{"id":14494,"date":"2017-07-05T08:51:32","date_gmt":"2017-07-05T13:51:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rocksdigital.com\/?p=14494"},"modified":"2024-06-25T13:49:03","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T18:49:03","slug":"greg-sterling-future-local-search-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rocksdigital.com\/greg-sterling-future-local-search-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Trends Shaping the Future of Local Search by Greg Sterling"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Greg<\/p>\n

Local search marketers have strong feelings about the different trends happening and how they are affecting local search today, and how it will be presented in the future. Greg Sterling, VP of Insights at Local Search Association, explores this topic in his keynote at Rocks Digital 2017. Keep reading for the highlights.<\/p>\n

Trends Shaping the Future of Local Search<\/h2>\n

We are continuing to see a\u00a0decline in\u00a0the use of desktop computers and an\u00a0increase in\u00a0the use of mobile devices when people are searching for something within their local area.<\/p>\n

1. Marriage of Online + Offline<\/span><\/p>\n

There are more and more technologies and various things that are working to bring the online world together with the offline world. For instance, many online technologies are being designed so that you still get a benefit from visiting an offline retailer.<\/p>\n

2. Location Intelligence<\/span><\/p>\n

Many apps and programs are instituting upgrades within their systems so that the programs are more aware\u00a0of your present location, in order to give you better responses to questions asked of the application \u2013 and better local search results.<\/p>\n

3. AI, Virtual Assistants & Bots<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the next few years, we will be seeing more and more virtual assistant machines and companies coming into existence. This\u00a0will greatly affect how we interact with the local world around us.<\/p>\n

4. Mixed Reality & More Devices<\/span><\/p>\n

Right now, there are more and more companies creating virtual reality goggles and eyewear. Over time, we will see even more technologies where there is a blending of things that are done online with things that are done offline.<\/p>\n

5. Consolidation of Control<\/span><\/p>\n

The top 5 brands \u2013 Amazon, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Apple \u2013 are working to become the main players that control how we work with local search.<\/p>\n

Apps are extremely transactional. Microsoft found that right now people are using more nouns, but eventually, they are moving towards using verbs for their searches.<\/p>\n

The Past Meeting\u00a0the Future<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. More Answers, Fewer Links.\u00a0There was something called Ask 3D. Google search came after that. But Ask was the first to really promote the search engine model.<\/li>\n
  2. Answers Not Links.\u00a0Survey respondents wanted virtual assistant to provide direct answers,\u00a0rather\u00a0than a list of search results (61.3%).<\/li>\n
  3. 30 Million VA Devices by Year End? That is a possibility, but there will definitely be many more as time goes on. We are getting more and more appliances that we talk to (lights, refrigerators, laundry machines, etc.).<\/li>\n
  4. AI \/ ML Everywhere.\u00a0<\/strong>Every developer conference I have been to talks about how AI is really affecting more and more things.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Example:<\/p>\n

    Adwords Express: \u201cNot Effective\u201d.\u00a0Doesn\u2019t really work on its own, but…<\/p>\n

    Adwords Express + AI = Success? There is a possibility that combining the Adwords Express product with AI can make it much more effective.<\/p>\n

    Virtual Assistants are Getting Smarter<\/span><\/p>\n