Thursday, 13 September 2012 06:07

Do I Need Local Search Optimization For My Business?

Recently GetListed.org estimated that there are over two billion unique local searches per month on Google from just desktop computers in the United States. PewInternet.org recently added to this by reviewing the usage of the companion to desktop local search: mobile internet usage. They noted that:

Local Search Optimization - FiG Advertising<

In April of 2009: 31% of cell owners said they used their phone to go online. By April of 2012 the numbers had increased to: 88% of US adults now own a cell phone, 55% use their cell phone to go online (a 24% increase from 2009), and 31% of the cell internet users now mostly use their phone to go online (and not a device like a desktop or laptop).

This means that not only has the number of phones increased, more people are now using their phones to go online and in addition, more people are using only their phones to go online and not other devices.

A recent Google study by Ipsos went on to note that 92% of smartphone users in the US look up local content and 89% of those take action after looking up local content.

With the use of local search and smartphone usage increasing yearly, in mind, are you doing everything you can to maximize your marketing for for local search?

If you answer yes to any one of the following questions, then local search optimization is important to you:

  1. Am I a business that handles walk in traffic?

  2. Am I a business with a local service area?

  3. Do my customers use their smart phones while in my business?

  4. Is my business dependent on talking to my customers?

  5. Are purchases of my service or product dependent on customer reviews? (For example, a high price point product, service oriented products, medical professionals, restaurants)

  6. Is my business hard to find?

  7. Is the competition for my service/product high in my area?

  8. Does my business have multiple locations?

  9. Do I spend an ever increasing amount of money on magazine and newspaper advertising?

  10. Is referral marketing (word of mouth advertising) important to my business?

Local SEO, also known as local search optimization, is a collection of website and internet marketing techniques that work with any existing online presence to expand your reach into geographically local, mobile and hyperlocal markets. It can include website changes, local search profile enhancement, addition of online services and more. It is a continually growing and changing area of internet marketing that every local business should take advantage of.



Remember, FiG Advertising, your Denver SEO agency, has the creative team you need for your company to take full advantage of this ever growing segment marketing segment.