Why is it so hard to find new customers and encourage a consistent stream of them through your doors? 

Chances are, people just don’t know you exist. Luckily, that’s where local SEO comes to the party! With local SEO, small businesses can put themselves on the map (literally!) and drive more foot traffic to their premises. You raise brand awareness, which can help you make more sales. 

Obviously, you’ve gotta make the most out of local searches. Well, today’s your lucky day! We’ve got a whole host of invaluable local SEO statistics that’ll help you enhance your strategy and see more results. 

Do you want to drive more customers through your doors and boost your sales figures? 

Then read on to find out all the key stats and facts for 2019 and beyond:

• 46% of all Google searches are local.
• 97% of search engine users search for local businesses online.
• 86% of US shoppers search for a business on Google Maps.
• 80% of first-page local search results include an exact local-keyword match in the title tag.
• 141.9 billion local mobile searches have been made in 2019 so far.
• Businesses with over 100 Google My Business photos get 520% more calls than average.
• 72% of customers don’t take action unless they read reviews first.
• 40% of all mobile searches are for local businesses.
• 88% of consumers using mobile devices end up contacting local businesses.
• 28% of all local searches result in a purchase.

Mind-boggling, isn’t it? And there’s plenty more where that came from.

Let’s dive right in.

We’ll kick things off with some of the best stats about the impact of local SEO for businesses. They will show you just how important this type of SEO is, and why you need to focus on it today!

1. Around 46% of all Google searches are local.

(GO-Gulf)

Think about that for a second:

How many Google searches are local? Almost half of all searches. This goes to show that consumers are keen to find local business information.

More often than not, they’re searching for things like opening hours, where a store is located, how to get to a specific location, and so on.

If you think this stat is impressive, then wait till you get a load of this one:

2. 83% of shoppers visit a local business after conducting a local search.

(Think with Google)

Incredibly, a massive 83% of shoppers admit to visiting a store after using an online search. Again, this further adds to the value of local SEO as you can see it gets bums off seats and into stores.

While this doesn’t guarantee a sale, it certainly increases the chances of achieving one. After all, the more people in a store, the better.

Speaking of which, this next stat will really please you:

3. 28% of searches for something nearby lead to a purchase.

(GO-Gulf)

Essentially, this is one of the local SEO stats that show that a large percentage of users go through with a purchase after searching for something locally.

They start their journey online, searching for a business nearby. The local searches help them find what they’re after, and they head on down. They find what they’re looking for, and they buy it.

You see, improving your local SEO can directly impact sales. We told you, didn’t we?

Moving on from this:

4. A whopping 97% of search engine users searched online to find a local business.

(GO-Gulf)

Now, while 46% of all searches on Google are local searches, 97% of all search engine users will use the internet to find local businesses.

That’s a staggeringly high percentage of people! It basically means that almost everyone who uses Google will search for a local business at some point.

Think about that for a second, think about what it means. There’s a huge market out there full of people conducting searches for local businesses. And if you’re not making the most out of local SEO, you’re missing out big time!

Now that you’ve seen some general stats it’s time to get a bit more niche and look at the impact across the world. We’ll focus on two main areas – the UK and the US, while also providing a global overview of search engine stats.

Buckle up and get ready for some killer stats, starting with:

5. Only 27% of the UK population made an online grocery store purchase in 2018.

(Kantar World Panel)

What’s this got to do with UK local SEO stats? Well, it shows a decline in the number of Brits who are buying groceries online. Instead, they’re choosing to go offline and make their way to brick and mortar stores.

So, we can conclude that local SEO plays a role here. Users are still searching for businesses online, but they’re visiting the stores rather than buying online.

As if that’s not enough:

6. 80% of UK-based websites include the localized focus keyword inside the title tag.

(Point & Quack)

A recent research project looking at some Google local SEO statistics found that a staggering 80% of websites had the localized focus keyword within the title tag – as an exact match!

This is somewhat surprising, as local keywords can look a bit strange and be hard for humans to read. For example, they usually look like this: “marketing agency UK.”

Instantly, the grammar-checking function I’m using wants me to correct that to “in the UK.” After all, that’s how we’d usually say the sentence.

For whatever reason, Google seems to like the exact match format, and it rewards websites. Hence, 80% of the first-page results are doing it!

What’s more, the aforementioned survey discovered that:

7. 40% of listings used the localized focus keyword in the page content.

(Point & Quack)

As you can see, the frequency of an exact-match local keyword decreases as you move onto local websites.

Basically, this is all down to readability. An exact-match within a title isn’t seen as much of an issue because people tend to search for things like that. But, in your content, it’s harder for people to read and looks unnatural.

So, that’s why the UK local SEO statistics show the majority of sites use exact matches only in title tags. If you want to include keywords in the content, they need to be altered to become more readable!

Additionally, when it comes to the URLs for UK local websites, the study reveals that:

8. A .co.uk domain is seen as the most favorable extension.

(Point & Quack)

70% of the websites on the first page of UK search results use a .co.uk domain extension.

The rest will use either .com, .net, or even .org. Clearly, using a local domain extension helps you rank better locally, as people like to be sure that they’re dealing with a local business.

Think about it, what’s the easiest way to know that a business is local or not in the UK? By checking the URL to see if the precious .co.uk is present!

Moving away from the UK, we can see what the local SEO statistics for the USA are like, starting with this:

9. The USA Local SEO Market Worth is set to top $79.27 billion.

(Motocms)

The most recent predictions value the SEO industry at nearly $80 billion in the US alone.

So, it’s pretty clear this is something you need to be aware of! By comparison, it was worth a measly $11.44 billion in 2008. The growth of this market is outstanding, and we can safely say the future will see even more growth – with local SEO at the center of it.

Moving swiftly on:

10. 86% of people view the location of a business on Google Maps.

(GO-Globe)

Yep, you read that right.

A huge percentage of people will use Google Maps to look up the location of a business in the US. This shows the value of local searches, as you can clearly see people are trying to find out where companies are based.

If you depend on traffic coming to a physical location, then consider how many potential customers you miss out on by not targeting local searches.

11. 82% of US shoppers search for things “near me”.

(Uberall)

How many searches have near me in them? Well, throughout the whole of 2018, 82% of US shoppers included near me in one of their searches.

Once more, this shows the growth of local searches and how crucial they are. People search for things near them because most devices come with GPS tracking technology.

So, search engines can find out where they are, then provide the relevant local results. If you’ve not used local SEO to get your business on the map, then you miss out on all the traffic from these searches.

Still not convinced of the importance of local SEO? Well, here’s a telling stat about how much this industry has grown since 2014:

12. Local mobile searches have risen to 141.9 billion per year in 2019.

(Statista)

In 2014, there were only 66.5 billion local searches on mobile devices. Compare that to 2019, and the figure has risen to a whopping 141.9 billion.

Overall, that’s more than double the amount of local searches per day in the United States alone. It’s clear that local search is the future, particularly when mobile devices are concerned.

But wait, there’s more!

The way local business websites are set up plays a vital role in the success of a local SEO strategy.

With that in mind, here are a few local search statistics that relate to business websites:

13. 38% of people stop engaging with sites if they’re not visually appealing.

(SWEOR)

Want people to stay on your local business site and gain as much information as possible?

Well then, it needs to have an appealing layout/design or over a third of your traffic will fade off into the distance.

14. 40% of local websites include locally-specific keywords in the meta description.

(Point & Quack)

Local websites use local keywords in meta descriptions, but they’re not exact matches. Instead, keywords like “business California” are altered to more reader-friendly versions like “business in California.”

Regardless, having these keywords in the meta description is seen to improve local search performance.

15. According to local SEO statistics for 2019, 61% of mobile searchers are more likely to contact businesses with mobile-friendly websites.

(Junto)

If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, you lose out on so many potential leads.

Over half of all mobile users are more likely to contact a local business if their site works across mobile devices. That’s too big a percentage to ignore.

We’ll talk more about mobile searches later, but for now:

How can you improve your local SEO conversion rates?

Well, you must understand the factors that most contribute to good local search performance.

With that in mind, here are some local search stats that you need to be aware of:

16. Businesses with more GMB photos get more clicks, calls and requests.

(SearchEngineLand)

Businesses with over 100 images on Google My Business get 520% more calls than the average business. They also get 2,717% more direction requests, and 1,065% more website clicks.

These Google My Business photos stats show you need to update your listing with as many photos as possible!

17. 72% of customers won’t take action unless they read reviews.

(My Testimonial Engine)

Yep, nearly two-thirds of customers depend on reviews to help them make decisions.

What’s this got to do with local SEO statistics? Well, you need to add reviews to your Google My Business Listing, as it encourages people to visit your premises and make a purchase.

As if that’s not enough:

18. 90% of users require fewer than 10 reviews to form an opinion.

(Martech Zone)

This shows that you need to aim for at least 10 reviews to sway public opinion on your business.

Anything less than this won’t be enough – but the more, the better!

It’s not just reviews that enhance your local search performance, it’s citations too:

19. Businesses with high local rankings have at least 75 citations.

(Moz)

Local SEO statistics clearly show that citations are a key ranking factor for SEO. They help to add authenticity to Google My Business listings, which encourages search engines to rank the company higher.

Most studies suggest that 75 citations are the minimum you need to see local search improvements.

Mobile searches and local searches are closely interlinked.

Don’t believe me? The stats don’t lie…

20. 40% of all mobile searches are for local businesses.

(Omnicore)

Ever wondered what percentage of mobile search is local? Now you know, it makes up nearly half of all mobile searches.

But wait, there’s more:

21. 88% of consumers who use mobile devices to search for local businesses end up calling or visiting the business.

(Nectafy)

When consumers find local businesses on mobile devices, the vast majority will make an inquiry of some sort.

This is fantastic when you consider the local SEO ROIs – you have a lot to gain from targeting mobile searches.

Speaking of which, let’s talk about:

The conversion rate for local services is very impressive – particularly on mobile devices!

22. 28% of local Google searches result in a purchase.

(SEO Expert)

Out of all local searches, nearly 30% will end with a purchase.

That’s a mighty conversion rate when you consider organic SEO has a conversion rate of under 15%.

23. 78% of local mobile searches lead to offline purchases.

(Search Engine Land)

To add to the previous stat, nearly 80% of Google local searches will convert.

And if that doesn’t impress you, then I don’t know what will.

But don’t go anywhere just yet because we’ve saved the best for last:

The higher you rank, the better. This is the same for local searches, which is backed up by this stat:

24. 92% of users choose businesses on the first page of the local results.

(SEO Expert)

Local google searches see the highest-ranking businesses receive the majority of attention from customers.

Therefore, make sure you improve your local ranking, so you don’t miss out on all these leads!

When it comes to local searches, most people are looking for one thing – information.

25. 46% of all local searches are completed to find business information.

(SEO Expert)

People are searching for local information, like the name, address, opening hours, etc.

This is the primary reason for local searches, and it tends to lead to inquiries and conversions!

Whew, there were a lot of local SEO statistics to get through there! 

The key takeaway from all of this is that local SEO is a high-converting and effective way of generating leads for local businesses. 

What’s more, the results are better when combined with the power of mobile search. 

If you want to rank highly for local searches, you must create a Google My Business page and add photos – they’re important! Reviews are also a critical ranking factor, as are citations. 

Remember, local SEO is the present and the future – so get on it right now!

• Go Gulf
• Think With Google
• Kanta World Panel
• Point & Quack
• Motocms
• GO-Globe
• Uberall
• Statista
• SWEOR
• Junto
• SearchEngineLand
• My Testimonial Engine
• Martech Zone
• Moz
• Omnicore
• Nectafy
• SEO Expert
• Search Engine Land