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As a local marketer, you know how important it is that your local business customers have a stellar online presence. Near me and local is even more local than you may think.
You know that local should be prioritized, especially due to the fact that search results on mobile devices consider the consumer’s location at the time of the search in relation to the results. This is especially true when it comes to the local pack and Google Maps results. But have you considered near me in relation to hyperlocal?
The Near Me Qualifier Is Here to Stay
Back in 2017 Think With Google revealed that “over the last two years, searches for local places without the qualifier ‘near me’ have grown 150%, faster than comparable searches that do not include ‘near me’.” This means consumers are not only expecting to see results for businesses closest to their location, it’s exactly what they want to see.
In 2019, Think With Google shared data showing that consumers were getting even more specific with their near me searches. For example “tires on sale near me” or “bank near me.” You can download the entire Think With Google research review they published for more eye-opening information.
Near Me Goes Hyperlocal
Let’s fast-forward to the present day. Near me is narrowing results down to the neighborhood level in some cases. On Nextdoor for example, users are actually required to enter their address, and the neighborhood is provided based on that address. Their users are prompted to add a recommendation and from there, they are prompted to search for a business.
The results are hyperlocal to the user’s area. We attempted to search a business that was out of what would be considered “the neighborhood” in our test account, and were not able to see the business. It would only return results for businesses local to that of the test account. Nextdoor’s search results are truly hyperlocal – and Nextdoor isn’t the only one playing in the hyperlocal space.
BubbleLife, a hyperlocal newspaper, was founded in 2001 in the Park Cities and has grown to over 250 communities. Their users can access news in their local area online and through email.
Facebook Is Going Hyperlocal Too
At the beginning of May 2021, Facebook announced they are testing Facebook Neighborhoods in Canada. Similar to Nextdoor, people in the neighborhood can make recommendations. Facebook is integrating some of the popular features such as polls, which allows neighbors to vote on their favorite places and businesses in the area.
When it comes to the U.S., it will be quite interesting to see the feature set that Neighborhoods makes available to these recommended businesses. Businesses within Nextdoor can claim their listing. We’ll be walking you through what that looks like in the coming weeks.
We Help Businesses at the Local and Hyperlocal Level Improve Visibility
At Advice Local we’ve been helping you with hyperlocal for a while. Businesses submitted within our technology get a listing on BubbleLife’s directory automatically. For even more exposure, businesses can advertise on specific communities within BubbleLife.
Judy’s Book is another example of a local directory that Advice includes for active business listings within their solution. In fact, businesses get a premium Judy’s Book listing that includes advertising features, etc.
Are you leveraging hyperlocal for your local business clients and the brands you represent? Request a demo today and learn about our listing management solution!