Local Search ‘Becoming More Important to Businesses’

by Mike Essex on 29th October 2010

The arrival of Google's new Place Search service should have an impact on the online strategies of businesses.

This is the suggestion of Search Engine Land contributor Jon Schepke, who said that Google's merging of organic and local search signifies an important shift in the way the company displays information following user queries.

"Many businesses that rely on organic traffic to drive revenue are going to be impacted by the changes in the coming days," he forecast.

Mr Schepke told users of SEO services that their campaigns should be adjusted to utilise long and short-tail keywords, encourage online customer reviews and include relevant Places categories.

He added that it may also be a good idea to integrate brand-approved videos and photos on to a company website.

Under the new system, more relevant results will be contained on search pages, with reviews of businesses linked to the map of their location.