Top Local SEO Predictions: Expansion of Reserve with Google and Real-Time Local Inventory Becomes Reality
Local SEO is an often underappreciated aspect of digital marketing, yet managing and optimizing local business content and reviews, including for multi-location brands, significantly influence consumer spending, amounting to trillions of dollars annually.
Approximately 90 percent of retail and an even higher percentage of service transactions happen offline. However, search engines, reviews, and social recommendations now heavily influence the buying decisions of U.S. consumers.
With mobile searches surpassing desktop queries over the past two years, more marketers have realized the importance of local SEO and its impact on consumers ready to make a purchase. Google has also increased its focus on local search and Google My Business (GMB), introducing a broad array of features and capabilities during this time.
To gain insights into the future of local SEO, leading practitioners have shared their advice for the coming year. Here are their observations, predictions, and recommendations.
Mike Blumenthal notes that Google will continue enhancing its ability to facilitate transactions directly from the Knowledge Panel, expanding partnerships for Reserve with Google and integrating tools for additional sectors. He also predicts an increase in the use of augmented reality (AR) in local search optimization and emphasizes the importance of first-party reviews for businesses.
Mary Bowling advises businesses to provide as much information as possible to Google to optimize for local search, emphasizing the importance of clear communication through GMB, structured website content, schema, and customer reviews.
Miriam Ellis anticipates that real-time local inventory will become more prevalent, with early adopters gaining an advantage. She also sees sustainable business practices playing a larger role in consumer decision-making and stresses the need for businesses to manage their reputations effectively.
Joy Hawkins predicts that Google My Business will add a long-overdue Q&A feature to its dashboard, continue rolling out Local Service Ads to more industries, and introduce a way to schedule Posts.
Dan Leibson highlights Bing as a critical channel for optimizing voice search and expects the importance of websites in local search to continue growing. He warns that Google’s local pack results may deteriorate due to the rapid rollout of features.
David Mihm believes businesses will become more aware of the role their Google Business Profile plays in their SEO strategy and predicts that messaging will become a principal feature in Google My Business, keeping both consumers and businesses engaged.
Andrew Shotland suggests that optimizing for voice search will become a standard item in local SEO proposals. He also expects blog posting budgets to shift towards managing GMB Posts and emphasizes the ongoing importance of link building in SEO budgets.
The general theme across these predictions and pieces of advice is the growing importance of local SEO and Google My Business as essential tools for businesses to engage with consumers and remain competitive in the digital landscape.
