How Will Google's Localized Results Impact Your Strategy?

Have you looked into finishing your basement? Perhaps you're like me and could not get the lawnmower to start. More and more often, the first place we look for answers is the internet. Did you know that the content Google is serving up is often coming from local companies?There is a trend where the companies with blogs located around Indianapolis are coming up more and more in our search results. It’s commonly said that content is king. But, there may be another factor. Google is promoting relevant local content over other content.

How do they do this?

First, they know the location from which are you searching. Whether you are on your smartphone or your desktop computer, they can identify your location with accuracy down to a few blocks. As for the content on the internet, websites typically have their address. Also, Google has access to Google Maps, which has become our global yellow pages and mapping system.

What are the implications?

1. It may become harder for a company with only one office in Indiana to reach companies in California with their blogs and content. For companies with multiple physical locations, they may be able to reach more people. Does this mean companies need a physical location to enter a new market in the future? Or should companies buy ad placement in new areas they want to target?
2. For companies targeting a local market, they will see an increase in local web traffic by creating helpful content on their website. This increases the value in the content created by your team for driving local sales.
3. Do you have an e-commerce site that relies on organic traffic from Google? If so, and you have several competitors, you are likely to see declining traffic and sales from locations outside of your region. Depending on the product, selling on sites like Etsy and promoting the products through channels like Pinterest and Facebook may become even more valuable.

Google is constantly tweaking their algorithm. If this localization trend continues, it could have a significant impact on inbound marketing strategies.