Search engines like Google are becoming the top resource used to find local services and products. Getting found as a result of a local search query has proven to be one effective method to acquire new customers for your local business. When performing a local search customers expect to find what they’re looking for on the first or second page within the local or natural search results. Will they find your business?
The Big Three – Google Places, Yahoo Local, & Bing Local
The internet is a big place, but when people are looking for a local business, search engines and internet yellow pages help them focus on the 
businesses in a much narrower geographic area. A quick statistic to help put this in perspective: Of the over 10 billion unique searches done each month in the U.S., 40% have local intent **. People want to find businesses that are nearby, easy to locate, and open when they need them, and they use web listings found in destinations like Google Places to find them.
The Mobile Advantage – Smart Phones & GPS
An increasing number of people are using mobile devices to get this information. If someone is on the road and wants to find the nearest auto mechanic or Italian restaurant, they will not have a phone book with them. They won’t drive home to start up their computer. Instead, they’re likely to use their smart phone or a GPS navigation device to find the closest business in proximity to where they are at the time. In fact, comScore reported that from March 2008 to March 2009, the number of people who sought local information on a mobile device grew 51%–meaning 20.7 million people used a mobile browser more often than anything else to locate local businesses.
* ComScore, 2009.
** Ian White, Urbanmapping.com
