Google has added yet another important feature to its mobile search results that will have significant implications for local businesses. Google will now deliver results on iPhones and Android devices that take into account the user’s location.
Now, instead of getting results based solely on universal search rank, the highest ranked local pages will begin to be suggested by Google search. This makes it more important than ever for small businesses that cater to local customers to begin interacting online.
With Google’s search suggestion filter in place, local web pages and blog posts will be optimized for searches from phones that are in the area. This reduces the competition for individual keywords, making it easier and faster to implement search engine optimization for local businesses.
Granted, the feature will only affect a small percentage of searches, due to its restriction to mobile devices using two distinct operating systems. But if the feature proves to be beneficial to users and streamlines search (always one of Google’s priorities), I would not be surprised to see the feature expanded to desktop search as well.
Small business marketing plans should account for this new change by adding the city and region of the business to all targeted keywords. It appears Google will use the location information to sort results for local searches, so marketers should experiment with the new format, in case it is broadened to more total searches.
