How are people searching?
Friday, June 27th, 2008How do directories and search engines determine what information a consumer is searching for?
Without doubt, it’s one of the biggest dilemmas facing search engines today. A classic example is when someone types in “glasses” into Google - are they meaning opticians or crystal glassware specialists?
Very few people carry out one word searches anymore because they know they won’t be able to find what they are looking for. Typing in the exact term, e.g. “waterford crystal”, is one option assuming you know what you are looking for, but it’s clear that people are becoming wiser as they get more and more frustrated with irrelevant search results.
Changes in search patterns are showing that consumers are learning smarter ways of searching, moving to more specific four and five keyword searches. And as we have continually championed, more and more customers are using local search, looking for a business within a location. Marchex’s report sums it up:
“Consumers are increasingly relying on local search to make decisions about where to spend their money and time offline. In fact, 86 percent of Internet users search for local products and services, up from 70% in 2006, and more than 90 percent of the transactions resulting from these searches are completed offline.”
So, with nearly one in nine people searching in a particular location, can anyone tell me why businesses wouldn’t chose to tailor their marketing to local search? Surely this is becoming the most obvious strategies for businesses. All that remains to be seen how well the search engines keep up with demand and drill down on exactly customers are looking for.