Local Search by Internet Search Engines is as Essential to Your Business Survival as your Telephone

Your Enterprise Won't Survive Unless People Find It Whether you're a one-man shop or a mid-size operation, you need to make it easy for people find you. Most enterprises serve the people who live in the same town (80% of all dollars are spent in a buyer's home community). Being included in the Yellow Page directory tells the world you're open for business-listed alongside competitors offering similar products and services. After people check the directory, they came to your store, or "let their fingers do the walking." Your Telephone Links You to Buyers Ready to Spend Unlike other methods of promotion, the Yellow Pages connects a business with customers at precisely the moment when they're ready to buy. Traditional Buying Cycle Stage 1 A person consults the directory when they're considering a purchase. They narrow their choices (on whatever criteria they consider important). As it turns out, over 50% select on the basis of convenient location. Stage 2 They call with questions. Whereupon the business owner persuades them to come into the shop or make an appointment - or not. Stage 3 Their coming to your store provides a face-to-face opportunity to nail the sale. The popularity and convenience of the Internet has thrown that sequence on its head. The Shortest Distance from Your Customer to You is Over the Internet Recent studies show that these days as high as 70% of potential buyers head to the Internet instead of the Yellow Page directory. They consider search engines the fastest way to get the information they need to make buying decisions. By the time they walk into your place of business, they're already informed about the products they want. Increasingly, buyers learn about available products and services in their hometown by conducting a Local Search. A Local Search occurs when a search engine query is coupled with a geographic term, like city, state, zip code (for example: plumber + Spokane). The search results only include enterprises within that area. Even a very small business can show up at the top of the search results. But if they're not included in the databases the search engines use, they won't show up at all. Learn whether your business is listed by checking it on these resources: