It appears a new feature has arrived on Google search engine results pages, and the feature pertains to local queries by searchers. If a user searches locally for a specific product, service or keyword, they are being delivered results that show whether those keywords are included on matching websites. The information shows that local finder website mentions are very real on Google, and this has a huge impact on local SEO for small and mid-sized businesses that use the search engine to drive traffic towards their business.
There are only a few screenshots of the new feature currently available. But these screenshots clearly show that when a person searches for a phrase along with a specific city, they are shown whether the resulting companies have the specific keywords on their website. For instance, if someone is searching for used cars in Rosemont, Illinois, and they include the keywords “used cars,” they are told whether the words “used cars” are located on the website that is coming up as a search result. But what does this mean for businesses? And how will it impact the local SEO that businesses are adding to their sites?
The reason why this new feature is so important is two-fold:
Firstly, the feature is important because it now allows users to have even more detailed information when they are going online and searching for specific things. A user who wants to find a generic Chinese restaurant in their city can still do that. But if they want to find a restaurant that is serving a specific dish, they can do that too.
The second reason why this feature is so important is because it hints that Google may be using the local listing site’s content for ranking purposes. It is important to know that we have no confirmation that a site’s content is a part of their local search engine results ranking. However, if Google is aware of the content on the local business, and is using it for the purposes of its search engine results pages for local queries, it is entirely plausible that the content on said sites plays a role in their rankings.
With the information just coming out, local businesses that are quick to react can take advantage of the new feature. Not only does this mean that local businesses should pay more attention to the content they are placing on the different pages of their site, but it means that adding descriptive keywords to different pages on the site is crucial.
There are so many local businesses that just focus on getting a site up with the most basic information about the company. They believe this is enough to give people information about the business, and allow those people to either visit the business or give it a call to enquire about its products and/or service.
But now that we have some confirmation that Google is using your site’s content to create its local search engine results, it may be time for local businesses to step up their website content.
