ses 2014 - local search - bigger than you think
DESCRIPTION
Locally orientated searches account for over 1/3 of the 2 trillion searches every year on Google. My presentation @ SES 2014 covers why this has happened and what you can do to maximise thisTRANSCRIPT
Pete YoungSearch DirectorMediaCom i-Lab UK & Ireland
Local search – bigger than you think
Back in 2011
Local impacts a huge proportion of searches
1 in 3searches have local intent
Source: Ed Parsons: Google 2013
2,161,530,000,000a year
There are
Source: Google Official History / Comscore - http://www.statisticbrain.com/google-searches/
720,510,000,000a year
That equates to
1,974,000,000
a day
or
20%of queries on
desktop
Local accounts for around
Over 50%of queries are local
On mobile – that’s even higher
Mobile penetration has doubled in 2 years
Source: Google: Our Mobile Planet
2011 2012 20130.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
This affects certain verticals more than others
Vertical Mobile Penetration(including tablets)
Gaming 35%
Travel 46%
Automotive 43%
Finance – BankingFinance - Insurance
24%28%
49%Search on their smartphone
every day
Source: Google: Our Mobile Planet
37%13%
Search for local information at least once a week
Source: Google: Our Mobile Planet
Look for local information daily
58%27%
Search for local information at least once a week
Source: Google: Our Mobile Planet US
Look for local information daily
57%21%
Search for local information at least once a week
Source: Google: Our Mobile Planet US
Look for local information daily
Whilst searchers aren’t necessarily searching for local content, global considerations are
increasingly influencing your search experience
“Shopping Centre”
Explicit query
“Shopping Centre”
Explicit query
iPad User, in Manchester
Implicit query
Modern day search is more than just the searched phrase
The introduction of Venice means that we cannot rely on a single source of truthbrighton Manchester Westminster blackpoolhttp://www.which.co.uk http://www.which.co.uk http://www.which.co.uk http://www.which.co.uk
http://www.ceswindows.co.uk http://en.wikipedia.org http://www.directwindowco.com http://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.malbernwindows.co.uk http://www.brightwindows.co.uk http://www.directwindowco.com http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
http://maps.google.co.uk http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk http://maps.google.co.uk http://www.weatherseal.co.uk
http://www.elitewindows.co.ukhttp://www.lordshipdoubleglazing.co.uk http://www.yell.com http://www.everest.co.uk
http://www.yell.com http://www.weatherseal.co.uk http://www.abelglass.co.uk http://www.anglianhome.co.uk
http://www.clearviewhome.co.ukhttp://www.summitdoubleglazing.com
http://www.jardineconservatories.co.uk http://www.fensa.co.uk
http://www.didsburyglass.co.uk http://www.squareglazing.co.uk http://www.jcwindows.com http://www.ggf.org.uk
http://en.wikipedia.org http://www.everest.co.ukhttp://www.doubleglazingblackpool.com http://www.dgcos.org.uk
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk http://www.nolanglass.com http://en.wikipedia.orghttp://www.lancashiredoubleglazing.co.uk
http://www.weatherseal.co.uk - http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk -
Source: GroupM/Experian Keyword Study - 2013
Travel Retail Automotive Finance Insurance0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Keyword Breakdown by Vertical
Organic Clicks Positions 10+
Organic Clicks Position 10
Organic Clicks Position 9
Organic Clicks Position 8
Organic Clicks Position 7
Organic Clicks Position 6
Organic Clicks Position 5
Organic Clicks Position 4
Organic Clicks Position 3
Organic Clicks Position 2
Organic Clicks Position 1
Paid Search Clicks
Unsuccessful Searches
Coverage above the fold is crucial to generating the click
Source: Google: Eye Tracking Study 2012
This is even more important on mobile
Your resultset is increasingly localised across the board
Certain results are “hyperlocal”
Increasing interactivity through local
That functionality can be further expanded to include more interactivity
http://www.manchesterbusinessphotos.co.uk/tourdash-your-google-virtual-tour-evolved/
Getting yourself in the local results isnt difficult Ensure you claim all relevant
addresses
Make sure you spend time
associating your entries with
appropriate categories – particularly
the primary category
Make sure you provide as much
information as you can with
particular focus on:
Opening Hours
Contact Details
Photos & Videos if available
Payment
Location + Relevance + Engagement = Local Visibility Location
Proximity to location of search (specified or inferred)
Relevance
Business Name
Categories (in paritcular primary category)
Engagement
Quantity of Reviews
Secondary citations
Interaction
The do’s and don’ts of local search
DO
Spend time choosing the most
appropriate category for your
locations
Use Local Telephone numbers
where possible
Reference your Google+ Local
pages from the relevant local
content on site
Encourage reviews via Google+
Local via integration with wider
CRM activity
Don’t
Don’t keyword stuff – its so 1999
Use of irrelevant keywords in your
business title is not advised
Limit use of non-specified
categories. Spammy categories can
actually work against you
Don’t just leave things once you’ve
finished submitting your info –
that’s just the start….
Reviews are increasingly important for social proofing
Shared endorsements are only going to get bigger
Organic Local can only take you so far … to get more granular, PPC can provide some quick, easy and scalable wins
One of the biggest reasons is this
Before you start…..
External tools such as GA, Adwords,
Hitwise, TGI and Moasic can guide
potential opportunities
Always cross reference with internal
data where possible
Offline vs Online
Proximity Analysis (particularly
against offline data)
Click vs Conversion
Test, learn, refine
And then choose the right tool for the job
Local Extensions
Location based
upweights
Localised campaigns
List based retargeting
So where do we go from here….
Glass may have a big part to play in the future of Local
Local integration with wider Google products
Google becomes the aggregator for more products
To conclude
If you haven’t got Local as part of your current
strategy – get cracking
Local search isn’t one dimensional – utilise both
paid and organic opportunities to maximise
share of traffic
Make sure you verify your places – 3 weeks and
counting
Make sure you include Google+ Local reviews as
part of your CRM Strategy – this is only going to
get more and more important
Google is the new landing page …..
The beauty of paid search is in the flexibility
Localised campaigns
Where local is a factor in the
customer journey (ie Travel –
Airport)
High volume sectors where volume
is unlikely to impact quality score
Where conversion could be
significantly improved by the usage
of local relevance
Bid Upweights by location
Useful where local is not a direct
factor in the customer journey
Particularly useful for tactical
activity
Localised Television
Locallised doordrops/inserts etc
90%Of mobile users took action after
performing a local search !
Source: Google: Mobile Playbook - http://ssl.gstatic.com/think/docs/action-after-searching_statistics.pdf