Local Search has been an ever changing topic from year to year. The team at E-Power Marketing follows those changes closely because of all the benefits Local Search presents for our clients. We want you to know why local listings are important and what good rankings can do for your business!
According to Mary Bowling at Search Engine News, 61% of purchases that are made come from Local Searches. Most people search without a specific business in mind when they are searching locally, meaning you have the opportunity to grab the attention of local shoppers who are ready and willing to buy.
Digital Devices Change Local
Smart phones and other mobile devices have changed the game when it comes to Local Search. In the past, when potential customers would do a search, the Local Search packs on the search results pages would display businesses with the distance from the center of town, not from the user’s location. Now, with settings and location signals on different devices, Local Search results are based off of the customers’ location and their proximity to your business.
What makes your local business stand out? Ratings and reviews should be encouraged for your customers to participate in. These now play a major role in what is going to boost your business ahead of your competitors. 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation, so encouraging your good clients to brag about your business is not only beneficial for Local Search positions but also for building clientele. By encouraging customers to send in their positive ratings and reviews to your listings on sites like Google, Bing, and Yelp, you will build your profiles, which is a sure way to put your business in front of your local competitors. The more active a listing appears, the more likely a search engine is to award it higher search visibility.
Why Is Local Becoming More Important?
Brands are continuing to overlook Local Search because they don’t realize how easy it is to get their listings ranking well and how valuable that real estate can be. These changes are what make it even more important for you to take advantage of your local listings. Organic listings are falling lower and below the fold and in order to boost your search visibility, your business needs to constantly be submitting to different local listings.
Local Search can be a free and fast way to boost your search visibility. The more complete your listings are, the better search visibility a search engine will reward your brand and the more often your potential customers will be able to find your business.
