The big difference for Long Island is that customers frequently add the words “Long Island” to their searches. For example, customers looking for basement waterproofing might search “Basement Waterproofing Long Island” or “Long Island HVAC” – and in each case Google treats this much differently than just a “Basement Waterproofing” search.
This “Long Island” search acts differently than other searches, which presents a big opportunity for Long Island based businesses. Instead of searching immediately nearby, Google treats the search very literally and often returns search results that show the whole island—from Queens to Montauk (see below). In these search results Google evaluates a number of different factors to decide what to show on the first page.