So, what are people searching for online?
David Stone
Ever had to find a shoe repairer in Brisbane or fancied a pizza in Hobart? Perhaps you’ve needed a local Melbourne plumber in an emergency.
From lifestyle to health and beauty, white-collar to blue-collar, we get all kinds of searches on TrueLocal.com.au.
Some of the more popular searches on our site cover things that feature in your day-to-day activities, like finding a venue for a night out, or perhaps an annual chore such as requiring an accountant for your tax returns or a mechanic to get your green slip.
Our most popular categories include:
- Restaurants
- Medical centres
- Mechanics
- Hairdressers
- Beauty salons
- Doctors
- Building construction
- Takeaways
- Schools
- Specialist medical services
- Dentists
- Plumbing
- Cafes
- Cleaning
- Hotels
- Clothing retailers
- Courts
- Accountants
- Gyms and fitness centres
- Wholesalers
Aside from popular everyday searches we often see seasonal trends occurring, such as an increase in people looking for a florist around Valentine’s Day or campsites in the summer time.
Changing technology has allowed us to help you search while on the move. Internet enabled mobile phones let you find the location of the bar your mate has just invited you to. People also want to know what’s nearby without having to type in where they are, and GPS mobile devices such as the 3GS iPhone allow us to tell you what’s around you. Right now you might be 50m away from your nearest ATM. We’ve also noticed a trend of nocturnal mobile searchers looking for some special TLC, if you know what I mean.
Above all, people want to make an informed choice. Gone are the days when people just expected a list of phone numbers and addresses when they did a search. Now you can read other users’ ratings and reviews, or get quotes from potential service providers, or even see additional business information like images and street views.
Search is just the beginning.
- David Stone is TrueLocal.com.au’s search and distribution product manager
