May 2010
Local Search {0}
Location Matters in Google Search
As you may have seen recently we have been on a kick regarding the use of Google Maps and being conscious of local search result. And just to re-enforce the concept I am including a video by Matt Cutts Google’s main man for explaining Search Engine Optimisation to the rest of us.
If you don’t already realise – Google returns local search results based on where they see you and any information that they can get from you. The most popular way of doing this is to look at you IP address. This will tell Google what country and many times what city you are in. Google will then take this information and uses it as a basis for the search results that it returns. And don’t forget – they do this on Mobiles as well.
Google will return these results without you needing to be signed-in. If you happen to be signed in then Google will have all sorts of information on your search patterns, time you spend on sites, what your preferred websites might be, and a whole host of other info. They will then be able to use all of this information to determine what the most relevant search results are for you.
There is no question that the more information that you give Google during your search (be this IP address, 3-4 word search terms, cookies, database of user search history) they better your search results will be. So it is very important to take these into account when you are reviewing your websites Google listing.
Local Search Results affect SEO results.
This means that if you are trying to analyse your search results be sure to realise that Google is going to return results based on where you are. What do I mean by this? Well lets take an example. If I wanted to see how my website was being ranked by Google. The first thing I would do is Search my own website. I would use a variety of different search criteria to determine where I was being ranked.
Pretty straight forward right? Well yes – as long as I realise that to get an accurate view of what my results really are I need to realise where I am sitting. If I am sitting in London Airport doing SEO analysis on my Dublin based business – well I don’t need to tell you that we are going to see some problems. But also take into account that where in the city you are, can also affect the listings. I have personally found much more accurate local listings when using my mobile phone then when doing regular searches from my computer.
Grant you this is not always going to be the case for everyone – I use GPS tracking on my phone and use Google latitude regularly. So these will undoubtedly cause my experience to be a little different from yours. But the important point is to know what is going on when you are trying to analyse your results.
Local Results Means Google Maps Matters
Here it is again – Get on Google Maps ! I won’t stop bothering you guys about this. You do not need a Brick and Mortar building to be on Google Maps. Google is using this more and more in their search results and it shows relevance. This is important so listen up! We have clients that see their clients arrive with Google Map print outs in their cars. And you better believe that most people now days are using Google Maps on their phone. So Get on there!
Local Results Mean Hosting Matters
If you are a client of ours then you don’t need to keep reading because we do this without even telling you. For all the rest of you looking for cheap hosting in the USA or China – Remember that Google cares where your website is. If Google sees that your website is sitting in Baltimore USA – it is going to assume that you are based in USA and thus your customers are in the US.
This is equally true for if you are hosted in Baltimore Cork. Google will see that you are in Ireland and say – “Well I better consider returning this website to people that are in Ireland”. So If you are worried about SEO results think Local and make your changes accordingly.
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