Is Your Business Invisible to Local Searches?
You Need Local Buzz!
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An increasing number of consumers are using the internet to search for services and products in their locality. Unfortunately, keeping up with the trend and staying visible to prospective customers online is still a struggle for local businesses. Meanwhile, a few businesses are blooming, leading local listings and attracting prospects to their shops.
If you want your services and products to dominate your locality, you will need to learn and incorporate the use of customer ratings and reviews, optimized local listings, maps, and check-ins, a service called “Local Buzz” provided by 5 Star Brand.
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Why Local Search is Growing
A lot of business owners know that almost 8 in 10 consumers make use of the internet to search for goods and services. They are putting in a large chunk of their budget into owning a website and optimizing it for search results. They are only now realizing that they also need to optimize their online presence, not only based on their products and services, but also based on their location. And that’s what you get with local buzz.
When prospects type in geographic keywords in their search queries e.g. apartments in Temecula, or best wedding gowns Riverside, it’s called a local search and recently, a modifier is included by about 54% of searchers in their search.
According to comScore, as of February 2012, 74% of smartphone owners got real-time location-based information through their mobile devices an increase from 55% in May 2011. This shows that the most of the popularity of local search can be correlated to the growth of mobile device ownership and usage.
Local Buzz Boosts Business Revenue
Consumers are on the internet and with its help are searching for local businesses: your bottom line! Your sales! Yes, the future of your business. Local searches are aimed at making a purchase, not only at locating the business. It’s no surprise that:
- 73% of searches done with mobile devices spark off other added conversions and actions
- 77% of tablet searches resulted in a purchase
- 78% of mobile phone searches resulted in a purchase
Mobile devices are fueling local search! Searchers are looking to buy, not just typing in a query on Google in other to use their mobile phones.
Whether your local business is “buzzing” on consumer feedback or local listings or is invisible when consumers search for it is what is an important consideration.
Beyond Traditional SEO
The traditional task of hiring a web designer to create your website and then engaging the services of an agency to optimize the site is critical. You should make these two things your top priority because they make sure your business is present online. But your business needs to be visible in various local listings, attract prospects to your shop and encourage them to make purchases. It requires more than exposures on general search results, and that’s the function of the Local Online Presence Marketing services offered by 5 Star Brand, called “Local Buzz.”
The Local Buzz focus is on your business’ local online presence is unlike conventional search engine optimization. This is achieved by a combination of genuine customer reviews, maps, check-ins, and local listings, all coordinated with traditional SEO. This enhances SEO with search results from Foursquare, independent reviews sites, Google maps, and local listings because all these postings will appear when prospects conduct a local search online. The function of local buzz is to make your local business visible and appealing to searchers in your locality.
Maps, Check-ins, Reviews, Listings, etc. – Mobile Domination!
Research shows that maps, local listings, check-ins and reviews not only dominate search results for a specific locality, but also influence the purchase decisions of users. The BrightLocal study discovered that the online reviews’ effect of consumers for 2013 was stronger than for 2012.
- 65% of consumers are more likely to use a business with positive reviews (up from 52%)
- 73% of consumers trust a business more because of reviews (up from 58%)
- 79% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations (up from 72%)
- 85% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses (up from 76% in 2012)
Geo-social and check-ins websites and reviews, should be included in your strategy. The number of check-ins logged by Foursquare, which has about 40 million users, so far is about 3.45billion. Check-in promos can be a part of your strategy to attract prospects to your shop and reward them after several check-ins.
According to comScore, about 35% of mobile phone users searching for local businesses do so through Google Maps. While the Local search Association reports that 76% of searches using internet yellow pages resulted in a purchase, or store visit with intent to purchase. Maps and listings have similar effect.
The statistics give us a clear message: you should dominate local listings with location-based services to ensure prospects find you, and that their impression is that you are worthy of their time and attention. Your business needs Local Buzz!
Send us an email to jim@5starBrand.com or call us at 951-821-8659 now to schedule your free in-depth consultation. We can help YOU dominate your local online market with the power of Local Buzz.
