With the ongoing rise of mobile searches, searches including the term ‘near me’ are becoming more and more commonplace. According to Google, every month people visit 1.5 billion destinations related to a search. Importantly, the term ‘near me’ is now suggested by Google as people type their queries into the search bar if Google feels there is a benefit to adding geographical location.
This type of search is not new, in fact ‘near me’ searches began around 2015 for restaurants with the retail market seeing them adopted a year later. It will come as no surprise that the vast majority of these searches are carried out on a mobile device.
In these search instances, loyalty is forgotten and convenience often triumphs. Google reports that 65% of people look for the most relevant information, regardless of the company providing it, when they search on their phone. This means you should be aware of what your customer needs, and give it to them quickly. 90% of phone searchers are not aware of the specific brand they are interested in when they search, making it all the more important that your business is the first thing they are seeing.
What can be done?
Considering this style of Search has been gaining in popularity, and is showing no sign of stopping, it is worth paying attention to. How (and whether) we can optimise to this fully, based on the fact that your position will depend on how close your business/store is to the person searching, is currently debatable. However, there are a few basic things that everyone who has seen a ‘near me’ search should be considering.
- First make sure your website is fully responsive and mobile friendly. By 2020, it is estimated that mobile searches will have a role in 80% of purchases.
- Ensure you have Google My Business set up and optimised.
- Definitely, definitely, definitely have location extensions.
- Make sure you are not missing those generic searches. Do not rely on brand only when it comes to ‘near me’ searches.
- If you rely a lot on offline conversions, consider location based campaigns.
- Customise your landing pages for location, this is really important for a successful Google Adwords campaign
- Make sure the wording you are showing is relevant to people who are coming into your store.
- Always think about your customer. If you are a restaurant looking for telephone bookings – have a call extension.
Get in touch with us today to found out how we can help you optimise for near me searches.
Tel 0191 2802023
Email john@bigpurplebox.co.uk