Location-based searching: It might be more important than you think

So we all know that mobile is important, but how important is it?

In 2014, 30% searches on Google came from mobile devices, but as of June 2015, that figure had grown to 60%. If this trend continues, by 2016 120% of people will be searching using mobile devices. Well maybe not, but you get the idea.

So there are a lot of people searching using mobile devices, but what are they searching for? Nearly one-third of google.com mobile searches are location related. This figure will be different for every website, but it’s worth noting that mobile searchers want to know where stuff is, and this presents you with an opportunity.

Discover Tasmania has a lot of location-related content and uses location-based search to display relevant results in a more effective way for the user.

This engaging style of visual interface provides a better experience than a simple list of ten search results, and can go a long way toward increased user satisfaction and online conversion.

With the rapid increase in mobile device usage, it’s often possible to make use of the user’s location to:

• rank search results by proximity,
• scope search results to a nearby locality,
• visualise search results on a map, and
• interact with the search results.

If you have location-based content, consider whether you can enhance your mobile and desktop experience with better location-based searching.