Do you own a business that thrives on local business? If you do, you have probably known by now that local search marketing is very critical. According to Go-gulf, a whopping 76% of online users search for local business while 46% of all Google searches are specifically looking for local information. This means that a lot of people are using local search to find local businesses or information and if you are diligent enough to have done local search engine optimization, there is a big chance your business will benefit greatly. According to another study conducted by Forbes, 95% of smartphone users have used their devices to conduct local search out of which 61% have called the business and a further 59% have visited the store. This clearly shows every marketer should seriously get their local search marketing strategy right if one is to reap the full benefits.
Leads from localized searches are major source of qualified leads
It has been reported that 72% of consumers who search for local businesses end up in the store within 5 miles and 78% of local searches result in an in-store purchase. Moreover, 50% of consumer who do their local search on mobile visit the store within one day. These numbers certainly show that leads from localized searches are major source of potential customers and these numbers will only get better with each passing day. What makes it even sweeter is that these are qualified leads since they come from people who have already specifically searched for your product or services. As a result, these leads will have a higher conversion rate.
Your website will rank higher if you optimize for local search
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According to Search Engine Journal, 97% of consumers have searched online for local business information, products or services. This is the reason why major search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo have employed algorithms that rank websites based on certain keywords with geographical location phrases. Because search engines are now tracking the location from which one is making a search, websites that have been optimized for local search have an advantage over those that don’t when it comes to search engine ranking.
An important thing to note is that searches without the phrase “near me” have dropped considerably over the past 5 years because consumers now expect Google to automatically deliver localized results. Many consumers now assume that Google know their local intent. This clearly means it will be difficult to survive without utilizing local search marketing strategy.
Your local business can stand out even if you are not as big as the rest
What local search has done over the years is that it leveled the playing field making it easier even for the small guys to outshine the big boys. As already mentioned, 61% of consumers who perform local search end up calling the business and majority end up purchasing a product. This means that local search can help people make quick decision in your favor even if you don’t own a website. This gives you a good foundation to building relationships with your customers.