Thinking of focusing more of your marketing efforts on local search but you’re not sure if it’s worthwhile? Consumers have been using the internet to search for information for well over a decade. Search engines have revolutionized the way we handle everyday life. During this journey, location-based searching has shown steady growth as well.

Most Local Consumers Use Local Information In Ads

Google actually carried out a survey into local search behavior and the results showed over 60% of consumers wanted ads to be customized based upon their location. Around 61% prefer ads that are customized to their exact location, while 67% want them to be customized to include at least their zip code and city.

So what does this mean? It means your business needs to ensure that the ads you place are extremely targeted by making uses of location extensions.

Nearly 70% Of Consumers Use “Call” Or “Get Directions”

If you’re wondering just how important it is to list your phone number and address, this statistic clears it up. With this amount of smartphone users claiming to use the “call” and “get directions” feature on Google, your business is seriously missing out if your details aren’t included in your Google My Business profile. Double check to make sure your address and phone number are correct. Also, claim and optimize your listing for even better results.

Mobile Searches Lead to Action FAST

So not only are potential customers carrying out more local searches, they’re also following up on their search. You know what this means… If your company wants to connect with SERIOUS potential buyers, your local listing has to be up to par and ready to give these consumers the information they need. In other words, make it easy for them to buy from you.

As you can see from the information above, local search has become extremely popular in recent years. It’s driving in a lot more local consumers, not only to company websites, but into physical company doors.

So if you’re looking to draw in new customers, increase website traffic, and boost profits, local search is definitely your first order of business.

The change from Google’s 7-pack, to a reduced 3-pack has had a major impact on local SEO. Many businesses struggled to get featured when there were seven spots available. Now getting into the top three can seem like rocket science. The good news is that this goal is not impossible.

However, it does take time, skills, and knowledge to get it done. Being seen by local consumers just as they’re searching for your type of product or service is the most targeted type of marketing known today. But getting there can be tricky unless you really know what you’re doing.

To help you get started down the right path, here are three helpful tips to help your business show up in Google’s 3-pack:

Add Photos To Your Listings

It’s no secret that consumers love photos. The more, high quality images you have on Google local listing profile, the more appealing it will be to potential customers. This goes further than Google; Yelp has even published advice on how to optimize your business listings, claiming that photos make a massive difference. It even goes as far as to say that according to research from Review Trackers, consumers spent 2.5 times more of their time on listings that featured photos.

Get As Many Reviews As You Can

Reviews are an important part of getting noticed online these days. Consumers love writing reviews about businesses and they also like reading them. Google has taken note of this. It wants to promote the best local businesses and what better way to determine who those businesses are than through positive user reviews? If you want to really increase your rankings, encourage your customers to leave reviews whenever you can.

Getting your business to show up on Google’s 3-pack is a lot more challenging than it was with the 7-pack; obviously, because there are less spots. The tips above will help, but you will need to continually keep up with local search changes and ensure all of your company’s information is listed correctly and updated going forward. Not only that, but make sure you make smart use of categories and strategic keyword placement within your profile to give it strength.