Bretts Marketing Bytes

Google recently released the new Google mobile application for the iphone and BlackBerry. After much hype, I finally had the chance to upload the app to my new iphone.
In a nutshell, this application allows users to voice their search terms instead of typing them into their device. I have to tell you, this is really useful when driving.  Aside from some minor issues that I had getting it to recognize certain terms, the app is pretty solid. But what I found most interesting, is how it pulls search results.

The Google mobile app uses the GPS in your phone to recognize the location that you are searching from to pull up relevant searches in that area. This is a neat concept if you are looking for pizza, or movie times. But what about companies who rely on organic results for lead generation? I did some experimenting to find out what this means for them.

During my experiment I used three searches. The first two were very similar with a city name included in the search. My third search excluded the city name. Here are my results.

First search: I vocalized the term, SEO Buffalo NY into my iphone and it brought up the Google local results first. This is because it was pulling from the geographical location that my internal GPS was giving it.

Second search: I spoke the term,  Search Engine Optimization Buffalo into my phone. Again, the same local results came up. This is no surprise as both of these searches include the city name of Buffalo in them.

Third Search: I spoke the term, Doggie Daycare without the city name into my phone and guess what happened? It displayed all of the local results for doggie daycare in the location closest to me. Pretty neat huh? I think so.

What does this mean for businesses trying to utilize Search Marketing as a way to market their products or services? It means that you better get into Google local if you are not already.  You should also start GEO targeting your keywords if your business lends itself to this type of search.

It’s not just mobile devices

There is also one more piece to this puzzle. Google has been fiddling around with the local element for a while. In fact, you will not only see this on your mobile device but on your desktop as well.

When you do a search for the term pizza, it will automatically pull up the local results in your area. You won’t even have to type the city that you are in.

Google recognizes your location by utilizing your computer IP address. By using this unique address, the search engine knows that you are in a certain geographic location. This has made it easier for companies wishing to rank their business in the city they are located in. It has also made me think about where search is headed.

After seeing this first hand, I honestly believe that we are in for a whole new set of rules as mobile devices become more prevalent in the marketplace. For those of you utilizing search marketing, start tracking the trends of mobile marketing as it is truly the future of search and the Internet as a whole.

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