Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
98% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses
87% of consumers used Google to evaluate local businesses in 2022
76% of consumers look for reviews on other websites to ensure they are authentic
76% of people who search on their smartphones for something nearby visit a business within a day
"Near me" mobile searches grew by over 500% in a two-year period
28% of local searches result in a purchase
Complete Google Business Profiles get 7x more clicks than empty ones
Businesses with photos on their profiles receive 42% more requests for directions on Google Maps
64% of consumers have used Google My Business (GBP) to find a local business's address or phone number
46% of all Google searches are linked to something local
72% of consumers that did a local search visited a store within 5 miles
97% of people learn more about a local company online than anywhere else
The number one local organic ranking factor is the quality of inbound links
The number one local pack ranking factor is GBP profile optimization
Address proximity to the searcher accounts for 19% of the local pack ranking decision
Business Impact & ROI
- 146% of all Google searches are linked to something local
- 272% of consumers that did a local search visited a store within 5 miles
- 397% of people learn more about a local company online than anywhere else
- 4Local searches lead to 50% of mobile users visiting stores within one day
- 578% of local mobile searches result in an offline purchase
- 6Businesses with a strong local SEO strategy see a 50% increase in organic traffic
- 780% of local searches convert
- 8Local SEO has a 14.6% close rate compared to 1.7% for outbound leads
- 992% of searchers will pick businesses on the first page of local search results
- 104 in 5 consumers use search engines to find local information
- 1186% of consumers rely on the internet to find a local business
- 1229% of consumers search for local businesses at least once a week
- 1361% of consumers said they are more likely to buy from a local brand with location-specific content
- 14Local searches convert 50% faster than non-local searches
- 151 in 3 smartphone searches were made right before a store visit
- 16Brands that respond to reviews see a 16% boost in customer advocacy
- 1788% of potential customers look for online reviews before ensuring a local service
- 1834% of local businesses see a positive ROI from their SEO efforts in under 6 months
- 1980% of disposable income is spent within 20 miles of home
- 2096% of PC owners conduct local searches
Interpretation
If your business is not tuned for local search you are basically invisible where customers live and shop; nearly half of Google searches are local and almost everyone researches local companies online, local mobile searches often lead to same day store visits and purchases with high conversion rates, a strong local SEO strategy can boost organic traffic by about 50 percent and produce far higher close rates than outbound leads, and engaging with reviews and publishing location specific content noticeably increases advocacy and sales, so investing in local SEO delivers faster, more reliable ROI than most other marketing tactics.
Consumer Behavior & Trust
- 198% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses
- 287% of consumers used Google to evaluate local businesses in 2022
- 376% of consumers look for reviews on other websites to ensure they are authentic
- 457% of consumers will only use a business if it has 4 or more stars
- 5Consumers engage with 38% more reviews on Google Reviews than on Facebook
- 669% of consumers feel positive reviews make them more likely to use a business
- 781% of consumers use Google to evaluate local businesses compared to 48% for Facebook
- 885% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations
- 973% of consumers value written reviews more than the overall star rating
- 10A 0.1 increase in star ratings can increase conversion rates by 25%
- 1158% of consumers would pay more to support a business with good reviews
- 1220% of consumers expect to receive a response to their review within one day
- 1348% of consumers are willing to travel further for a business with higher reviews
- 1492% of consumers will hesitate to use a business if it has no reviews
- 15Recency of reviews is a key factor for 50% of consumers
- 1679% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends or family
- 17Only 48% of consumers would consider using a business with fewer than 4 stars
- 1855% of consumers read a response from the business owner for a review
- 1964% of consumers check reviews on Google Maps before visiting a business
- 2037% of consumers have written a positive review for a local business in the last year
Interpretation
Reviews are the new word of mouth, especially on Google, where customers treat recent, written, and replied to feedback like personal recommendations, expect four stars or more, will pay extra and travel farther for better ratings, and even a tenth of a star can skyrocket conversions while having no reviews will usually send them elsewhere.
GBP & Maps Optimization
- 1Complete Google Business Profiles get 7x more clicks than empty ones
- 2Businesses with photos on their profiles receive 42% more requests for directions on Google Maps
- 364% of consumers have used Google My Business (GBP) to find a local business's address or phone number
- 4Profiles with photos receive 35% more click-throughs to their websites
- 5The average business is found in 1,009 searches per month
- 684% of searches for businesses are discovery searches rather than direct searches
- 749% of businesses receive more than 1,000 views on Search per month
- 85% of Google Business Profile listing views result in a website click, call, or direction request
- 956% of local retailers have not claimed their Google Business Profile
- 10Car dealerships receive the highest number of calls from GMB listings compared to other industries
- 1116% of businesses receive more than 100 calls each month from GMB
- 12Google Maps is the preferred navigation app for 67% of consumers
- 1386% of people look up the location of a business on Google Maps
- 14A business with 100 photos gets 520% more calls than one with just a few photos
- 15Hotels have the highest views on Google Maps compared to other industries
- 1690% of customers are more likely to visit a business that has added photos to their Google Business Profile
- 17Google Posts are used by only 41% of businesses
- 18Over 50% of interactions on Google Business Profiles are website visits
- 19Adding a Q&A section to your Google Business Profile improves local SEO visibility
- 2075% of businesses on Google Maps allow for messaging, but response rates vary widely
Interpretation
Treat your Google Business Profile like your 24/7 storefront, because when it’s complete, photo-rich and actively managed with Q&A, Posts and prompt messaging you can earn seven times more clicks, 42% more directions, a 520% jump in calls from lots of photos and thousands of discovery-driven views and conversions—yet most businesses still leave this low-hanging, high-return opportunity unclaimed and underused.
Mobile & Voice Search
- 176% of people who search on their smartphones for something nearby visit a business within a day
- 2"Near me" mobile searches grew by over 500% in a two-year period
- 328% of local searches result in a purchase
- 458% of consumers have used voice search to find local business information
- 5Mobile searches for "open now" have tripled in the past two years
- 630% of all mobile searches are related to location
- 754% of smartphone users search for business hours
- 846% of voice search users look for a local business daily
- 9Over 1 billion voice searches are performed every month
- 1027% of the online population uses voice search on mobile
- 1161% of mobile searchers are more likely to contact a local business if they have a mobile-friendly site
- 1288% of searches for local businesses on a mobile device call or go to that business within 24 hours
- 1375% of voice search results rank in the top 3 for that query
- 14Mobile queries for "where to buy" + "near me" have grown by over 200%
- 1553% of mobile users leave a page that takes longer than 3 seconds to load
- 1618% of local smartphone searches lead to a purchase within a day
- 17Location-related searches account for nearly one-third of all mobile searches
- 1833% of people use their smartphone to search for a business right before visiting
- 1950% of people look for a store's address on their smartphone
- 20Voice search queries are typically longer and more conversational than text searches
Interpretation
With billions of voice queries and explosive growth in "near me" and "open now" searches that often lead to calls, visits, or purchases within a day, if your site is not fast, mobile friendly, and optimized for conversational voice and location phrases you might as well have the lights off for the customers already standing at your door.
Ranking Factors & Strategy
- 1The number one local organic ranking factor is the quality of inbound links
- 2The number one local pack ranking factor is GBP profile optimization
- 3Address proximity to the searcher accounts for 19% of the local pack ranking decision
- 4Consistency of citations (NAP - Name, Address, Phone) is a top 5 ranking factor
- 57% of ranking factors are attributed to social signals
- 6Keywords in the business title are the second most important factor for Local Pack rankings
- 7Review signals (quantity, velocity, diversity) account for 17% of Local Pack ranking factors
- 8On-page signals (NAP presence, keywords in titles) make up 14% of local organic ranking factors
- 9Behavioral signals (click-through rate, mobile clicks to call) account for 7% of ranking factors
- 1093% of the Google 3-Pack results display a star rating
- 1168% of local marketers say that link building is the hardest part of local SEO
- 1282% of businesses have not claimed their Bing Places listing despite it being a ranking signal
- 13Having a keyword in the business name can increase ranking by 1.5 spots on average
- 1490% of local experts say that accurate citations are critical to local search rankings
- 1562% of organic clicks go to the top 3 results in local search
- 16Responding to reviews is considered a ranking factor by google
- 17Structured data (Schema markup) helps search engines understand local business details
- 1820% of local SEO experts believe voice search will impact rankings significantly in the next year
- 19Listings with duplicate phone numbers are penalized in local rankings
- 20Domain authority of the website is the single largest factor for Local Organic (not Pack) results
Interpretation
Local SEO is basically a neighborhood popularity contest: domain authority and quality inbound links win the organic crown while the Local Pack is claimed by a finely tuned Google Business Profile, consistent NAP citations and strong review signals (with proximity explaining about a fifth of the decision and keywords in your business title able to boost you roughly one and a half spots), so stop leaving Bing unclaimed, fix duplicate phone numbers, mark up your details with Schema, respond to reviews, accept that link building is the hardest part, and remember that stars and the top three listings still grab most clicks even as social and voice search nibble at the edges.
