Ultimate Guide to Augmented Reality for Local SEO

---

Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that overlays digital information over the real world using your smartphone's camera. For example, take a look at the screenshot:

In other words, if you're walking down the street, you could hold up your phone and see the number of calories in a donut displayed right before your eyes.

AR is a hot topic for local SEO, and it's one of the newest trends in marketing. It is a new and interactive way for users to experience the world, and it enriches users' experience with an existing mobile device. It doesn't need an upgrade or additional features to work. 

7 Ways in Which Augmented Reality Is Going to Impact Local SEO 

---

1. Better Brand Storytelling

In this day and age, brand storytelling is more important than ever. It's great to have your business's history and story documented online. But it's even better if that story is told through other channels such as social media, email marketing, and content marketing. 

Using AR To Improve Brand Stories

And by choosing AR, you add another layer of interactivity and engagement to the storytelling process. And the advantage is that you don't need any specialized hardware to make it work. The average smartphone today is AR-capable.

The AR audience is increasing by the day. By telling your brand's story to a larger audience, you allow your business to gain more exposure. This ultimately translates into more conversions. 

For example, the famous brand Jack Daniels uses AR to tell the story of its origin. 

• People want to experience brand stories, and AR is better than other content channels. 
• AR improves ROI through better conversion rates.
• It doesn't need new hardware to be implemented. 
• Most brands are using AR to add to their marketing. You don't want to be left behind.

2. Integration With Social Media

AR is one of the hottest trends in technology right now, but it's also a huge opportunity for local search. The way that AR will impact local search is through its integration with social media. 

AR Powering Social Media 

Social media has been growing rapidly over the years. Its growth is also due to new content platforms available on the platform. It started with images, audio, video, and the last update was stories. AR is another chapter in advanced content platforms. 

The brands can use them in stories or promotions, as shown below. 

Brands can take advantage of the fact that many people use social media to share pictures and videos. This means that the content in an area will be very visible to people who might otherwise never have heard of a local business.

• You can easily integrate AR with existing social media frameworks. 
• Big social media companies like Facebook are releasing AR-focused updates on their platforms. 
• It gives users new ways to interact with local businesses through social media. L'Oreal ModiFace is a great example.
• Connect with other people in your area having the same interests as you.

3. Increased Focus On Geotags 

Local SEO has always focused on geotags owing to the priority on location. But most of the implementation has been through other apps like Google Maps. AR gives a better view of geotags through a much less formal way to implement it. 

Focusing On Geotags Through AR

Geotagging is one of the best ways to create local content. But traditionally, it has always been used in navigation apps. But since AR is a disruptive technology, it has other ways to use geotags. And for users, this is a lot more fun as well. Pokemon Go is one of the best examples of geo-tagged AR.

AR appeals to the younger class and makes the environment much more interactive. Geotags are also a huge part of the AR experience. It can relay digital information that businesses want their audience to see through their smartphone. 

• Implementing geotags with AR makes it easy for businesses to reach customers. 
• Location-based AR is a much more engaging platform than other methods like Maps. 
• Businesses already use geotagged POI (points of interest) to connect with their audience. 
• Check out Wikitude Geo AR for more information about this. 

Read: Get to Know 15 Incredible Features of Google Maps

4. Improves User Experience

A large part of brand marketing today is about the user experience. Any brand in any niche can only succeed if they make a positive impression on the user. Businesses use the latest technologies like AR to improve their chances to leverage their creativity. 

For example, AR in the automobile niche is highly appreciated. It helps manufacturers prototype, assemble, and repair vehicles quickly and accurately and lets the customers experience it more comfortably. 

Elevating User Experience With Technology

People and businesses are looking for the next big idea to engage with. The people demand it, and the businesses fulfill it. As a part of this transformation, technologies like AR help connect both entities. They offer a completely different perspective on buying and selling. 

User experience is the top metric for the audience. If the user experience is high, there are more chances that they will buy your services. 

But with the increasing competition of late, standing out from the competition has become difficult. AR can offer businesses that creative spark to improve user interaction and experience. 

• Businesses are using AR to augment their services. 
• Interactivity offered by AR platforms will improve the ability of users to interact with a brand. 
• A good example of improved user experience with AR is the IKEA Place app. 

5. Helps Gain Product Reviews

As a business owner, you understand how important reviews are for growth. The more positive reviews your services have, the more popular it grows in a niche. It also provides room for word-of-mouth marketing to flourish.

Using AR To Get More Reviews

People today are more reliant on what their audience has to say about your business. They tend to look for positive and negative reviews for different reasons. Positive reviews signal how good your company is at delivering.

Bad reviews and responses let them know how you deal with negative sentiment. They are important for your audience to understand your brand. AR provides a much more engaging way to leave reviews. 

• Reviews are critical to the performance of a brand and improve conversion rates.
• It's been proven AR product reviews result in more purchases. 
• Implementing AR technology encourages users to leave positive reviews. 

6. Boosts User Engagement

One of the best ways to improve brand image and sales is to engage content. With the advent of technologies like AR, user engagement is high. People love to use it as a creative outlet to explore the brand and its services.

Using AR To Improve Audience Interaction

As brands continue to evolve, so too does their audience. People are looking for more ways to connect to their favorite brands. This also explains the popularity of social media among people. It can deliver new experiences for people. 

• Brands are using AR to deliver customized audience interactions through their app. 

Take a look at the screenshot below from the Amazon video showing how it allows users to engage with thousands of products to order suitable ones. 

• This year, McDonald's McDelivery app, which uses AR, had a Halloween-themed experience.
• Positive interactions improve conversion rates as well. 

Read: User Engagement SEO: Tips to Increase it and The Best Tools to Track

7. Taps Into Growing AR Marketing

AR technology has become extremely popular, even mainstream, as smartphones have grown. This is great news for local businesses, as the number of people using their smartphones to search for a local business has skyrocketed. 

Leveraging AR For Better Marketing

The business world is moving toward Augmented Reality (AR), with over 90% of all smartphone users using some form of AR. Suppose you're looking to leverage this new and growing technology. In that case, your first step is to determine how and when to use it for your business. 

For example, here’s a beauty brand that uses AR to let the audience try on their products.

According to a recent study, 73% of smartphone owners are likely to use their phones to interact with augmented reality content. And of this, 70% of consumers would pay a small fee for a "try before you buy" experience. 

• AR is not bound to any niche and can be used for many applications.
• Not just businesses; even new channels use AR to improve their coverage. 
• AR is expected to grow even further and will synchronize with marketing.

Augmented Reality on Local SEO - FAQs

---

1. What Is Augmented Reality?

Augmented reality is the process of adding digital elements (such as images, videos, text, etc.) to the real world. In AR, people can view these digital elements through electronic devices such as smartphones or tablets. 

2. Can AR Change The Future Of Marketing?

Yes, it can, and it's already happening. AR is the most recent and exciting technology in the past ten years. 

By integrating augmented reality into marketing campaigns, companies can provide consumers with a deeper understanding of products. It can increase customer engagement and help drive sales.

3. What Are The Career Implications Of AR?

The rapid evolution of the AR industry presents a new set of career opportunities for workers in all industries. According to a study from Cisco, the number of jobs related to AR will grow by more than 600%. 

Jobs such as graphic designers, web developers, and app builders will experience significant job growth. 

4. Will AR Technologies Be Used In Ecommerce?

Yes, many websites already use AR for their customer interactions. IKEA uses AR to help visualize its furniture placements right in your house. Shopify already has AR included as part of the package. All these points to the growth of AR as part of the eCommerce revolution.

Key Takeaways

---

• Even as a growing technology, focusing on AR is necessary for business.
• Works to improve geolocation results through interactive AR apps. 
• Use proper AR plugins to improve results with your audience. 
• Opt for creative ways to implement AR for your brand and business.
• Ensure that your AR process does not use a lot of hardware resources.