Previously, due to high competition, small regional firms could not compete with large metropolitan companies for a place in the TOP-10. Today, search engines generate results based on the location of the user.
In the end, everyone won. Regional companies got a real chance to take the first positions in the issue, as the competition is only between local firms. And users will now be able to quickly find the desired store or restaurant, without scrolling through dozens of pages until a suitable option is found.
To implement this solution, search engines analyze geo-dependent and geo-independent queries. It is based on them that they understand which companies to show in the publication - regional or metropolitan.
What are geo-dependent and geo-independent queries?
Geo-specific queries are keywords for which search engines show results tied to the user's region. For example, "buy a baby carriage in Kharkiv" or "rent an apartment in Kyiv". The result of issuance depends on the region specified in the request. And if it is not specified - from the user's location (it is tracked by the browser).
That is, geo-dependent queries are regional. And, mostly, commercial. By writing them, the user tells the search engines that he is looking for a local company that sells the desired goods or provides specific services. Moreover, it is not necessary to specify the city in the request.
For example, from the phrase "order a pizza" or "sign up at the gym", search engines understand that a person is looking for offers from his city. After all, it is unlikely that she, living in Kyiv, would want to order pizza from Ternopil. Therefore, local companies will be displayed in the issue.
And what are geo-independent queries? Just by one name it is clear that they are not tied to a specific region. Most often, these requests are informational. For example, "Shevchenko's poems" or "when the new season of Game of Thrones will be released." The location of the user is not important here, so people from Moscow and Kyiv will be shown a similar version.
How to define geo-dependent and geo-independent queries?
Before starting promotion with geo-dependent queries, it is necessary to understand exactly which phrases to optimize pages for. And what data to specify in the settings.
Here you need to start from the requirements of search engines. For them, geo-dependent queries are those by which a person searches for regional sites. First of all, this includes phrases indicating a specific city. For example, "children's furniture in Odesa", "renovation of an apartment in Vinnytsia". This also includes key queries without specifying the region: "flower delivery", "confectionery shops". But it is clear from them that the user is interested in offers from his hometown.
And geo-independent queries for search engines are phrases of a general nature: "how to install Windows 10", "napoleon cake recipe", etc. Here, the region does not matter, so all users will be shown similar results. The first positions for such requests are not obtained by the sites of regional companies, but by web resources that provide the most complete answer to the question.
There is an elementary way of checking requests for geo-dependencies. It is enough to enter them in the search bar and see which sites are displayed in the output. If local, then these are non-geo-independent requests (with a regional reference). And if large companies operating throughout the country - then they are geo-independent.
How do search engines determine a user's location?
Today, search engines easily determine in which region the user is located. And, based on the received information, they form an issue. This is if we are talking about geo-dependent requests. And if the keywords are geo-independent, then the most relevant web resources are displayed in the output.
With standard settings (if you do not change them manually), Google determines the user's region by:
- IP address (each computer, laptop, smartphone has a unique IP address, by which the search engine determines the country and city);
- location history;
- request history.
How do geo-based queries affect promotion?
By determining the location of users, search engines show them the most relevant data. For example, about the weather, the schedule of local buses, the location of restaurants and cafes.
These algorithms have made life easier for both users and optimizers. The first got the opportunity to quickly find the necessary sites without turning over dozens of pages. And the second - increased chances to get into the TOP with competent optimization for geo-dependent queries.
If you use them correctly, you can achieve good positions of the site in the issue, overtaking other local firms. It is much easier to compete with them than with large companies that operate throughout the country. The main thing is to prevent the effect of keyword cannibalization by following a simple rule: "one query per page".
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