Do These Local and Mobile Website Statistics Alarm You?
We’ve been thinking about local search mobile statistics. This morning I received a download link from Constant Contact for 10 Facts Why Small Business Owners Need to Pay Attention to Mobile and Local Search.
Interested in what they had to say, I downloaded the PDF and was captivated by a few of their statistics:
49% of small businesses
have never updated their online listings.
This local listing statistic seems about accurate. About half of our new clients have never attempted to claim or update their business listing on Google even though most of the time it has already naturally been created.
Too busy, not sure how, have tried in the past and failed … whatever the excuse may be you need to claim and update your listing to keep up with new products, special hours, new locations and all the other information your customers need to find you online and get them to come to your business.
50% of small businesses
have seen listings for their business that are not accurate.
We urge you…don’t stand for local search mobile statistics like this. You would never print a brochure with your wrong phone number so why do you settle for having an inaccurate local listing? Search Engines like Google and other listing sites such as Yelp do their best to explore the web for your correct information but they don’t always get it right. You need to drive traffic to your business by making sure your most popular listings have accurate information.
84% of small businesses
believe that having a mobile friendly website
is important to their business.
A mobile-ready version of your website is specifically designed for small screens such as mobile phones and tablets. They are fast-loading simplified versions of your regular site and display the most important information that mobile users are looking for including your main products and services plus contact information.
Small business owners have it right with this one. Websites designed for mobile devices are different because they have less content for quick information, faster loading pictures, precise call to actions and are designed for on-the-go use. Plus Google and other Search Engines detect when a search is done through a mobile device and return results for websites that have a mobile web design.
For more information about why mobile websites are important for your business view our Mobile Website Infographic.
… But only 25% of small businesses
know how to create a mobile optimized web site.
If mobile websites are such a critical component of your online presence then why are they so hard to make? For many companies keeping their regular website updated is enough of a task. In this case we usually recommend one of two options:
- Upgrade your current website to a “mobile responsive web design” that will detect when a visitor is on a mobile device and display your current design elements and site structure in a “mobile friendly” way.
- Install 3rd party mobile responsive plugins if available for your website’s platform.
Either option is fairly affordable and does not require you to completely redesign your online presence. You can check out our Building Websites for Mobile Visitors page for more options.
And last but not least of all for local search mobile statistics is the most motivating one of them all:
85% of small businesses
believe that more people will find
their business on mobile sites in the future.
Think about this:
Three out of four businesses don’t know how to create a mobile optimized web site (which means they likely don’t have one) but almost all small businesses think their customers will find them through mobile sites in the future. This presents a HUGE opportunity for you.
The time to start making your website mobile friendly is now.
Get the early adopter advantage and get ahead of your competition in this area. Start attracting more customers with your mobile website and establish a strong presence in the Search Engines long before your competitors attempt to do so.
Contact us today for more information about Claiming and Updating Local Online Listings and about upgrading to a Mobile Website. We can be reached by phone Toll Free at 1-888-262-6687 or by email at [email protected]
Note: This study included 379 Constant Contact SmallBiz panel members with actual storefront locations and was conducted in December 2012. To download the study yourself go to https://info.singleplatform.com/ebook1-download.
