When it comes to your online presence, many factors can help future customers determine whether they want to choose your business or not.

As a business owner, you may be wondering what these factors are. In this blog, I want to share two personal examples of how businesses influenced me positively from their online presence.

Why Local Search Matters

During a recent trip to Savannah, Georgia, for a conference, my husband and I decided to go out for dinner. We both wanted seafood, so I pulled out my phone and Googled “best seafood restaurant near me.”

They were all five-star, so I clicked on the first restaurant on the list in the local search section on Google. It was half a mile away and the menu looked good. It didn’t look like they were very busy at the moment, so I called to see if we could get in right away.

They said they had immediate openings. I hung up with them, called an Uber (which took two minutes to get there) and we were at the restaurant. In less than ten minutes from deciding that we wanted seafood, we were sitting at our table at a swanky seafood restaurant in historic Savannah, Georgia.

We had a fantastic night and spent over $100. After we got back, I left a glowing review on the restaurant’s Google page. I mentioned that we were tourists, how good our server was and everything we ordered that night.

How many times a month do you think that search is done in Savannah, Georgia? Is it important to show up in local search? It is for that restaurant!

Utilizing the Maps Section

Here’s another situation to consider.

My daughter is in college and sprained her ankle in the snow in February on campus. Long story short, I get a bill from the medical equipment company for $146.49 for my daughter’s boot brace.

I’m curious if this is a very expensive boot or is this a reasonable price for a boot. I turn on my desktop and Google “where can I find a walking boot brace in Lexington, Kentucky.” Seriously, that is exactly what I typed in.

The result that shows is the map section.

The first company that came up in that search was a local podiatrist. I check the hours to make sure they were open, and I called them by typing their phone number into my phone (Please note, I found their business on a desktop but made the call from my cell phone).

A woman named Kate answered the phone, and I asked her if she sold foot braces. She was extremely charming and helpful, and right off the bat, I told her that I was checking pricing on a boot.

For the next three minutes, we talked about the braces, scheduling appointments and the University of Kentucky.

It was a four-minute conversation and it left a positive mark on me. I hung up with Kate by telling her that if my daughter’s ankle didn’t heal well, we would definitely give them a call to come and see them.

And I meant it! I saved the office number in my phone.

When I hung up with Kate, the Google page was still up on my computer and I left a five-star review for her. In my review, I mentioned the boot brace that we discussed and that I had a great experience, which will be seen by one of my neighbors when I refer this practice to another mom.

That is how your internet presence can influence how consumers do business.

This local podiatrist got a future patient, a review and a cheerleader because they showed up first in a search result for something that was related to their business.

Kate was doing her job, of course, but this “transaction” would not have happened if I hadn’t found them on Google.

Final Thoughts

These two personal examples are just a small sample of what our team at RevLocal thinks about when we are working on our clients’ internet presence, and this is why our clients are thriving!

Whether you’re opening a brand-new business and need help getting started or you’re running a family business that has been around for decades, our experts know the best practices and trends to get your business found online.

Request a demo with a consultant near you to find out more about our personalized digital marketing plans for your business!