Neglecting local search marketing puts your clients at a huge disadvantage. Local SEO has grown in importance over the last few years, thanks in part to the greater use of mobile and the algorithm updates Google has made to reflect users’ search intent. It doesn’t matter if the businesses you support are in one or multiple locations, or if they are small or midsize — they need to be using local search marketing.

Just How Important Is Local Search?

After performing a local search, more than 70 percent of consumers then visit a store within 10 miles. Just under 20 percent travel between 11 to 50 miles. Half these store visits occur within one day of the search and one-quarter result in an immediate purchase.

Local mobile searches are particularly profitable. Almost one-third of searches on mobile devices are related to location and 78 percent of these result in an offline purchase. Plus, just over half of smartphone users say that they have discovered a new company or product through a search.

Why Google Favors Local Search

Although Google favors businesses with a long history online, the search engine also gives preference to smaller, local businesses. Access to free analytics and webmaster tools are combined with higher rankings to help such brands improve their visibility. This is not entirely charitable on the part of Google. Close to half of searches have a local intent. By giving local businesses high rankings, Google is bringing searchers the information they want.

Staying Competitive

Every year, more businesses see the necessity of having an online presence. This means competition is higher. By focusing on local marketing for your clients, you allow them to access their target niche.

How to Improve Local Marketing

Correct information: By implementing a local marketing strategy, you increase the chances your clients reach the local pack, placing them in the top of the search results right below paid ads. The local pack results includes the businesses’ position on the map as well as pertinent information. However, if a company’s NAP (name, address, phone number) is inconsistent across different directories, the business will not appear in the results. To avoid this, you need to make sure that your clients claim all their profiles in places like Google My Business, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Foursquare. You should also help them list on maps including Google maps and Apple maps.

Reviews: Reviews are another feature that appear in the local pack. Plus, they play a role in local SEO in other ways. Supply clients with ideas on how to gain more positive reviews for their businesses through legitimate means.

Schema Markup: Local schema provides search engines with basic information about businesses. Your clients should use schema for contact details, testimonials, and events on their websites.

Local Content: With the basics set up, it is time to start developing content with local SEO. Showing how the business plays an active role in its community and its knowledge about the area is useful for building authority. Such content is also excellent for encouraging engagement on social media and backlinks. Make sure your clients understand how important local search is for their business success. Emphasize that local SEO needs to form a constant part of their strategies to have an impact over the long term.

For these and more local search statistics, check out this infographic from Boostability: