70% of buyers go to the Internet to find where
   to make local purchases of goods and services

Most small businesses are local in nature, serving people who live nearby. Their new customers found them through traditional methods, like the Yellow Pages or newspaper ads. So far, the Internet hasn’t figured prominently in their marketing efforts.

That’s about to change, as Local Search methods become more widespread. Even for buyers expecting to spend their money close to home, more and more of them go to the Internet to locate desired products and services. They rely on search engines to find suitable vendors in the fastest, easiest way.

• The locals, certainly
• Travelers
• People intending to move there (or just arrived)
• Others wanting to do business with an enterprise in that town

Most have no prior contact (or preference) with your competitors. If you match what they're looking for, they probably won't look any further. So now your challenge is to appear in as many search results as possible (depending on what your customers would be looking for).

Why does Local Search matter to a little operation like yours?
Local Search combines the search query word or phrase with specific geographic terms, like city or zip code. That way, search engine results only include enterprises in your local area. Instead of being lost among millions of pages of search results, you will show up in a small pool of local providers.

That’s good for you, as well as the person looking for what you provide. The shortest distance between you and your customer is over the Internet.
Learn how to build your business with Local Search

You can easily be located by a whole new group of buyers
Consumers don’t simply go to the Yellow Pages when ready to buy—as they once did. Studies show that an astonishing 36% of online searches are conducted to find local businesses. About a quarter of all Internet users already conduct local searches. They’d do even more of it, if the desired small business information were more complete.

Prepare for Local Search

It's not unusual to hear a business owner comment, "I used to get steady new customers from my Yellow Page ad, but I've started getting four times that many new clients who find me through the Internet." Make sure your business shows up where people are looking to find where they want to shop.
Here's how to be sure you're listed