Local Search since ’96

We examine the trends and the places for B2C advertisers to be focusing in 2015.

Where will consumers be most receptive to advertising?

The face of local search engines has changed a lot over the last 18 years. The above infographic shows interesting patterns of websites that have come and gone but also patterns of the future. Twitter is now in the top ten and widely expected to supersede Facebook very soon. Ask Jeeves which became Ask.com is still in the top twenty and likely to future partner with the larger directory networks.

Brands must reach out to consumers wherever it is that consumers are now using. We publicised this changing face of local search article on our Twitter feed. Would we have done so a few years ago?

Certainly we see the struggle between Yahoo and Google playing out over the last dozen years. General consensus is that Google is all supreme and has won that battle, but 2013 was an odd year seeing many developments at Yahoo and popularity regained.

Many sites have come and gone, many we no longer remember, but the nature of the worldwide web is one of ever changing faces and we need only be concerned about where we should have presence now (and in the future).

In 2014, more consumers engaged with brands on social media than ever before and our own social media serves as an example with many re-tweets and favourites for posts.

In 2015, B2C advertisers should be looking to create a managed YouTube page whose videos can be used to drive calls and leads.

B2C advertisers should ensure they have a Facebook page because that is still the second most used platform in our infographic, but it is widely anticipated that Facebook’s dominance will decline and Twitter become more relevant to consumers.

Therefore B2C advertisers would do well to create Twitter feeds where they can promote their messages, create engagement with their consumers and manage brand sentiment. Generally the more the merrier, so multi-location brands ought to consider campaigns of multiple Twitter and Facebook pages.

B2B advertisers are seeing a trend towards LinkedIn and Slideshare for social media channels showing rapid growth.

To reference data from this article, please use: ‘YouCom Media Whitepaper, Jan 2015, London, The changing face of local search worldwide since 1996’