Google Maps Marketing is the most Critical element of a Local Business Growth Strategy

Studies into local business marketing trends reveal that well over half of all searches for local businesses are initiated in search engines. This includes print and digital Yellow Page directories. Since 2007, Google had exceeded all other mediums as the most common way a person searches for a vendor.

An estimated 95 percent of Google users never click past the first page of results, and over 70 percent of them rely on organic rather than paid search results. Higher organic search rankings prove to be cheaper and more effective than any other form of advertising for local businesses online.

Local Map Listings are now the featured set of Organic listings for local searches and are now the first set of Organic results viewed on the first page of Google, Yahoo, and Bing:

As local map listings become more ubiquitously present in local search, the effect on overall marketing strategy requires a fundamental shift. For businesses targeting a local market, a new discipline, local map optimization will reign, if it does not already, as the most critical element to a local marketing strategy.

Local map listings are practical and useful for local searchers. If a user is searching for a carpet cleaner, plumber, or even a plastic surgeon, they may prefer local results to paid and organic listings. Google has trained us to use local search keywords by giving us better results when we are searching for a local company when we add city state combinations. For those who want immediate local contact options, map listings offer them in a uniform fashion unlike any other portion of the page by listing the phone numbers in clean rows along the side of the geographic breakdown of each business. In addition, customer reviews are immediately obtainable with one click - so you can research, evaluate, and contact a company all in one easy step with map listings.

Google's free 411 service (1-800-GOOG-411) features results directly from map listings in the same exact order as they appear in Google's local map section. With the explosive growth of Mobile device searches, maps already dominate search results.

Although no recent studies have been published about the distribution of clicks on organic, map listings, and sponsored links, the consensus for years has been that 65-70% of all clicks flow to the organic areas of the page. Many users prefer what they consider to be Google's "genuine" or "natural" results to paid listings. Being that map listings are often the first set of organic listings, we have tracked in most cases that local maps listings garner the largest portion of potential clicks.

Map Marketing Pros is a boutique marketing firm specializing in custom map SEO solutions for businesses who demand the highest level of success. Unlike many "assembly line" map listing placement companies, our philosophy is unique. We customize our citation, social media, and listing content protocols to the goals of each client. We don't candy coat the truth about the keyword limitations of map listings - we focus on hitting the most challenging campaigns head by going after the most valuable keyword positions in a given market. Unlike the assembly line map placement programs that often accept inferior, less valuable first page positions as evidence of a successful campaign, we are concerned with the most competitive positions that dominate your market. By focusing on your bottom line rather than smoke and mirrors, our philosophy ultimately serves to maximize your return on investment while ensuring high client retention for us. Call one of our experts today to learn more about how we can help you transform your business with the ultimate competitive advantage.