In the past two years, local searches without the qualifier “near me” have grown 150% faster than those that include “near me.” Consumers have recognized that search engines are getting better than ever at automatically providing locally relevant information during searches.
If you want to ensure your business does well with local search, you need to stay on top of trends and local SEO updates such as these. Doing so will help you remain competitive and keep a leg up over other businesses in your area.
Below we’ll look at the latest local search services news that you should know about.
Google Business Profile Changes
Google Business Profile features have been experiencing significant changes. For example, Google Business Profile chat features and Google Business Messages are being discontinued. Review features also seem to be changing. some business owners have noticed a new streamlined layout is available for reading and replying to reviews.
Expect more changes to Google Business Profile features in the near future.
Reduced Collection of Personal Data
Recently, Google has been paying more attention to the privacy needs of its users. They are in the process of making the switch to tracking location history on devices only rather than on desktops. Google will also begin deleting previously collected information on users’ location history by default.
Google has made a commitment to reducing the collection of personal data and more changes are likely to occur in the coming months.
AI Presence in Local Searches
Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming commonplace in local search features. This is greatly affecting the way users find information online.
AI-powered summaries are becoming common. Other types of AI features will likely be rolled out and affect SEO and local search as well. Businesses may find it harder to get featured snippets and gain search traffic as Google continues to implement more AI features.
The Rise of Apple Maps
While Google Maps remains incredibly popular, other services such as Apple Maps are gaining more traction recently as well.
Taking the time to set up a business listing on Apple Maps and ensuring the address and hours of your business are correct won’t take long. However, it can potentially be well worth doing so as it grows in popularity.
Conversational Voice Search
Voice search is continuing to rise in local and national searches. It’s worth paying attention to if you’re trying to improve your SEO and gain rankings in search engines.
Ensure your website includes conversational content and copy. By doing so, your site will begin to appear more often in voice searches on mobile devices and voice-enabled devices like Amazon Alexa and Google Home.
Following the Trends in Local Search Service
To improve your website’s presence in local search, pay attention to these new and exciting local search trends. Being aware of Google Business Profile changes, AI developments, and voice search optimization are all ways you can improve your local presence in search engines
If you need help with your local search optimization strategy, get in touch with Bloom Digital Marketing. As a leading Canadian digital marketing agency since 2006, we have the skills and expertise needed to help your business grow and get discovered online.
Need a local search service? Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your business succeed.
