4 Ways Consumers Look for Local Businesses

Every local business wants to get as much exposure as possible. But for them to succeed in winning customers, they should know how the consumers look for businesses in the first place. Nowadays, mobile devices have been dominating web search, with about 52% of the entire global search coming from smartphones and tablets.

Business owners must know how customers behave in terms of online search. Through this, they can devise an SEO and marketing plan that will yield the best results.

If you don’t have any idea yet, the following are four of the leading ways on how customers find businesses online:

Mobile search

Again, mobile search is king in web traffic. In fact, experts forecast that by the end of 2019, mobile search will be bringing in $30 billion worth of sales across the internet.

True enough, Google has released its mobile-first indexing algorithm, which gives an added edge for mobile-optimized websites.

Remember that about 75% of all consumers will start their purchasing journey on their mobile devices. It’s a convenient choice than going to physical stores or browsing on their laptops.

Voice search

Voice search is becoming a massive trend on the web. About 40% of adults and 55% of teens are using voice search to look up a query on the web. Most importantly, about 57% of all voice searchers would be purchasing at least one item through their voice assistants.

This is in line with the emergence of smart speakers and voice assistants across platforms. If you own a business, you must keep up with this growing trend. Just like mobile search, voice search is seen to be massive in the coming years.

Hyperlocal search

Local consumers always assume that their online queries will yield local results. As the business owner, you should always aim to boost your local visibility. Aside from organic search and being on the Map Pack, local optimization is very crucial.

About 63% of consumers will use search engines to look for a business provider. This just proves how visibility can drive traffic and conversion into your business.

Consumer reviews

Online reviews are the make-or-break part for businesses. About 97% of all consumers will search for business reviews to form their opinion and purchasing decisions. And if they see negative reviews, they will move on to another option, considering that mobile search offers convenience all the time.

Every consumer, regardless of socioeconomic status, will always aim to minimize the risk of their purchases. Buyer’s remorse is the enemy of every business because one negative review can impact their online reputation.

So aside from enhancing the user experience, you should also try to resolve complaints. This will not go unnoticed among new customers. Showing that you care and you want to fix the problem somehow vindicates your business.

Final words

If businesses want to grow their sales, they should know their consumers’ search behavior. From there, they can devise a campaign that will maximize their resources. In the end, your customers are always right.