Google Local Search Explained!

Get your business found in Local Search Business Listings in Auckland

Local search is one of the most important aspects of marketing today, especially for small businesses. It has become a great equalizer that allows small and mid-sized businesses to stand toe-to-toe with large corporations with a massive budget. Marketers refine their ad campaigns and techniques to ensure their clients get on the local-2 pack, which was the local-7 pack a few years ago. When the change from 7 listings to 2 listings was made, the industry wasn’t happy but the market has now adjusted to it.

What’s Local-2 Pack?

Local 2-pack is essentially a list of two local businesses displayed at the top of the search engine results page. They’re a part of a list of a number of businesses located in the locality of the search user and are placed organically on the list. The search results depend entirely on the IP address of the search user. For instance, if a user searches for accountants in Auckland, they’ll find local businesses close to their exact location based.

If they move to the other side of the city and search the same keyword on a different Internet network, the order of the local-2 pack results would change as well. This means most businesses can get a chance to shine on the search results and get the attention from a wide audience. You would still need to make sure your SEO is on-point and your website quality and content are up to Google’s standards.

What Do You Need to Know About Local-2 Pack?

• Only Two Results – Prior to the update, 3 to 7 businesses would be featured on SERP but now the number is limited to two. Because of this, the competition is stiff it’s a challenge to get into the local-2 pack. 

• No Phone or Address Details – The earlier version of local search allowed business owners to include their phone and address details into the link. Google no longer permits this, so search users need to find your contact details on their own. This equalizes the playing field and ensures that the company’s contact details are somewhat protected from abuse. 

• No Links to Google My Business – In earlier versions of Local search, My Business fly-out cards were usually attached to the links but that’s no longer the case. Now the local cards are removed and you see Google Maps and other local competitors when you click on the listing.

How does this Affect You?

Changes in local search have a big impact on the industry, no matter what the changes are. When local-2 pack was announced, people were nervous but now most marketers have adjusted to it. Here’s a brief explanation of how these changes affected businesses:

• Top Three Two are Never Static: Now the top two results are never static and that has an impact on how much visibility businesses experience. 

• Search Users Will Stick to Organic Results – Because all results are displayed on at the top of the SERP, the search users would be more inclined to click on the organic results rather than paid ads as they get access to all information they need quickly. Search users prefer organic results and as all local-2 pack results are organic, you’re website would experience a surge of organic traffic if it’s on the two pack. 

• You Will Still Get Noticed – As mentioned before, users are directly taken to the Google Maps, which has 20 listing. This means even if you’re not listed on the 2-pack, you might be listed on the 20 links on Google Maps. The users will definitely look beyond the first two results so there’s a chance that you might get noticed.

Appearing on local business listings provides the highest ROI and is a very effective way to target local customers. However, increasing competition for these “free” spots makes it very difficult for businesses to appear without search engine optimisation. Talk to our team and find out how our local SEO campaign can really benefit your business and lead to long-term results and ROI which is off-the-charts.

UPDATE – Google now features 1 x single paid listing in local business listings which allows businesses an opportunity a piece of the action.