Can Local Customers Find YOUR Business Online?

One of the questions I’m asked most frequently by clients is “How will I know if customers can find my business online?”. Equally important is the question “Are customers are even searching online for my type of business?”.

The fact is, thousands of local customers search online daily for a variety businesses in their local area. In fact, a 2007 study by NPD group showed that 80% of customers searching online will eventually find a local business and follow up with a contact such as a phone call or store visit. But if they can’t find your business online, that contact is likely to be with one of your competitors.

So how can you ensure that local customers can find your business online? You’ll need to search how and where they do. First of all, over 80% of searches on the web are performed on Google, Yahoo and other search engines. Some local customers do utilize online yellow pages but most searches are still performed on the larger search engines; or on the relatively new Google or Yahoo Local platforms.

Now that you know where customers search, lets focus on how they search. Visit Google or Yahoo and perform a search (called a “query”) just like your average customer would. Don’t just query your business name; customers will look for more general terms such as the industry name, service you provide along with a location; eg “Atlanta Florist” or “buy flowers atlanta” instead of “Sunrise Flower Shop”. If your business shows up in the results on both the left side AND the right side of the page for most major terms related to your service; chances are local customers can find you. If not, it’s time to stop letting customers find your competition instead of your business and get online in all the right places.