Inbound Marketing Blog

For businesses selling to a local market, reviews are crucial for driving customers to your door and helping you appear higher in search results. 

According to BrightLocal's annual survey:

• 98% of consumers used the internet to find information about local businesses in 2022, up from 90% in 2019
• Google is the most trusted review platform across all industries. In 2022, 87% of people used Google to research local businesses (up from 81% in 2021).
• 98% of people read online reviews for local businesses
• 76% of consumers “regularly” read online reviews when browsing for local businesses, compared to 77% in 2021
• 46% of consumers feel that online business reviews are as trustworthy as personal recommendations from friends or family (down from 49% in 2021).

At the same time, a WhiteSpark survey acknowledged the importance of certain review factors as important local SEO ranking signals, particularly for appearing in results based on your Google Business Profile.

In the last decade or so, local small businesses have experienced a fundamental shift in the way customers find them.

Print advertising, yellow page listings, and outdoor advertising—while still relevant in some cases—have gone by the wayside.

In their place, we have the most advanced discovery engine ever created: the internet. Savvy local business owners shifted with their customers, prioritizing increasing local search ranking via engine optimization (SEO), conducting internet advertising, and participating in social media.

However, between the pandemic and advances in technology, things have changed again, and will continue to do so whether or not local businesses are prepared.

When you search for a local business like yours on Google, what’s the first thing that comes up?

SEO and franchises

In the past few decades, the internet and growing popularity of smartphones has changed the way people shop at local businesses. No longer chained to a desktop, Americans are free to research local businesses and make purchasing decisions on the go. Consider these statistics: