
