Google has changed the way they are displaying search results. They are using Pin Point accuracy displaying results that make local search optimization extremely important.
This change will be a huge benefit to brick and morter businesses. It used to be that a searcher had to enter a search sting like “carpet cleaner Phoenix” or “Iron Gates Phoenix” in order to find localized results. No more, as Google has changed the game.
Now if you just enter a term like carpet cleaner or iron gate, the 4th position is now local results based on your location. This does 2 things, first it makes the top 3 positions much more valuable as the map locations are displayed, forcing a longer page with results five through 10 ending up below the fold. Visually the map results seem to be a stopping point and give me the illusion that I don’t need to go further down the page.
This is good news for anyone running a brick-and-mortar business or a geographically specific Web business but it does open the doors to additional map spam.
