Apple’s computerized personal assistant may not be the most inspiring person to communicate with, but it is undeniably popular. The phone-based assistant can be incredibly useful for busy consumers searching for everything from restaurants to retailers. It’s also incredibly valuable for enterprising, innovative SEOs.

 

In the early days of SEO, all that mattered was a top-ranked website in Google’s then somewhat primitive search index. Over time, rankings in Google Local became more important. Eventually, rankings in Google News, Google Blog Search, and a variety of other services increased in value and received more attention from SEOs.

 

Today, the next service to reach the SEO tipping point could be Siri. With millions of iPhones sold every single month, getting your business to the top of Siri’s reference list has incredible value. From restaurants to gas stations, being on the top of Siri’s tongue can often mean generating hundreds of extra customers every month.

 

Just like Google’s search engine values inbound links, Apple’s personal assistant tool values reviews, citations, and feedback. By optimizing your business to achieve high ratings on websites like Yelp and Chowhound, you can increase your visibility when users ask Siri for recommendations on your type of business within your area.

 

There’s more to Siri than just off-site reviews. Since the application is largely used to pull up local information, having a location listed prominently on your website – and in Apple’s own mapping application – gives you an advantage. Make sure you have a listing in Apple Maps to ensure that Siri knows exactly where to find you.

 

Just like Google Maps ushered in a new era of local SEO for small businesses, Siri has the potential to be the tipping point for mobile SEO. Score the top spot and you have a valuable piece of digital real estate – the first priority recommendation on a device that attracts an affluent, retail-friendly audience.