{"id":20480,"date":"2020-01-30T10:28:29","date_gmt":"2020-01-30T10:28:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/glosario-digital\/geolocation"},"modified":"2026-09-14T10:37:45","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T10:37:45","slug":"geolocation","status":"publish","type":"encyclopedia","link":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/geolocation","title":{"rendered":"Geolocation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Geolocation\" class=\"boxpad wp-image-14342 size-full alignright\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/5.jpg\" style=\"margin-top:0;\" width=\"300\"\/><strong>Definition:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Geolocation<\/strong> is the process of determining or estimating the geographical position of a device and, by extension, the person or object using it. It can be used to display a location on a map, calculate routes or present information related to an area.<\/p>\n<p>It is not limited to mobile phones: it can also be used on watches, tablets, computers and other devices, depending on their capabilities. Accuracy depends on the method and conditions of use. Obtaining coordinates is not the same as knowing an exact postal address; associating them with an address is a separate operation called reverse geocoding.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Types of geolocation<\/h2>\n<p>There are different methods for estimating location, which can be combined on a single device:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Mobile network geolocation:<\/strong> uses information from mobile base stations and available signals. It is not limited to GSM; other generations of mobile networks can also be used. Accuracy depends on coverage, the distribution of base stations and the method used.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Satellite geolocation:<\/strong> systems such as GPS allow a receiver to calculate its position from signals sent by several satellites. GPS is one satellite navigation system, not the name for all of them. Buildings, indoor environments and receiver quality can affect the result; it does not provide an exact position in every situation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wi-Fi geolocation:<\/strong> uses information about nearby access points and databases that associate those points with known locations. It does not simply involve looking up the router&#8217;s IP address.<\/li>\n<li><strong>IP geolocation:<\/strong> estimates an area from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/ip\">IP address<\/a> and location databases. It can indicate a country, region or city with varying accuracy, but does not in itself identify the user&#8217;s home address. A VPN or the operator&#8217;s infrastructure can cause the estimated location to differ from the actual one.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The operating system can combine several signals to obtain a more useful estimate. The available method and margin of error are not the same on every device or in every location.<\/p>\n<h2>Geolocation in applications<\/h2>\n<p>Applications such as Google Maps use location to display the user&#8217;s position, calculate routes and find nearby establishments. The estimated position and map data are separate elements: having coordinates does not guarantee that an address, opening hours or business listing are up to date.<\/p>\n<p>Fitness applications can also record routes using phones or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/wearable\">wearable<\/a> devices, such as GPS watches. Some devices obtain location through a connected phone; not all wearables have their own receiver.<\/p>\n<p>On the web, the <a href=\"https:\/\/developer.mozilla.org\/en-US\/docs\/Web\/API\/Geolocation_API\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">browser&#8217;s Geolocation API<\/a> allows a device&#8217;s location to be requested in a secure context, normally HTTPS, and requires the user&#8217;s permission. The browser uses the available mechanisms, not necessarily GPS.<\/p>\n<p>This permission should not be confused with IP-based estimation. Refusing access to the device&#8217;s location does not in itself prevent a service from estimating an approximate area from the connection. Obtaining a position does not imply that a history is stored either: recording and retention depend on the application and its configuration.<\/p>\n<h2>Geolocation and local SEO<\/h2>\n<p>Geolocation and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/seo-agency-spain\">local SEO<\/a> are related, but serve different purposes. The former estimates a position; the latter works on a business&#8217;s presence in searches associated with an area.<\/p>\n<p>Local SEO includes maintaining accurate information in Google Business Profile, managing reviews and providing useful content about the business&#8217;s services and locations. It does not allow control over the user&#8217;s position or guarantee visibility simply by adding city names to content.<\/p>\n<p>For a search such as &#34;coffee shops near me&#34;, Google can use the available location information to present nearby results. Distance plays a role alongside other factors, such as relevance and prominence. Addresses, opening hours and reviews come from information about the establishments, not from geolocating the user.<\/p>\n<p>Location can help provide relevant results, but it does not guarantee visits to the establishment or sales. It is useful to distinguish the user&#8217;s estimated position, the business&#8217;s actual location and the information published about it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Definition: Geolocation is the process of determining or estimating the geographical position of a device and, by extension, the person or object using it. It can be used to display a location on a map, calculate routes or present information related to an area. It is not limited to mobile phones: it can also be [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"template":"","encyclopedia-tag":[404],"class_list":["post-20480","encyclopedia","type-encyclopedia","status-publish","hentry","encyclopedia-tag-local-seo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia\/20480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/encyclopedia"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"encyclopedia-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia-tag?post=20480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}