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