innovations in local search how people find local information online andrew connery, managing...
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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)
1 of 3
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
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