If you are a small business owner, do you understand the power of the cell phone to impact your business? I am not talking about battery power or the number of bars you get. I am talking about the power of the cell phone to help customers find your business. Here is the reality: there is a symbiotic relationship between cell phones and local searches. It is a relationship that can make or break your business success.
In the modern digital world, local search is mobile search. People running local searches for restaurants, landscapers, home contractors, etc. are more likely than ever before to do so using their phones. And according to Pixsan, an SEO specialist in San Diego, they are also more likely to search on the move.
The Impact of Local Search Is Undeniable
Mobile search isn’t just a fad. Almost half of all Google search queries qualify as local search. More importantly, more than 60% of those local searches are conducted with mobile devices. Here is the icing on the cake: some 76% of people who run a ‘near me’ search with a cell phone follow up with a visit to the company’s physical location within 24 hours.
To a San Diego business owner aiming to capture his fair share of this high-intent traffic, the relationship between local search and cell phone use is gold. But making it work requires an SEO specialist who understands local search intent. Unless a business owner has that specialized experience himself, he is going to need outside help.
What Types of Businesses Benefit Most?
To be fair, not every locally owned and operated business benefits tremendously from mobile search. Companies that already have a global reach immediately come to mind. On the other hand, there are other types of businesses that thrive on a local customer base. These are also businesses ripe for high-intent traffic.
The types of businesses that most benefit from mobile-friendly local search can be divided into two categories:
1. Emergency and Urgent Service Providers
The first category comprises those businesses that provide emergency and urgent services. Think of the plumber who answers a call in the middle of the night from a customer dealing with a burst pipe. When water is pouring into the basement, a homeowner has no intention of conducting research over 2-3 days. He needs a plumber now. The same is true for HVAC technicians, towing companies, urgent care providers, etc.
2. Lifestyle and Hospitality Businesses
The second category consists of those businesses that cater to lifestyle and hospitality needs. Bars and restaurants immediately come to mind. People search for restaurants all the time, mostly because they are ready to eat. Rarely is the consumer who spends several days looking for a restaurant they will not visit until weeks down the road. Other types of businesses in this category include auto repair shops, boutique retail shops, hair salons, and so forth.
Mobile Search Is a Different Animal
One last thing local business owners need to know is that mobile search is a different animal. A business owner dabbling in SEO might do a decent job with standard search, only to fall flat with the mobile audience. Conversely, an SEO specialist knows that the three most critical elements in mobile search are:
- The Google Local Three-Pack
- Review recency and velocity
- Page load speed
Combine these three things with the right content, and local search becomes very mobile-friendly. The symbiotic relationship between local search and cell phones becomes an asset to the local business owner. On the other hand, ignoring these things will lead to online stagnation.