So, if you are a search engine company, say, Google, and you have data centers all across the planet and a significant amount of the work that those data centers do is to parse text (and I mean LOTS of text) every microsecond of every day, then you could see why search engines might want to have standardized abbreviations so that text can be processed in a uniform and efficient way. Thus, I suggest the idea of preferred Google street mapping abbreviations (see example table of abbreviations at bottom of this post).
After all, using standard abbreviations means that search engines need to process fewer characters which means less processing time and less processing time means fewer resources used with less cost. Catch the drift here? It may not seem like much to mere humans to save a few characters in a text string containing a long form street name versus a short form street name. However, multiply all that work, as Carl Sagan would say, “by billions and billions,” and then you might just generate some tangible savings.
The new mantra for digital marketers and SEOs is to “make search engines happy,” which really means making the AI search bots ‘happy.’ The simple act of standard abbreviations could help the job of savvy digital marketers. After all, the difference in SERP position A versus position Z could be significant. Could one signal for better ranking be a uniformly abbreviated business NAP everwhere in cyberspace? (See “NAP” at bottom of this page.) Who knows? It’s worth a try.
Finally, simply imagine, if you can wrap your mind around it, the teraflops you’ll be personally responsible for saving in a lifetime by abbreviating everything, everywhere, uniformly. Perhaps we digital marketers could single-handedly affect global warming by reducing extra heat entering the atmosphere from data centers that we are saving from executing all those extra teraflops… all of this by merely shortening “Street” to “St” or “улица” to “ул.”
Happy abbreviating, everyone. 🙂
Pete Bakke, PMP, Data Analyst, Digital Marketer
Tucson, AZ.
Google Mapping |
Abbreviation |
| Alley : | Aly |
| Apartment : | Apt |
| Arcade : | Arc |
| Avenue : | Ave |
| Basement : | Bsmt |
| Beach : | Bch |
| Bend : | Bnd |
| Bottom : | Btm |
| Boulevard : | Blvd |
| Branch : | Br |
| Building : | Bldg |
| Bypass : | Byp |
| Camp : | Cp |
| Causeway : | Cswy |
| Center : | Ctr |
| Circle : | Cir |
| Court : | Ct |
| Cove : | Cv |
| Creek : | Crk |
| Crossing : | |
| Crossroad : | Xrd |
| Drive: | Dr |
| East : | E |
| Expressway : | Expy |
| Field : | Fld |
| Freeway : | Fwy |
| Front : | Frnt |
| Gateway : | Gtwy |
| Hangar : | Hngr |
| Harbor : | Hbr |
| Haven : | Hvn |
| Heights : | Hts |
| Highway : | Hwy |
| Island : | Is |
| Junction : | Jct |
| Lake : | Lk |
| Lane : | Ln |
| Lobby : | Lbby |
| Meadow : | Mdw |
| Mill : | Ml |
| Mount : | Mt |
| Mountain : | Mtn |
| Northeast : | NE |
| Northwest : | NW |
| North : | N |
| Office : | Ofc |
| Parkway : | Pky |
| Place : | Pl |
| Plain : | Pln |
| Plaza : | Plz |
| Point : | Pt |
| Ranch : | Rnch |
| Rapids : | Rpds |
| Ridge : | Rdg |
| Road : | Rd |
| Room : | Rm |
| Route : | Rte |
| Southeast : | SE |
| Southwest : | SW |
| Skyway : | Skwy |
| South : | S |
| Space : | Spc |
| Spring : | Spg |
| Square : | Sq |
| Station : | Sta |
| Street : | St |
| Suite : | Ste |
| Summit : | Smt |
| Terrace : | Ter |
| Trace : | Trce |
| Trail : | Trl |
| Trailer : | Trlr |
| Turnpike : | Tpk |
| Valley : | Vly |
| View : | Vw |
| Village : | Vlg |
| Wharf : | Whf |
| Well : | Wl |
| West : | W |
Hats off to : Acceptable Google Maps NAP [NAP = Name Address Phone, not places you take a nap.]