Siri, Show — “Near Me”?

Google is now making it easier for consumers to find what they are looking for nearby by filtering keywords to show what is “near me”, in relation to your current location or a set location.  Google serving local results for queries isn’t new, location is a key piece of framework the algorithm uses to generate relevant search results. But what is clear is that when it comes to  local searches, “near me” is the new normal.  “Near me” is a given on mobile. When people search for something like “Chinese food” on a mobile device, Google automatically plugs in the location feature of the algorithm to a point that the difference between the set of results returned with or without “near me” is small. Some of the keyword “near me” autocomplete changes are classic examples of Google’s ability to differentiate the intent of the search.  For example, if a consumer searches “movie theater,” they are most likely looking for the theaters that are closest to where they are currently located, but if someone searches “DVD,” the algorithm can typically determine that they probably aren’t looking for the nearest DVD to them.  As the world becomes increasingly mobile, consumers expect to get what they want anytime, anywhere.  Google is trying to provide searchers with the most relevant results as possible.