Buyers put information about convenience first

People who open the Yellow Page directory or perform a Local Search already have a desire tobuy. That sets them apart from other potential customers.For a brief time, the eager-to-buy customer checks thecompetition, to see what each of them offers. They scan the directory or search results forsolutions that satisfy their needs. Readers hope to find providersthat leap out from the rest, and thereby simplify their choice.

So they ignore any information that doesn’t match what they’relooking for. And the piece of information that fully half ofpeople look for first is the location of the business. Convenience is the preliminary deciding factor. Buyerswant to know how easy it is for them to get there.Businesses that are too far away are eliminated from consideration. The maps showing the location of each business provided by Local Search make this step even easier.

After sorting by location people consider other factors

The remaining choices are then studied in more detail. When people are in the “information gathering phase,” they’re looking formany different kinds of answers, like hours, payment methods, and brands offered (which differ according to heading). They’re being educated by what they read. Readers gain a clearer idea about their options and who provides it (you being just one).

People don’t want to drag that step out. So it’s upto you to provide the desired information clearly—and in as many places as you can. You want the information about your information to leap to the front of their brain with a clear indication that you offer exactly what they’re looking for.And in that regard, Local Search and traditional marketing methods work the same way.