To understand SoLoMo, it is really necessary to understand several developments that brought it about. The first is that SoLoMo arose as a result of the popularity of smartphones and tablets that integrate geo-location technology. The GPS technology integrated into these devices provides more accurate geo results than the "IP mapping" approach necessary for home or office PCs. Also, big search engines are recognizing that there is a large - and virtually untapped - market in local search. That's because there are a lot more "mom and pop" operations out there than firms with a national or international scope. When search engines started incorporating more and more local results in search engine results, they proved the size of the local market on the Internet.

Finally, in order for search results to have accurate local results, they need accurate information about local businesses. Good local search results just aren't possible unless what "local" actually means is made clear. This has proved to be problematic for browser-based search requests. But as an increasing number of searches are being driven by apps, this problem has disappeared simply because most apps have a larger arsenal of tools that allow them to determine exactly where the user is.