At PubCon Las Vegas, WebProNews spoke with Gib Olander of Localeze about geolocation and how it evolved from the search box. As he explains, users, traditionally, went to the search box to get the answer to “what.” However, it didn’t take long for users to want questions related to “where” answered as well.

In response to this, a geo-modifier was added to the search box that included the state, city, and zip code, which allowed users to find more information. Next, users began to get social and started relying on Facebook for recommendations and Yelp for reviews. The latest trend is check-in services such as Foursquare, which adds the element of “when” to the mix.

“Geolocation has added all those 4 kind of layers… and has created new opportunities for businesses to talk to their customers and for customers to discover new businesses,” says Olander.

Despite these opportunities, there are also some challenges. One of the challenges that marketers have is choosing the right channel since there are so many options. According to Olander, companies should view each channel as an opportunity to establish their business identity online.

In the past, brick and mortar businesses only needed an effective sign to gain attention. Unfortunately, it’s not like that anymore.

“Today, you really have to own that online presence,” points out Olander.

To establish this presence, businesses need to own their name, address, and phone number consistently across geolocation services. Localeze helps businesses do this, while also helping them to find and interact with their audience.