[headline_arial_large_centered color="#000000"]Google Places is Very Different and How it Can Help You Dominate Your Local Market[/headline_arial_large_centered]
[headline_arial_medium_left color="#000000"]You Know That the Yellow Pages Are Just About Dead![/headline_arial_medium_left]
• Your local market isn’t searching for you and your busniness in a phone book…
• Almost everyone searches for what they are looking for on the internet these days. 285 million searches for a day to be exact.
[headline_arial_medium_left color="#000000"]Newspapers Are The Other Media That is Slowing Dying Away![/headline_arial_medium_left]
Newspaper circulation has declined over 7 million in the recent years… down 18.7% just last year alone.
Meanwhile, unique online readers of newspapers are up 30 million. That’s bad news is that if you relied on newspapers to market your products and services, it will become harder and harder to attract new customers with newspapers.
Few businesses realize that Google has changed it’s algorithm to focus on local business.
Google is a “Billion Dollar” company because it does one thing very well, it gives its users the best content on the web.
Google knows that when someone in Nashville, TN is typing in the word “Chiropractor, ” they aren’t interested in getting information about Chiropractors in New York.
A few statistics you should know about Google Places Optimization
- 73% of all online action is related to local content.
- 66% of Americans turn to the Internet to locate local businesses.
- 82% of local searchers follow up their search with a phone call or walk-in.
- 53% of U.S. online consumers now research products online then buy over the phone or at a local store.
- 43% of search engine users investigate or shop online then buy locally.
Last year Google changed the way they approach local search with the introduction of Google Places. Google Places now dominates the top half of the 1st page of results for local search. If your business isn’t in the first 7 listings of Google Places or just below Google Places on the 1st page of organic rankings you are needlessly losing customers every single day.
The Google Places ranking algorithm is a mystery to many and seems to be changing almost on a weekly basis. LocalWarrior.com has local search experience and have studied the new Places algorithm deeply. Our methodology has been tested and proven to be very effective at getting our clients ranked in the 7-pack of Google Places as well as in the 1st page organic results.
If you’re a business providing services to your local area but haven’t yet claimed your Google Places listing you’re in good company: an estimated 90% of local businesses haven’t taken this important step. Those businesses run the risk of someone else claiming their listing, potential customers being presented with inaccurate information and missing out on valuable traffic and leads.
With a massive 97% of consumers using the internet to search for local suppliers of goods and services business owners cannot afford to ignore Google Places.
And it’s not enough to just claim and verify your listing. Google gives much greater prominence to the 7 highest ranked businesses in any given area, the so-called Magnificent 7.
These sites receive a disproportionate amount of the traffic, typically 40% for the top listing and 15% for the second placed listing. Very few visitors will search beyond the first page, so if your business isn’t in the top 7, you’re nowhere.
