The whole point of an online presence is to entice customers into your store, your leasing office or your showroom so you can convert them to paying customers rather than just browsers online.
Further, nothing is more frustrating as a customer than finding out that you have been given the wrong information about where a business is located. As a customer, how likely are you to give this company your business? Not very.
Missing Hours of Operation Information Can Be a Dealbreaker
There are many things that people look for in listings, whether they are looking at that search engine on a PC or on a mobile device. The top piece of information that most people look for is the hours of operation, since their search is likely for a business that they frequent quite often.
In fact, in a study conducted by local data aggregator Localeze, hours of operation were noted as the most helpful feature in selecting a business during local search.
You Can’t Navigate Customers to your Store Without an Address
While most people would assume that the number one reason people do a search online is for the address or location of a business, the address is actually behind hours of operation as the second most desired information.
It bears repeating that if a business address is incorrect on business listings sites such as Google or Bing, then customers will not be crossing the threshold. A simple thing such as the wrong number on a street address, or even the wrong town, can mean that a customer cannot find you.
Local Searchers Are Mobile Creatures
Mobile-phone-based searches drive in-store purchases. They end up in a purchase—if a business has their listing details correct.
For ease of use for potential customers, some of those details need to be as readily available as possible in a mobile-friendly manner. This can be accomplished with a responsive website that supports cellphone and tablet-specific versions.
Updated, Accurate Websites Still Serve As A First Impression
Any listing should be linked to the business’s website and feature the exact same information, but more of it. While a website should be enough to entice a customer to visit or buy, if those inconsistencies exist, then trust issues may arise in a business’s practices before a customer ever crosses their threshold.
Local Searchers Mix It Up Across Multiple Devices, Situations and Times
People who search for business listings are doing it in many more ways. Almost half of American adults use their smartphones the most to search for local information online, the other half being split between computers and tablets. Like the types of devices used, what we are searching for varies by the time of day and device. For example, entertainment is searched for during work hours on computers, restaurants during evening using phones and health/fitness evening using tablets.
Local Search Results Are Trusted Sources of Information
Last, but certainly not least, is the fact that local search results are considered the most trustworthy. Think about it, would you rather find a local store where you can get that latest purse in town right now? Or you can wait a week for delivery, which is four days past the event that you want it for!
Local searches will convert the browser from someone who might get just the minimum to a loyal customer who feels like a million having spent a little more, but getting what they consider to be gold!
Those interactions are what lead people to local searches and the absolute necessity of getting your business listing correct. Trust leads to loyalty, which leads to more business, which leads to happy customers and business owners.
And it all starts with the correct business listings in that customer’s local search.
