What are the drivers for local search?

In the earliest days of the telephone, everyone in London could be captured in a single telephone book. Similarly, in the earliest days of the internet, all meaningful websites in the world could be recorded in single publications. However, where we stand in 2008, the web is going increasingly local! There are three main factors driving this:

1. The increasing number of websites – now that almost all local businesses have a website, more and more internet searches are locally-qualified.
2. The mass-market availability of GPS – with reliable GPS available to individual users at low cost and even lower weights puts genuine local-based services within the reach of everyone
3. The emergence of a genuine mobile internet – with the latest generation of 3G phones – and WiMax to come – users of mobile devices have genuinely fast access to internet content on the move

What is Google Street View?

Google Street View is function available from within Google Maps; Google’s Local Search interface. Google take pictures of streets and add them to online maps to let people see what locations look like. The technology allows users to view 360 degree, panormaic pictures of streets and buildings with the roll of a mouse – then virtually travel up and down a route.

First launched in the US in May 2007, the service gave views of five cities. Since then, Google have expanded the service to many other locations in the US (see here) and, in July 2008, some limited locations in France & Italy were also added. Google plan to make available several major cities in Japan and Australia from early August.

There are many possible applications of the technology. Flat hunters can look at possible addresses & neighbourhoods before deciding whether to bother with a physical inspection visit. Shoppers can investigate a whole (new) high street to see if they would enjoy shopping there.

Controversy: Privacy Issues

Privacy advocates have objected to Google Street View. Many blogs and “humour sites” have featured embarrassing shots. Wikipedia quote incidents such as “men leaving strip clubs, protesters at an abortion clinic, sunbathers in bikinis, cottagers at public parks, parents hitting their children, males picking up prostitutes” and more.

UK rights group Privacy International have raised worries about Street View and, in particular, the risk of identification of people on the service; potentially a breach of the data protection laws in many European countries. “In our view they need a person's consent if they make use of a person's face for commercial ends," said Simon Davies, of Privacy International, in an interview with BBC News.

“We’ve always said we will not launch in UK until we are comfortable Street View complies with local law,” commented a Google spokesperson, “and that we will use technology, like face-blurring, license plate blurring and operational controls, such as image removal tools, so Street View remains useful and in keeping with local norms wherever it is available.”

In a separate statement, Google added: "We think this type of privacy-enabling technology is the best way of meeting the challenge of continuing to respect people's expectation of privacy, while not stifling the development of new products and services that everyone can enjoy and benefit from."

In a statement, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in the UK said it had sought further clarification from Google about the safeguards prior to launch. It was satisfied that “Google are keen to capture images of streets and not individuals” and that technologies, to blur faces and registration plates, were sufficient to allay worries about privacy.

The issues seem likely to continue, not least because of the very visible presence of Google’s fleet of black Vauxhall Astras, complete with hugh protuberances, making their way up and down a street near you.

So what do I think?

Menace or miracle of modern technology? Well, I tend to think that (as Spock said often in the Star Trek movies) “the needs of the many (must) outweigh the needs of the few”. We will all find Street View useful from time-to-time and only a very few of us will ever be disadvantaged by it. Even when that happens, we can readily request Google take an image down (if it offends).

The real question is “can one take advantage of this new technology”? What are the implications for Website Promotion in general or search engine optimisation in particular? In the next section, I consider what I think are the key issues from an SEO standpoint.

The Future of Search: Ever more local and nowhere to Hide!

Google are very serious about local search. As I indicated earlier, all the drivers are towards people (a) making many more searches that are locally qualified, and (b) making many more of these searches on the move (from location-enabled mobile devices and smartphones).

Imagine, for example, that you are a restaurateur or hotel-keeper. When people search for a place to eat or stay, they are increasingly making use of Google Maps to do so! There is evidence that Yellow Pages (and the Yell website) are suffering badly from Google’s encroachment into their market. Princeton based local advertising research firm MediaPost have (in January 2008) measured the falloff in usage of newspapers and print Yellow Pages at 10% per year; much higher than the 2%-3% fade rate seen in preceding years.

Whilst Street View gets a lot of media attention, there is a much quieter revolution going on with Google Maps that has the potential to be much more life-changing for the average business owner; the incorporation of customer reviews. Try searching for the Landmark Hotel in London. At time of writing, this is what you will see:

Notice how there are 15 user reviews already, from sites including laterooms.com, fastbooking.co.uk and more. There are also photos, videos and lots of other user content. When combined with a Google Street View, this presents the internet user with a lot of information with which to make a buying decision!

The implications? Well, if you have a shabby looking hotel in a poor neighbourhood that your customers rate badly, then you are likely to find your future business prospects are not good! No matter how much manipulation of the reviews you might try to undertake, the truth will out! There is literally nowhere to hide!

SEO Planning Implications

There was a time when your business could operate from a bedroom and every new customer was like a slate wiped clean. These times have gone. There are several important planning points that you should take into account now – and get ahead of the wave of local search visibility which is already breaking across our bows:

• Think carefully about your business address. Are you in a good part of town? A good building? What would your customers think if they could take in a “drive past” view? Consider use of virtual office space in a Regus building or other serviced office in preference to your garage or lean-to!
• Pay attention to your reviews. Even regular “service” businesses (like consulting firms) can be reviewed these days (on sites like qype.com and others). Restaurants may be in the firing line today – but you might be tomorrow. Take control of your reputation now! If you have done a good job for a customer, get them to post a great review on Qype or elsewhere. You might need these good reviews to offset the bad!
• Are you even present on Google Maps? If not, pay a visit to the Google Local Business Centre and add your business details. You will need to verify your address by post-and-pin. Make sure you use a good (keyword-rich) title and chose an appropriate business category.

Conclusions

In these days of local search, there is really nowhere left to hide for the under-performing business! Take control of how your business looks to the web user – and most importantly, take control of your reputation. If you do not act now, your competitors will be certain to out-manoeuvre you!