Local search is when someone uses the internet to search for a local business
. They might do this by using a search engine like Google, Yahoo, Bing or a smaller local online directory.
The number of people who do this is so significant that it is vital that local businesses harness these searches to get found ahead of their competition.
In April 2010 Google confirmed that 20% of online searches were for local businesses and this statistic has been increasing quickly with the adoption the Smartphone. That is 100 million searches each day. Smartphones allow people to search for what they want when they want it and the results that are delivered to them are local, making it a very valuable tool for the consumer.
Any business that services a local area or gets a significant amount of their business from their local area and is not advertising effectively on the internet is missing out on a huge amount of potential business. Where people used to let their fingers do the walking with the Yellow Pages, they now use their desktop or smartphone to find the services they need.
For business this is good news !
The cost of reaching potential clients is significantly reduced when harnessing online searches. Where a business in the past would need to fork-out for expensive Yellow Pages advertisements, weekly newspaper adds or overly expensive billboard advertising they can now use a myriad of inexpensive and in some cases free online advertising channels like the Google, Yahoo and Bing maps and places listings.
While some business owners find advertising online a daunting thought, there are many service providers who able to harness the latest channels for businesses at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising methods. These online marketing agencies let business owners concentrate on what they do best and that is running their business and servicing their customers.
The objective of online Local search marketing is to harness these local searches and get customers in the door or on the phone to local businesses.