With the availability of the Internet almost anywhere you go, one of the easiest ways to find something is by simply typing what you are looking for in a search engine such as Google. According to the TMPDM/comScore Local Search Usage Study, search-engine usage is at an all-time high and is also the top source used for local business information, accounting for 31 percent of the entire landscape.

It’s no wonder that many leading U.S. online retailers made search engine marketing (SEM) a priority this past holiday season. According to a recent Shop.org survey, 87 percent of retailers said that they increased or kept the same level of SEM from the previous holiday season. With the U.S. economy in one of the worst downfalls in history, businesses realize that every customer is crucial, and search engine marketing provides a high degree of targeting and tracking to ensure campaigns are successful at reaching target consumers.

Even small businesses are getting into the mix. According to WebVisible, the average spending by small-business search advertisers was up 91 percent from the previous year. Perhaps what drove this increase in spending is the fact that 49 percent of users who clicked on a business’ ad submitted an e-mail while another 47 percent printed out driving directions.

Although search engine marketing is the ”in thing” now, innovations will change the local search landscape for local businesses in the future. New technologies are already emerging, showing consumers nearby stores or restaurants without even requiring a manual search. Two examples of this are the Yelp application and Google’s latest “Near Me Now,” which can pinpoint the location of iPhone or Android users and provide them with local business information based on their coordinates. These tools use drop-down menus to minimize typing and take advantage of GPS data to provide information about restaurants or stores that are close by. Search engine marketing still remains an integral part of online marketing efforts, but businesses should stay informed, as emerging opportunities continue to shape the local-search landscape.