Since COVID it seems that the emphasis for users has made a dramatic shift towards local purchases. What we mean here is that people want to spend their money locally, without the need for travelling huge distances.
We firmly believe that if you run either a bricks and mortar or a business that serves a local population then you MUST have a robust local marketing strategy.
To back this up we have collated a range of must know Local SEO stats for 2023. Some of these you might be aware of, but we are sure that there are a few surprises in there too. Read on to learn more.
1) Just under half of all searches (46%) feature a specific location
Location based searches amount to virtually half of searches conducted on Google.
To put that into perspective, there are around 3.5 Billion searches on any given day, with 1.6 of these including localised elements.
This should provide businesses with the impetus to include a robust strategy that covers local search.
Source – Safari Digital
2) Searches using the phrase ‘near me’ doubled in 2020 (and continues to grow)
We have seen the popularity of this phrase grow massively for quite some time now.
The truth is that people place more trust when buying locally. What better way than to prefix their search query with these words.
Source – Think With Google
3) 28% Of all local searches lead to a purchase
Such is the power of local search that over 1 in 4 of these lead to a purchase. Further proof that people place high regard to the information that they view on local suppliers.
The rationale is that consumers have much less interest in the location of a business if they don’t intend to purchase.
Source – Safari Digital
4) Close to 90% of searchers use Google Maps when searching for a business
Your Google Business page plays an incredibly important role when it comes to growing your local presence.
It is this visibility that helps potential new customers to find your business. From there they can be prompted to take action, such as; visit, call, email, message, visit a website etc.
Stats surrounding Google Maps show that marketers place massive importance on the engagement gained, citing somewhere around 18% as the response rate.
Source – Finances Online
5) More than half of businesses are still to claim their Google Maps listing
It seems incredible, but around 56% of business owners haven’t laid claim to their free Google Maps listing. The chances of these businesses being found in localised search is poor, meaning they are missing out on new customers.
This free tool is the linchpin of an effective local strategy, allowing you to showcase your goods and services, opening hours, team and location, amongst other things.
Source – Safari Digital
6) Virtually half of local businesses have in excess of 1,000 views on their Google Map listing every single month
Google stats demonstrate that 49% of the owners of Google Maps verified listings get more than 1,000 views every month. The emphasis that the search giant places on local data along with purchase intent will likely see this continue to grow.
Imagine having a thousand extra eyes looking at your products and services every month. Pretty powerful, huh?
Source – Linchpin
7) 40% of business owners outsource some or indeed all of their local SEO
Somewhere around a third of all businesses that have fewer than 25 locations tend not to employ in-house marketers. They favour utilising outside specialists and agencies to cover this work, allowing for greater flexibility and lower costs.
This is often a good solution for smaller businesses who might have more limited human resource availability. Mid-sized and indeed the larger businesses favour recruiting in-house staff and teams.
Source – Moz
8) Nearly three quarters of all consumers who searched for a local business will end up visiting stores within a 5 mile radius
Amazingly 72% of searches will take steps to visit a location that’s in their close proximity. Searching for local service providers is an everyday occurrence for huge volumes of people.
It’s essential to optimise your business to avoid missing out on this kind of exposure that ‘ready to spend’ buyers bring.
Source – Forbes
The Wrap Up - 8 Local SEO Stats for 2023
As you can see from these local SEO stats, adopting a robust local search strategy is priceless in ensuing you drive these ‘ready to spend’ customers to your location.
The global pandemic has fast-tracked online businesses and ensured that people’s shopping habits are changed forever.
The best way to target these groups of new customers is to strategise locally, ensuring that you deliver information to steer them to your business.
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