Comments on: Next Step in Universal Search

By: Gizem Güven

Gizem Güven — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:52:42 +0000

I do agree that there needs to be a better way to finding local businesses. But some people only use one search engine to find what they need. I notice that different SERP’s may be better at finding finding local business but may not be as good as other SERP’s in locating the most update information.

By: Free Traffic Website

Free Traffic Website — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 23:12:56 +0000

I think that offline business should also be included but have a separate section such as the way Google list adwords on the right hand side…

By: KDL-46XBR8 TV Store

KDL-46XBR8 TV Store — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:34:06 +0000

By: Design

Design — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:19:32 +0000

Interesting thoughts. I’ve recently optimized a customer’s website for local phrases and they say they’ve had a significant increase in web based inquiries since doing this. It’s a consumer based business with a service that cannot be delivered online. This makes me think that there are plenty of people that are using the Internet to find local services online. I’m sure big G also realises this and will further improve their local search results in the future.

By: pittfall

pittfall — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:35:06 +0000

@Jesse

Thanks for the comment. I think that the location of the user says a lot about their vernacular and the intent behind the search, it is the intent that the engines are trying to understand, also applying the performance of the search based upon the geographical location of the searcher might be taken into consideration as well, but I am not aware that any search engine have made this claim outside of other countries.

By: Jesse James

Jesse James — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 06:20:14 +0000

I am also seeing different rankings showing up when testing from different areas of the country. One test I conducted showed a 6 rank gain (or drop) from searching in California to searching in Michigan. Very odd.

By: pittfall

pittfall — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:39:25 +0000

@Matt

I think that the user skipping over it makes sense, if they aren’t looking for a local store, but not having the map there means they don’t think that users searching for that particular keyword is actually looking for it locally. As far as the Geo Meta Tag, I think that wouldn’t take into account multiple stores, like a local restaurant that has a couple of locations and there really isn’t a standardized form of this tag either. I guess we can see. Thanks for the comment.

By: pittfall

pittfall — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:36:19 +0000

@Richard

I have seen it as well. I think that they are still trying to find the right mix and the important results that should include maps. The other is that they have been returning a search box for the keyword in a local area.

Thanks for the comment.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:25:18 +0000

I agree that the maps are showing up more often and higher in the search results, but from some research I found most people just skip over these and look at the results. Usually people go to map quest if they just need directions to a place. Maybe Google should pay attention to the geogrophy meta tag I have seen in some websites. Many small engines do but I don’t believe anyway that Google does.

By: Richard, Peacock Carter Newcastle

Richard, Peacock Carter Newcastle — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:08:27 +0000

Like Grand Rapids, I think there is a focus on local searches even now – I’ve noticed a lot higher use of the Google Local (maps) feature in SERPs than even a few months ago.

By: pittfall

pittfall — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:41:07 +0000

@Grand Rapids – Thanks for the comment.

By: Grand Rapids Website Design

Grand Rapids Website Design — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 23:24:31 +0000

I think that Search Engines have to start focusing on both online and offline queries just like you stated. More and more people are searching for things such as restaurants, banks, and other things that use to be found in the yellow pages. With this we will see a large focus on local results.