Local Search is Growing
Local search is nothing new, but it is growing at an alarming rate. As more people discover that they can use search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo, for local searches, more businesses will take advantage of local search capabilities.
Here are some interesting statistics that business owners will find interesting. These statistics should convince you why it is important to optimize your search listing.
Search engines
There were close to two billion local search queries in January 2011. A large amount of those searches were through Google. Additionally, there were 400 million search queries through the Internet Yellow Pages in that same month.
There were 5.6 billion total local searches in 2010.
Mobile search
Mobile searches account for most of the total local searches every year. Thanks to smartphones and iPhones, mobile searches are a major contributor to these statistics. Out of the total number of smartphone users, 95 percent of them performed local searches on their device.
The number of local searches performed from mobile devices is up 34 percent from last year. Additionally, the rate at which mobile users are searching is also rising.
You may also be surprised to know that 56 percent of mobile users are performing local searches using apps. However, mobile users still use browsers as their main tool for local mobile searches. As more people turn towards their smartphone for information, the statistic for local searches performed with apps will continue to grow.
How some businesses have benefited from these statistics…
Many business owners now know that many local searches are performed by a mobile device. Therefore, they are taking advantage of mobile apps that offer coupons, such as Groupon, to market to their consumers. Apps that offer coupons based on geo-location are effective when combined with a mobile search.
Of course, many businesses still benefit from simply being on the front page of a Google search for their area. For example, if a consumer were to look for a local plumber, he would perform a search for plumbers in his area. Plumbers who optimized their local listing will most likely show up on the first page, being on both the map section and the organic listing.
Of course, as local searches trend towards mobile users, business owners who incorporate mobile app marketing will benefit the most.
