What next for Google?

• Andy Smith
• The Buzz
• July 23, 2015
• home

A recent announcement from Google big cheese, Omid Kordestani had the tech-press getting buzzy with the announcement that Google will be introducing a ‘buy’ button on it’s shopping ads.

The idea is that you trust Google with your payment details and it smooths out the buying process, reducing the chances of abandoned baskets and making purchases from mobiles a breeze.  It’s going to be so smooth in fact, that customers won’t even have to visit your website. Nope.

Don’t forget that Google are charging for listings and will no doubt take a slice of the basket value in return for processing the transaction in addition to the fees for showing your products in a high enough position so your customers can get to see your products.

This is big news, and will hit the UK late in 2015 once the tests in the States have ironed out the creases, so definitely one to look out for.  One thing that Mr K also mentioned caught my attention, and has special resonance with more traditional shops.

He said “the number of location-based searches to help users find something close to them had doubled in the past year” and for me this is just as big a deal.  So what does a location based search look like?

A general search for ‘lawnmower blade’ on Google will bring up a set of shopping ads, or PLAs where you might well expect to see one of the new Buy buttons in the future, but a location based search is where someone has added a geographical reference, so it becomes ‘lawnmower blade telford’.  You will see the PLAs disappear, and suggestions include a variety of places where you might get a lawnmower blade in Telford.

The fact that these kind of searches are increasing at such a rate tells me two things.  Firstly, that people still want to buy things right now, and are using Google to find those things.  When I say things, I means products and services, so restaurants and garages can use this information to their advantage.  Secondly, it tells me that more and more folk are more than likely using mobile phones to do ‘on the hoof’ searches while out an about.

There are a couple of ways that you can use this information to help your business.  Number one is to get a website that works on mobiles nicely. That’s essential.  Also, if you sell things locally include a geographical reference to your site content, which is really easy to forget to do!