Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
46% of all Google searches have a local intent
97% of people learn more about a local company online than anywhere else
72% of consumers say that search is their first choice to find information on local merchants
98% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses
87% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses in 2020, up from 81% in 2019
48% of consumers only pay attention to reviews written within the past 2 weeks
30% of all mobile searches are related to location
76% of people who search on their smartphones for something nearby visit a business within a day
58% of consumers have used voice search to find local business information
28% of local searches result in a purchase
78% of location-based mobile searches result in an offline purchase
Local searches lead to a 107% increase in conversion rate over non-local searches
The #1 ranking factor for local pack results is the Google Business Profile signals
Google Business Profile signals account for 36% of the local pack ranking capability
On-page signals (like NAP presence) account for 16% of local pack ranking factors
Consumer Behavior & Intent
- 146% of all Google searches have a local intent
- 297% of people learn more about a local company online than anywhere else
- 372% of consumers say that search is their first choice to find information on local merchants
- 492% of searchers will pick businesses on the first page of local search results
- 5Over 1 billion people use Google Maps every month to connect with businesses
- 686% of people look up the location of a business on Google Maps
- 764% of consumers use Google My Business to find contact details for local businesses
- 8Consumers search for a local business on a mobile device 53% of the time versus 47% on desktop
- 935% of product searches start on Google
- 1054% of Americans look for the opening hours of a local business online
- 1145% of shoppers buy online and pick up in-store (BOPIS) to avoid shipping fees
- 12Searches for "local" + "business(es)" have grown by more than 80% year over year
- 1393% of consumers used the internet to find a local business in the last year
- 1434% of consumers search for local businesses every day
- 1556% of local retailers have not claimed their Google My Business listing
- 16Medical and healthcare businesses are the most searched-for services in local search
- 1742% of millennials who perform a local search expect results within 5 miles of their location
- 1848% of consumers have left a business's website because it was not mobile-friendly for local search
- 1962% of consumers will disregard a business if they can’t find it online
- 2084% of consumers said their search behavior has been impacted by inflation, leading to more research before visiting local stores
Interpretation
Think of your Google listing as your storefront: if it's not claimed, complete and mobile friendly on Maps, you'll be invisible to the majority of customers who start local searches on their phones, expect nearby first page results, check hours and contact details, use Google My Business and Maps to connect and even choose BOPIS to avoid shipping, and will simply move on if they can't find you, especially now that inflation has them researching more.
Conversion & Sales
- 128% of local searches result in a purchase
- 278% of location-based mobile searches result in an offline purchase
- 3Local searches lead to a 107% increase in conversion rate over non-local searches
- 460% of smartphone users have contacted a business directly using the "click to call" option in search results
- 5Businesses with complete Google listings are 7x more likely to get clicks from customers
- 680% of local searches convert
- 7Calls to businesses from Google Business Profiles grew 61% from Jan to July 2020
- 81 in 3 smartphone searches were made right before a store visit
- 9"Near me" searches that generate a click result in a 36% conversion rate
- 1056% of consumers who search for a local business on a mobile device visit the store
- 1168% of people use the "get directions" button on a local business profile
- 12The average business receives 1,009 customer searches each month
- 1316% of Google My Business interactions are direct phone calls to the business
- 1424% of clicks on Google Business Profiles go to the business’s website
- 15Listings with photos are 35% more likely to receive clicks to their website
- 16Listings with photos are 42% more likely to receive requests for driving directions
- 1770% of potential customers will visit a store based on information found in online photos
- 1866% of people simply want to find the physical location of a business when performing a local search
- 19Businesses with 100+ images on GMB get 520% more calls than those with fewer images
- 2061% of local searchers say that local search results furnish more relevant content than standard search results
Interpretation
Think of local search as the digital storefront that hands customers your phone and front-door keys: complete, photo-rich Google listings turn nearby mobile searches into calls, directions, store visits and purchases far more often than non-local searches.
Mobile & Voice Search
- 130% of all mobile searches are related to location
- 276% of people who search on their smartphones for something nearby visit a business within a day
- 358% of consumers have used voice search to find local business information
- 4"Near me" or "nearby" searches on mobile have grown by over 900% over two years
- 527% of the online global population is using voice search on mobile
- 650% of consumers are more likely to visit a store after performing a local search on their mobile device
- 788% of searches for local businesses on a mobile device either call or visit the business within 24 hours
- 8Mobile searches for "open now" have tripled in the past two years
- 961% of mobile searchers are more likely to contact a local business if they have a mobile-friendly site
- 1046% of voice search users look for a local business daily
- 11Mobile devices influence more than $1.4 trillion in local sales
- 1251% of smartphone users have discovered a new company or product when conducting a search on their smartphone
- 13Mobile searches for “where to buy” + “near me” have grown by over 200%
- 1418% of local mobile searches lead to a sale within one day
- 1575% of voice-enabled speaker owners use voice search to find a local business weekly
- 1656% of "on the go" searches have local intent
- 1782% of smartphone shoppers conduct 'near me' searches
- 18Voice search results load in 4.6 seconds on average, which is 52% faster than the average page
- 1920% of mobile queries on Google are voice searches
- 2028% of consumers use voice search to call a business directly
Interpretation
If your business isn't optimized for mobile and voice local search, you're basically keeping your front door closed to a crowd that increasingly uses 'near me', 'open now' and voice queries to call, visit or buy within a day, handing rivals a slice of more than $1.4 trillion in local-influenced sales.
Reviews & Reputation
- 198% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses
- 287% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses in 2020, up from 81% in 2019
- 348% of consumers only pay attention to reviews written within the past 2 weeks
- 4A 0.1 increase in star rating increases the conversion rate of a business location by 25%
- 573% of consumers only pay attention to reviews written in the last month
- 657% of consumers will only use a business if it has 4 or more stars
- 7The average local business has 39 Google reviews
- 889% of consumers are highly likely to use a business that responds to all of its online reviews
- 959% of consumers use Google to read reviews, making it the most used review site
- 10Review signals account for 17% of Google Local Pack ranking factors
- 11Only 48% of consumers would consider using a business with fewer than 4 stars
- 1267% of consumers will consider leaving a review for a positive experience
- 1340% of consumers will leave a review for a negative experience
- 14Businesses with more than 82 reviews earn 54% more annual revenue than average
- 1579% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
- 1622% of consumers write a review for a local business after a positive experience
- 1753% of customers expect businesses to respond to negative reviews within a week
- 18Restaurants are the industry most affected by online reviews
- 1933% of consumers say a business's response to a review makes them believe the business cares about customers
- 20Fake reviews are a concern for 62% of consumers
Interpretation
Think of online reviews as your digital storefront: nearly everyone reads them, most consumers only trust recent feedback and want four stars or more, a tiny 0.1 star uptick can boost conversions by 25 percent while high review volume and prompt responses lift rankings and revenue, and fake reviews remain a serious credibility risk.
SEO & Business Profiles
- 1The #1 ranking factor for local pack results is the Google Business Profile signals
- 2Google Business Profile signals account for 36% of the local pack ranking capability
- 3On-page signals (like NAP presence) account for 16% of local pack ranking factors
- 482% of businesses have not claimed their Bing listing
- 549% of businesses receive more than 1,000 views on Search per month
- 668% of consumers would stop using a local business after finding incorrect information in online directories
- 793% of consumers are frustrated by incorrect information in online directories
- 880% of consumers lose trust in local businesses if they see incorrect or inconsistent contact details
- 9Behavioral signals (like click-through rate) account for 7% of localized organic ranking
- 10Citation signals account for 7% of local pack ranking factors
- 11The average business appears in search results 1,009 times per month, but 84% of those are "discovery" searches (not searching for the brand name directly)
- 12Only 44% of local retailers have claimed their Google Business Profile
- 13Brands that show up in the Google Local 3-Pack result in 5x more views than those that don’t
- 1450% of listing inaccuracies are due to bad NAP (Name, Address, Phone) data
- 1562% of small businesses do not have a robust SEO strategy in place
- 16Claiming your Google Business Profile increases your chances of ranking in the Local Pack by 60%
- 17Having a keyword in the business title is the second most important ranking factor for the Local Pack
- 1881% of people looking for local services conduct research by checking business websites and profiles
- 1971% of customers look to confirm the address of a business before visiting for the first time
- 20Businesses that post visibly on GMB are considered more reputable by 70% of searchers
Interpretation
With Google Business Profile signals making up 36% of Local Pack ranking and claiming your profile boosting your odds by 60%, yet only 44% of retailers have claimed Google and 82% ignore Bing, you’re gambling with visibility—the average business appears 1,009 times a month with 84% discovery searches, brands in the Local 3 Pack get five times more views, and incorrect NAP data frustrates 93% and erodes trust, so claim, correct, and optimize now or watch customers walk to competitors.
