Local Google Search

These days, local search is becoming more and more important as local businesses try to attract new customers within their location. This post will tell you all that you need to know about the rise of:

Local Google Search

We have already focused quite a bit on the importance of having good online reviews. Nearly 97% of customers search for a product before buying and 72% of consumers trust online reviews as they trust personal recommendations from friends and family.

Yet new data shows that for local businesses, how you are perceived in Google search results is even more important than ever before. According to the Pew Research Center, 31% of Americans use their phones to get information they need right away and Google adds that mobile search volume is up 130% from last year, with 1/3 of all mobile queries being local.

What does Local Google Search mean for your company?

Putting it all together, more people are using their phones to conduct Google searches, and many of them are for local businesses. This might mean that a customer is standing right outside of your restaurant, and is checking your reviews on Yelp before deciding whether or not to go inside. It might also mean that someone saw a commercial for your dentistry practice or car dealership, and Googled your organization’s name to determine whether or not they want to do business with you. Your local search strategy should complement your other marketing, not cancel it out. If your business has not properly managed its online reputation, then you will lose customers before they even walk through the door.

What can you do about Local Google Search?

There are a number of solutions that businesses are turning to in order to improve their online reputation. Many review sites offer companies the opportunity to pay to filter their negative reviews, which allows them to enhance their reputation by spotlighting glowing reviews. Unfortunately, doing so means that you will end up stuck paying monthly fees to a variety of search engines. You can use Google AdWords to buy advertising for keywords that local searchers are using, but this approach could cause you to be trapped in a bidding war with your competitors.

On the other hand, paying a reputation management company to create an SEO campaign to boost your positioning in search results, and bring in more positive reviews and content for your business, allows you to permanently improve your company’s online reputation management campaign without permanately being tied down to monthly fees to multiple sites and services.

If your company’s online reputation is not under control, you will lose potential local customers before they even walk through the door. To keep from losing customers, contact us immediately for your free online report.

How do you manage your Local Google Search results? Let us know in the comments below!