Have you heard of Local search engine optimisation and wondered how the heck you can use it for your business? Do the words “key words” or “search results” cause your eyes to glaze over?
You’re far from alone if so.
Meanwhile, is your company’s website comment section nothing but crickets? Are you struggling to stir up new customers?
If you answered yes, there’s good news. An SEO expert in Manchester can make your life easier. Of course, you likely don’t have stacks of cash to just throw at anyone offering local search engine optimisation services in Manchester.
Like any savvy business owner, you need cold hard facts before making an investment.
Let us help you with that last bit.
Here are 5 facts that PROVE local SEO is no longer optional.
1. Over Half of Consumers Who Use Local Search on Their Smartphone Visit a Store Within 3 Days
Google’s 2014 report revealed that 50 percent of consumers who use their smartphone to search for local businesses end up visiting one of those stores within 3 days. Talk about traffic boost.
It’s serious mistake to believe that the internet only caters to e-commerce businesses. In fact, brick and mortar stores can seriously cash in on internet traffic.
But let’s look at this from a different angle. What does it tell us about consumer behavior?
It tells us that consumers have, for the most part, made the decision to buy whatever it is they’re searching for. Bam! You’ve got yourself a hotbed of qualified leads ready to take action, just like that.
They want what they want when they want it.
So, when you use local search engine optimisation services in Manchester to drive traffic to your business, you’re tapping into a market that’s ready to buy. You no longer have to promote.
2. A Whopping 78% of Local-Mobile Searches Result In Offline Purchases
According to a survey conducted by comScore and friends, nearly 80% of all local mobile searches result in offline purchases.
This means that consumers use their smartphone to locate the business they want to buy from. Once they find that company, they grab their wallet and head out the door.
So it would seem, search engine searched are used to identify the best location to make a purchase in person.
While some are saying retail is a dying industry, others see the potential—especially with stats like this to back it up.
The only way to grab ahold of this 80 % of online searchers is to position yourself right in front of them with the best SEO in Manchester.
3. Search Engines Sites Like Bing Are Paying More Attention to Local Search
Yes, Bing matters. It is the second most popular search engine, so what it does can have a significant impact on your business.
Recently, Bing has launched bots to help find and target local businesses. This new technology can improve your site listings and get you noticed by more people.
No matter if you own a small mom and pop business or if you’re a big local shop, you have to pay attention to these changes.
Luckily you don’t have to know much about the technical side of things to get noticed by Bing.
4. Some 60% of Consumers Use Info from Local Ads
In the same study we referenced earlier, Google found that up to 60% of consumers want specific information from local ads. Most of what they are looking for is:
- – Call Buttons & Get Directions
- – City and ZIP Code information
- – Address and Phone Numbers
This solidifies the point we mentioned before—consumers already know what they want long before they hit the search button.
If you want to garner attention from your target consumers you have to target search ads accordingly. You can also use SEO locally targeted keywords and strategies to maximise your reach in search results.
5. Local Business Reviews Are As Trustworthy as Personal Reviews
There’s been a serious shift in buyer perception. Word-of-mouth no longer involves the recommendations of neighbors, friends, and co-workers.
In fact, over 88% of consumers feel that local business reviews are equally as trustworthy as recommendations from friends or family, according to a BrightLocal survey.
Where do consumers go to get these reviews? Review sites, of course.
These review sites include:
- – Yelp
- – Google+ Local
- – TripAdvisor
- – Yahoo! Local
Consumers are also starting to check out Google for local business reviews. Google also makes recommendations on where to go, so advertising through them is a killer idea if you want to climb in page rank.
6. Consumers Consistently Choose Businesses On Page 1
Ranking on the first page of Google is far from easy (with the right SEO expert in Manchester it’s much easier, though).
According to a study conducted by Chitika, some 92 percent of web searchers opt for a business that is at the top (or at least on the first page) of search results. How do you get to that spot? By studying consumers and understanding what keywords they’re using.
If you can’t wait for your website to land on the first page organically you can try paid advertising with Google.
How to Make It Work For You
Local search isn’t easy. At SEO MCR, we pride ourselves on offering the best SEO in Manchester. Together we can take your website to the top of local search results and get you the traffic you deserve.
