The Art of SEO, 4th Edition

CHAPTER TWELVE

Vertical, Local, and Mobile SEO

SEO has traditionally been focused on web search, but the massive expansion of internet-connected device technology over the past few decades has forced us to think beyond the World Wide Web. It’s no longer just about what someone is searching for; it’s also about where that person is when they search for it, the device they’re using to perform that search, the data the search engine has about them that might influence the search results that person sees, their input method, and whether the SERP is likely to show them one or more special features in addition to the usual web search results.

People don’t search for web pages, they search for content, and though that content is increasingly hosted on parts of the internet that are not web pages, people still use web search engines to find it. They use Google to search for music, images, videos, and apps; to look for a 24-hour plumber, restaurant, gas station, or ATM; or to gain quick access to a very specific piece of information such as a restaurant’s current menu, a local store’s opening hours, a phone number, a street address and directions to it, technical specifications for one of their devices, the price and availability of a certain product, the weather forecast, the time of day, the exact date of a particular holiday, a hotel room in a certain place, or a ticket to an event. While most of this information can be found on various web pages, it’s still often quicker and easier ...