We have the latest researched data that 50% of consumers that perform a search on their smartphone or any device will visit that store within 24 hours. Now, that being said, if you have outstanding reviews that may drive more customers to your business. The research also further notes that 18% of those local searches lead to a purchase as well.
Source: ThinkwithGoogle
Our source also tells us that searches containing the word “near me” have significantly increased since 2011 by 34x.
The ultimate focus of a business with a store front is local search engine optimization. Its becoming more evident and more important as technology improves.
THE MAP PACK IN GOOGLE
We are not sure if you are familiar with this feature but with the new search there is a “Map Pack”. This fairly new feature will display nearby businesses with their information such as contact, reviews, ratings, and store hours. If you show up in the pack this will help level the playing field with larger businesses that rank better in local search.
As you can see the above map pack display several features that comes with pros and cons.
CONS OF THE LOCAL MAP PACK:
Businesses that are not search engine optimized and/or not relevant, will rank lower and won’t appear due to Google’s algorithm. Consumers may have more of a difficult time finding your location, as well as your business may not appear first in local searches.
POSITIVES OF THE LOCAL MAP PACK:
The local map pack will appear more often and actually 93% of the time in the number one position versus the older pack that only appears 25% of the time. Those businesses that are optimized for SEO will have a better chance and ranking at the very top of Google queries.
SEO OPTIMIZATION CHECK LIST
Here are some way that will help your business to be optimized to appears hopefully in this local map pack.
- Having a good balance of reviews on your listing. They must new and relevant.
- Having a Google My Business page setup (see this post for step-by-step instructions)
- Consistency, ensure that the following below are the same through all platforms
- Address
- Website
- Phone Number
- Hours
- Etc…
- Get your businesses listed in directories (see this list for the top 50)
IN CONCLUSION
The Google map pack is winning on many fronts, for many businesses and consumers. Some businesses may disagree and dislike this feature but that provides great opportunities to businesses to take advantage of this feature. Since this map pack will show in the first position 93% of the time this gives local businesses huge advantages. It is recommended to optimize your business pages and profiles to ensure that you will get ranked higher. Reputation Shielder can help make a difference in your business. Check out our demo today! Click Here
