Local Web Marketing

Local businesses must start to transition their marketing to the Web. The facts speak for themselves:

- 74% of U.S. households use the Web as an information source when shopping locally. Representing an increase of 16% since 2003.

- Approximately 45% of local searches had a buying intent.

- From October 2003 to February 2005, the percentage of respondents who used search to locate local products and services rose from 60% to 70%.

- During that same time frame, the percentage of respondents who used yellow page directories decreased from 75% to 62%.

There is a major shift on how customers search for local business.

If you are a local business that either sells products or service, YOU MUST TAKE YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE! And that doesn't mean making a half-arse effort with a few measly web pages. Within the next couple of years your competitors will be competing for the hearts and minds of your customers and if you are not out in the fore front you will be left behind and your business will suffer. More and more people are turning to the web to find local resources. In fact, recent studies show up to 25% of searches are local in nature. This is the time to develop a local web marketing strategy.

The good news is that the local web market is not yet that competitive, and with just a moderate effort you can dominate your region. It will not always be that way, and that is why now is the time to get the edge by being one of the first players in this new arena.

The first step is to get a website up and running. But more then a website you need a Web Conversion System. A system that sucks in prospects and spits out customers.

Once your site is built you want to promote through the following:

• Search Engine Optimization
• Pay Per Click advertising
• Free and paid listings in local directories, internet yellow pages and search resources

For those local businesses without a website, there is going to be some pain getting the parts of the puzzle in place. But the potential for your business is huge. Either you grab the golden ring or your competitors will.