Game Changer: The Intro of Siri to SEO

SEO meet Siri.  Siri meet SEO.  With this introduction, the future of internet searches may be forever altered.  Here’s why & what you need to do to keep up:

The biggest game changer that Siri brings to the table is the localization of searches.  Not much is known about how exactly Siri collects it’s results, but it’s a reasonable assumption that’s it’s pulling from high-trafficked, public data sources with few fire walls (think: Yelp, Google Places, etc.).   And it’s doubtful that this type of hyper-localized search technique will remain limited to only Apple.  In fact, 65% of all smart phone users have searched for something on their phone using local search.  So what do you need to do to keep your business at the top?  Here are some suggestions:

-Go mobile.  Check out our blog on why your business needs a mobile site & then consider how much happier users will be if they have a smoother mobile experience.  Not all phones are created equal, you have to remember this when you are setting up a mobile secific website. You should have a few different code versions to ensure a smooth experience from handheld device to handheld device.

-Bring your local info to the forefront: all your local information should be prominently featured: your address, local phone number, operating hours, location description, etc.

-Get rid of the “pretty.”  Flash and javascript sure does look pretty but it’s a buzz kill for localized mobile searches… and searches in general actually.  Not only does it take longer to load, but if located in an area that uses the technology, it can hide the most important information:  your address, local phone number, operating hours, location description, etc.

-Get your review on.  Make sure employees & customers know that they can review your service & your business.  If you’re able to provide direction, it helps even more to list exactly what your product or service is.  The review will be even more instrumental if it says: “Joe is really great at selling homes. Call him” instead of “Joe does a great job, he is a great sellers agent.”   Reviews could be instrumental in swaying localized searches.

– Make sure your local search engine directory profiles are up to date on Google, Yahoo and Bing.  Address, phone numbers, fax numbers, hours of operation, weekly events, descriptions etc. should all be filled out as completely as possible.  Be as unique as possible in each description box, being mindful of key words.  Other directory sites, like Yelp.com or super-pages.com, will pull from these profiles & give you positive back-links, which helps SEO.