innovations in local search how people find local information online andrew connery, managing...

Innovations in Local SearchHow people find local information online

Andrew Connery, Managing Director of Your Online Community Pty. Ltd.

INTERNET TECHNOLOGY

INTERNET TECHNOLOGY

Introduction

• Most locals use a global search engine

• Information is provided indirectly by a human edited directory

• Local directory-type search queries are usually only two keywords

Domain Size

• Search engines index all web pages by matching keywords

• A search engine creates a SERP comprising all web pages indexed in descending order of importance (PR)

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SERP = Search Engine Results Page. Is the listing of web pages returned by a search engine in response to a query.

PR = PageRank. The way that Google measures the relative importance of a website. PR 0 - PR 1 is average, and PR 10 is the most important.

EXAMPLE

As at January 2009

• Google indexes 4,170,000 web pages with the keyword ‘wollongong’

• Google indexes 443,000,000 web pages with the keyword ‘golf’

• BUT only indexes 212,000 web pages with the keywords ‘wollongong’ and ‘golf’

• AND indexes 211,000 web pages with the keywords ‘golf’ and ‘wollongong’

• When searching locally, the domain sizes involved are relatively small – hundreds of thousands of web pages versus tens or hundreds of millions

• Page ranking algorithms originally developed to sift through millions of indexed web pages become biased towards non-local websites

Domain size2 of 3

• Most locals try to access information about their area using a global search engine (Google, Yahoo etc) first, rather than a locally based web page or an online directory / community portal

Domain size3 of 3

The role of Directories

• Current local search is the dominated by directory listings

• Nearly all the critical first page (usually 10 listings) of Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERP) observed show no standalone websites

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TABLE A – Google SERP

Using keywords ‘abrasive blasting Parramatta’

The role of Directories

• AussieWeb, Yellow Book ranking above SMARTPAGES shows Google’s preference for longer established and/or higher ranking directories, despite lack of relevant content

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TABLE B – AussieWebNote: Top position, 1 listing (PR5)

TABLE C – Yellow BookNote: Second position, 1 listing (PR3)

TABLE D – SMARTPAGES.com.auNote: Third position, 15 listings (No Rank)

Role of Directories

• This domination of SERP results by large players is a reflection of the ‘rich get richer’ factor so readily observed in traditional media

• This is at odds with the supposed egalitarianism of the internet:

“Uniquely democratic - Google Technology official literature 2004”

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TABLE E – Human edited directories, typicals PRs

International PR 9 Wikipedia

National PR 4-8 Business Directories

Local PR 1-3 Business Directories

# DIRECTORY PR TYPE AREA

1 Yellow Pages 8 DO National

2 True Local 8 DO National

3 Anzwers 7 DO National

4 MyLocal nineMSN 6 DO National

5 Hot Frog 5 DO National

6 Start Local 6 DO National

7 Community Guide 6 DO National

8 Street-directory.com.au 6 DO National

9 Aussie Web 5 DO National

10 dLook 5 DO National

11 BigRoo.com 5 DO National

12 NiO 5 CD Wollongong

13 Local.com.au 4 DO National

14 ngd 4 DO National

15 Our Patch 4 CD National

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TABLE F: Comparison of PageRanks DO: DIRECTORY ONLY, DR: DIRECTORY AND REVIEW, CD: COMMUNITY PLUS DIRECTORY

# DIRECTORY PR TYPE AREA

16 EnterpriseSearch 5 DO National

17 Wollongong-exchange.com.au 4 DO National

18 Local Business Guide 4 DO National

19 WoMow.com.au 4 DO National

20 atozpages 5 DO National

21 Business Directories Australia – Nationwide 4 DO National

22 Yellow Book 4 DO National

23 Rave about it 2 DR National

24 Yalwa 2 DO National

25 SMARTPAGES.com.au 2 CD Wollongong

26 Directory4U - Sutherland Shire 2 DO Sutherland

27 TheGong.com.au 2 DO Wollongong

28 LocalStore.com.au 1 DO National

TABLE F: Comparison of PageRanks

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DO: DIRECTORY ONLY, DR: DIRECTORY AND REVIEW, CD: COMMUNITY PLUS DIRECTORY

Limitations and biases

• Search engines index (compile) web pages in a number of ways

• The most important factor is the use of keywords in the URL and Title

• This factor virtually guarantees that directories appear above standalone web pages

Search first page only

• Nearly 70% of all searchers do not go past the first page of SERPs

• About 15% continue to the third page

• The order of keywords can also negatively impact the quality of search finding (order in SERP)

• A search engine would prefer to use a post or zip code as a location reference for indexing purposes

• Users find these numbers non-intuitive

• Users do not limit their search to a small area and much prefer to make their choices from a larger selection, within easy driving distance

Location as second keyword1 of 2

• Directory advertisers want to reach the maximum number of potential customers

• The critical minimum viable size of a local directory is yet to be determined

• A number of approaches have been attempted in this country, and the optimum solution has yet to emerge

• Community based directories do have some natural advantages

Location as second keyword2 of 2

• A high PR web page will appear on the SERP above a low ranking website with more relevant and/or unique content

• A Wikipedia (PR9) related web page will nearly always dominate a SERP

PageRank (PR)

Content issues

• The quality (comprehensiveness and freshness) and number of relevant listings within a directory is not currently used as a determinant of PageRank, when indexed by Google and other search engines

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• Internationally based directories with very small numbers of relevant listings usually rank higher on SERPs than more comprehensive local directories

• This factor is a major impediment to improving the quality of local search, which currently does not match the standard of global search

Content issues2 of 2

Other factors

• Recent innovations in local search such as mapping, Google ‘street scenes’ has:

1. increased the mix in favour of paid placement; and

2. reduced the area available for organic / natural listings on the critical first page of SERPs

• Searchers hardly ever use advanced searching options and almost never view more than one page of results

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TABLE G – Pew Life Project & others (2004)

SERP Web searchers

All Page 1 51%

All Page 2 35%

All Page 3 15%

Other factors

• Spelling mistakes and non-grammatical formulations

• Unless listings appear in the first three pages of SERPs, they are virtually invisible

• 80% of searches use three keywords or fewer and the average is only two

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Local search bias

• High PR websites will jump lower ranked websites with proper keyword domain names

• Using the default web search button ‘.com’ domains also skew results unfavourably

• Wikipedia has a Page Rank of 9/10 (PR9) virtually guaranteeing a top spot on single keyword search and ranking very highly on most multiple keyword local search queries

TABLE H – The URL Anomaly Searching for keyword ‘tlc’ a local training organisation

• Wikipedia PR9 is the top link www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TLCTLC (the band). Top listing plus Indent

• Discovery Channel is second using a sub-domain, PR7 – www.www.tlctlc.discovery.com.discovery.com

• Third is Trinity Lutheran College, PR4 – www.www.tlctlc.qld.edu.au/.qld.edu.au/

• Tender Loving care homes, www.www.tlctlchomes.com.auhomes.com.au is fourth with a PR4

• Tlc (tender loving cuisine) is fifth with PR4, www.www.tlctlc.org.au.org.au

• www.www.tlctlc.com.au.com.au PR2 is the second entry on second page – on ‘the web’ radio button, ie the default

• www.www.tlctlc.com.au.com.au is a perfect keyword match and should have been No.1 spot (using a PC with Australian IP address)

• NOTE: www.www.tlctlc.com.au.com.au is second from bottom of Page 1 when using ‘pages from Australia’ search radio button