Proximity for local intent searches
-
Based in the UK, I can see clear differences in search results for terms that Google considers have local intent, based on location. I'm interested in the community's experience of how far in distance local intent reaches. Does it depend on the search?, e.g. If I search for restaurant will it have a different local intent radius to a coffee shop etc.
-
I'd disagree that it's fully on or fully off based on my experience, but I'm sure that it's different depending on country, ability for Google to judge location/intent etc.
-
Hi Greg, thanks for taking the time to reply. I've outlined some further thoughts on my investigations around the size of the radius Google is using when considering local intent in my comments to Dana. Interested in other members experiences.
-
Hi Dana, that's an interesting insight about the major competitor outside the city limits. Most of my focus has been on results that don't offer Google Places/Google+ Local but still have local intent. It appears that the ranking boost from local intent is either fully-on or fully-off, because I can rank #1 for approx 40miles from the location of this particular service, but at 50 miles I'm on page 3. I am carrying on my testing, just interested in other members experiences.
-
Hi Blaine, Dana,
Good remark Dana. These competitors that are further away from the Centroid are the interesting ones to study since they probably have done something very well in order to overcome the bias... number of reviews (keywords in reviews?), great citations, incoming geographic anchor text, etc.
-
Hi Blaine,
Can you please explain what you mean by "how far in distance local intent reaches"?
In the case of Google, your browser (desktop) will by default detect your location and then return results based on this. So if it detects that you are based in for example "Burnley" it will return pages and "places" (Local Pack) that are relevant as to your search (keyword) and location. There indeed is a Centroid Bias whereby Google will privilege organisations with a physical address closer to what Google Maps considers the centre of the location (town/city) your search originates from... Is this what you were referring to?
You probably knew all this already and I just stated the obvious... which then in turn means I probably didn't understand the question
Cheers
Greg
-
In my experience, the area covered by the result map depends entirely on the results that Google feels are relevant. Here, I've seen a map far wider than the size of the city for a specific search because there's a major competitor outside the city limits.
Try searching for things that are a bit more industrial and therefore outside the city limits (usually) and see how it varies from the more neighbourhood-specific searches like coffee shop.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Webmaster tools search analytics - can you get current position (not average ) to show with out having to click through
We are working using Webmaster tools position, then pages. Looking at the average position to improve our page rankings. A lot of our pages are already moving up quite well, so the average is not reflecting the current position Is there a way we can see the current page rank rather that an average, with out having to click through each search, (position, then pages etc.) it is quite time consuming.
Image & Video Optimization | | CostumeD0 -
Any Legit Local Address Services Out There?
I have a client who lives in the UK but runs a US ecommerce site. I'd still like to get him some local trust signals but he has no options when it comes to getting an address here. Has anyone found a reputableplace where you can rent an address that isn't already being used by umpteen other companies?
Image & Video Optimization | | iAnalyst.com0 -
Local SEO: Ste vs. Suite vs. #
Hi, I used the spelled out "Suite" in my local NAP, but sometimes it's been shortened to Ste by citation websites. I'm trying to remain consistent here Should I use Ste H, Suite H, or #H? This is a good article on it: http://localsearchforum.catalystemarketing.com/google-local-citations/1605-suite-vs-ste-vs-your-citation-addresses-2.html but I'd still like your opinion.
Image & Video Optimization | | BobGW0 -
Google+ Local City Centroid Bias
It's well-known that Google has a bias towards businesses located closest to the center of the city being searched in. How can you tell where exactly Google considers to be the center of the city? I think that the way is to just search the city name on Google Maps and the marker will appear at where they consider the center of the city to be but just wanted to double check on that first.
Image & Video Optimization | | ChaseCameron0 -
Google Local Page Not Showing in Search Results
Hi! I am having an issue with our business's Google+/Local/Places/whatever-the-heck-you-call-it-these-days page not showing up in search results. I work for a company called Nexxtep Technology Services. We are located in Valdosta, GA. We have a Google+ page that's filled out nicely and I would love it if it would show up next to the search results when you search "nexxtep technology services" or "nexxtep valdosta" in Google. For some reason, it does not. I have a feeling what might be a source of the issue...we have developed and hosted websites for clients, and we used to put a link to our site in the footer. Now, I know that's not a good thing to do. We don't do that anymore, and I have since removed those links from existing sites. I removed them almost 6 weeks ago now. Should I give Google a little more time to crawl these sites again? Any guidance would be tremendously appreciated. Thank you for your help!
Image & Video Optimization | | nexxtep0 -
Tips for local link building?
Hello Mozzers, Working on a site that has locations around the country and is targeting words like "city name+long tail keyword". They're fairly well optimized on-site, so we're working on recommending localized content but could use some advice for link building. Beyond Google places, what have you guys seen that works?
Image & Video Optimization | | RiseSEO0 -
Local Keyword vs Business Name in URL
I am working with a local business owner who has purchased multiple domains. One includes the geographic area she serves and the type of business she runs. The other includes her business name and the type of business she runs. She is unsure of which domain she would like to use as the main URL for her business website. When choosing a domain for a small, local business, would you consider it advantageous to have the main geographic area that the business serves in the URL rather than the actual name of the business? What would be the best use of domain name which isn't selected from a SEO standpoint?
Image & Video Optimization | | Neustop0 -
Do search enginges prefer pages with mobile websites on the mobile phone?
Let me explain what I want to know: Somebody searches e.g. for a hotel on his mobile phone. Do the search engines rank websites with special mobile pages better than others? I am not considering the local factor here (let's say there are hotels nearby with or without mobile websites). If not, is there a trend for that? Does anyone have some datas / examples / experience about that?
Image & Video Optimization | | petrakraft1