When Google began showing maps and local listings within search results pages, local search marketers and businesses rejoiced. Now a couple years later, Google appears to be mixing in local listings in yet another innovative way, but this time isn’t limiting such listings to geo-specific search queries.
Google is now allowing local listings, including a map and business listings, for searches that aren’t even typical local searches. For example, queries such as “attorneys” will now bring up local listings that are based on the geographic information supplied by your IP address. In many cases, the cluster of local listings for theses non-local queries can include as many as 10 business listings. These clusters are also positioned in the fourth spot and sometimes lower in the listings.
This update will no doubt be helpful for any local business, especially for car dealers. While taking the time and energy to rank for a national search term is often unnecessary due to the lack of genuine leads the added traffic will deliver, this new local search cluster may drive desired exposure regardless of having a broad or national organic ranking for your website.
With this update, Google seems to be acknowledging that local search is a huge part of all queries. With local listings now being even more prominent within Google’s Universal Search platform, it becomes more important than ever for small or local businesses to add their listing to Google’s business directory, as well as other local search directories. Getlisted.org is a great way to start this process.
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In addition to GetListed.org, a good resource is http://www.emarketingmatador.com/step-2-local-search-directories where all the local search engines, directories and data providers are listed and ranked.