21 Local SEO Stats That Prove You Need a Local Search Strategy
When your ideal customers need to find a contractor in their area to fix their broken fence or a leaky toilet, they aren’t reaching out to their friends and family for a recommendation or cracking open the Yellow Pages. They’re turning to search engines like Google and Bing and doing their research.
Local SEO is the primary way to improve your discoverability in your service area. It makes sure that your potential customers find your company when they search for your services online, and not your competitors.
Having a solid local SEO strategy is the first step in driving more qualified traffic to your website. Check out our local SEO stats list to better understand how investing in local search can help grow your home service business.
Local SEO Stats for Contractors
- Searches with “near me” or ” close by” grew by more than 425% in the last 2 years.
- 99% of people have used search engines to find a local business in the last year.
- The first page of search results on Google gets 88% of all clicks.
- Nearly 50% of all Google searches are by people looking for a local business.
- 4 out of 5 people search online to find local information.
- 72% of people that do a local search visit the store if it’s within 5 miles of them.
- 29% of people look for local businesses online more than once per week.
- 28% of local searches result in a purchase.
- 18% of local mobile searches ended up purchasing within a day.
- 79% of users will revisit or share a mobile site if it’s easy to use.
- Using in-store coupons can lead to a 9,916% increase in revenue.
- 60% of smartphone users have contacted a business after finding them in search.
- Local and organic searches make up nearly 70% of total online traffic.
- 82% of people won’t buy from a business with less than 3 out of 5 stars.
- 49% of Google Business Profiles get over 1,000 views per month.
- 59% of people use Google to look at reviews for local businesses.
- 42% of local searches click on the local map pack.
- 76% of local mobile searches visit the store within 24 hours, and 28% of those searches end up purchasing.
- Nearly 97% of people learn more about local contractors online than elsewhere.
- 78% of mobile searches with local intent generate offline purchases
- Over 67% of users want localized ads that are tailored to their city or zip code.
Statistics That Show the Importance of Local SEO
If you’ve been on the fence about putting in the work to improve your visibility in search, these local SEO facts will encourage you to make the jump.
#1: Searches with “near me” or “close by” grew by more than 425% in the last 2 years.
(Google)
People are beginning to look locally to find things that they can get today instead of waiting multiple days for them to be delivered. They aren’t just searching for retail stores either. Search volume for phrases like “roofing companies near me” and “best plumbers nearby” are also seeing major increases in monthly traffic. Capitalizing on this surge in demand can drastically improve the amount of inbound traffic, phone calls, and leads you get each month.
#2: 99% of people have used search engines to find a local business in the last year.
People aren’t using phone books and directories to find local businesses anymore. They want to know more about a company than just its name and phone number. Researching online helps potential customers see what products and services you offer, read about what other customers have to say about you, and learn about what to expect from you if they decide to buy.
#3: The first page of search results on Google gets 88% of all clicks.
People want answers quickly so the top search results are going to get their clicks. They’re the first non-paid results that searchers see and most people looking for answers are going to skip the ads to get to the organic results. If you want your ideal customers to discover your company, you need to rank on the first page of Google. Realistically, you need to be in the top 5 spots since they get ~70% of all clicks.
#4: Nearly 50% of all Google searches are by people looking for a local business.
Local search is here in a big way. With nearly half of every search having local intent, contractors and home service companies can’t afford to ignore their organic presence. Not having an SEO strategy in place can cause you to lose an untold amount of traffic, leads, and booked jobs.
#5: 4 out of 5 people search online to find local information.
Google is a handy tool to discover new companies or find out specific information about local companies. Whether it’s their address, hours of operation, or directions to their location, people can do a quick search to find this info in the company’s Google Business Profile listing.
#6: 72% of people that do a local search visit the store if it’s within 5 miles of them.
People that conduct searches with local intent are typically in the buying phase of the customer journey. They’re looking for something right then and there. If they find it and it’s nearby, they have no problem making a trip to go buy it. You need to put your business on the map and advertise in your local area to reach these highly motivated customers.
#7: 29% of people look for local businesses online more than once per week.
(Renolon)
Local searches aren’t a one-and-done thing. In fact, they’ve gotten more and more frequent. People consistenly rely on Google to help them find out more information about the businesses they love and discover new hidden gems in their local area.
#8: 28% of local searches result in a purchase.
(Google)
Local searches help connect your business with motivated customers, bringing them to your front door. If you have what they need and you’re local, you’re far more likely to earn their business than some faceless corporation across the country.
#9: 18% of local mobile searches ended up purchasing within a day.
This is 157% higher than the number of sales that came from non-local searches (~7%). Local users are highly motivated shoppers that are looking for a solution to their problem right then and there. They’re in the final stages of the sales cycle and they’re willing to drive to visit your location or pull out a credit card and buy over the phone. Investing the time and resources to help your site rank for local search results will help you be the company they go to when they’re ready to buy.
#10: 79% of users will revisit or share a mobile site if it’s easy to use.
(Google)
This is pretty straightforward and should come as no surprise. If your site’s easy to use on mobile, people will come back and/or share it with their friends. Take an objective look at your mobile site, hire some testers, and iron out any pain points that might be interfering with your customers’ experience.
#11: Using in-store coupons can lead to a 9,916% increase in revenue.
Coupons are an excellent way to motivate your ideal customers to do a certain thing whether it’s visiting your store to get a particular discount or to buy a certain product of yours that you have too much stock of. They can also be the little budget that some fence-sitters need to finally pull the trigger and give you their business for the first time.
However, don’t lose sight of your financials. Make sure that your sales and promotions are generating new business for you and not cannibalizing your profits from sales that were going to happen anyway. This is perfectly explained below by Rand Fishkin 👇
#12: 60% of smartphone users have contacted a business after finding them in search.
Click to call has broken down the barriers to contacting businesses. A simple tap with your finger can pop open a phone call and get you in touch with them in a matter of seconds. Make sure that your phone number is easy to find and that click-to-call works on every one of them. Don’t rely on smartphones to do it for you. Wrap your number in the HTML code below or check out this tutorial to guarantee they work.
#13: Local and organic searches make up nearly 70% of online traffic.
Focusing on paid advertising can get you faster and more targeted results. However, you can be missing out on an enormous piece of the pie if you don’t have an SEO strategy in place.
#14: 82% of people won’t buy from a business with less than 3 out of 5 stars.
(Synup)
First impressions matter. If yours is telling potential customers that you’re not very good at what you do or that you don’t provide great customer service, they probably aren’t going to do business with you. Most of the work that goes into earning positive reviews just boils down to providing great customer service. If you’re looking to improve your ratings, start by focusing on your internal processes and company culture. The rest will take care of itself.
#15: 49% of Google Business Profiles get over 1,000 views per month.
Claiming your Google Business Profile is one of the most impactful ways to boost your visibility in the local search results. Having an active and optimized listing will help your company show up in the local map pack when potential customers in your area look for your services online. This has helped thousands of businesses just like yours be seen by thousands of new prospects every month.
#16: 59% of people use Google to look at reviews for local businesses.
(Oberlo)
What’s one of the first things you do when thinking about doing business with a new company? You look at their reviews! This is the quickest and easiest way to find out if a business is worth your time, and the fastest way to find those reviews is by looking them up on Google. With 83% of people trusting online reviews as much as personal recommendations, earning a high rating and a large number of views can play a major role in your company earning new clients. No one wants to do business with someone that’s going to treat them poorly or do a bad job.
#17: 42% of local searches click on the local map pack.
It shouldn’t be surprising that the local 3-pack gets a lot of clicks. When Google detects that a search has local intent, it’ll show this section right under the Google Ads results so it’s the first set of organic search results that users see. The local pack takes up a lot of real estate and is packed with valuable information that’s highly relevant to the user.
#18: 76% of local mobile searches visit the store within 24 hours.
The reason why people search locally is that they’re nearing the end of the buying journey. They’re either ready to buy or very close to it, and trying to find a place to buy it that’s nearby. Putting in the work to rank for these searches will put your business front and center when your ideal customers are ready to take the next step.
#19: Nearly 97% of people learn more about local contractors online than elsewhere.
People do their research before making a buying decision. They’re going to look you up on social media, Google, directories, etc. to make sure that you’re a legitimate business, that you know what you’re doing, and that you’re worth the money. Even if they get a recommendation from a friend or family member, they’re still going to check you out.
#20: 78% of mobile searches with local intent generate offline purchases
Most mobile searches are from people that are looking for information about a business that they’re already familiar with. However, nearly half of them are by people trying to find a company that offers the products or services they need. This shows that many of your potential customers are using their smartphones to find a local contractor in their area.
#21: Over 67% of users want localized ads tailored to their city or zip code.
Let’s face it, most people don’t like ads, but everyone hates ads that aren’t relevant to them. Making ads that target your prospects’ local area boosts their relevance and has a higher likelihood of grabbing their attention. Whether it’s using the city name or an image/video of their local area, make your targeting as clear as possible to boost its overall performance.
Recap
Having a strong local SEO strategy plays a huge role in putting your contracting business in front of your ideal customers. These local SEO stats prove that there is an enormous amount of potential for home service businesses like yours to create reliable and recurring revenue streams by improving your visibility in the local search results.
I guarantee that no matter what type of contractor you are and no matter what city you call home, there are a few competitors who consistently outrank you. These stats and our free SEO tips will hopefully guide you in the right direction and show you what you need to do to rank higher than the competition.
If you aren’t sure where to start or have questions, feel free to get in touch and schedule a consultation with one of our local SEO experts. We’ve helped dozens of contractors dominate the local search results and keep their schedules full of booked appointments, and we can do the same for you.
