SAN DIEGO, Sep. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Throughout the pandemic, a majority of consumers participating in online local searches completed a purchase within a week of their initial search. This insight is just one of the many findings from a newly published study from Rio SEO, the leading local marketing platform provider for enterprise brands, agencies and retailers.
Local search trends are useful predictors of consumer behavior, decision-making and shopping/booking habits both on- and offline. The new research uncovers how searches are conducted, the impacts of reviews and ratings on the decision-making process and which platforms consumers use most frequently during their purchasing journey.
Rio SEO's 2021 Local Search Consumer Behavior Study found that most consumers (90%) make a purchase within a week of their initial search, and a significant percentage (83%) use Google Search to learn more about nearby businesses. Approximately the same percentage of respondents (84%) reported expecting the information on a brand's website and Google My Business listing to be accurate and up to date. And nearly three-quarters of respondents agree reviews displayed on the brand's website influence their purchasing decision.
Additional key highlights and takeaways from Rio SEO's "2021 Local Search Consumer Behavior Survey" include:
- 61% of local consumers search locally every day.
- 53% of local consumers most frequently search to find information about retail stores.
- 75% of local consumers agree that first-party reviews displayed on a brand's website are likely to influence their purchasing decision.
- 51% of consumers said they feel more confidence and trust in a local business when they see them actively responding to reviews.
"People make local purchasing decisions quickly and base their decisions in large part on the accuracy of a brand's online presence," said Mick Wilson, Vice President of Customer Success, Rio SEO. "Therefore, brands must become better attuned to ever-evolving behavior shifts and optimize their marketing strategies accordingly to make it easier to do business with them."
Businesses, consumers, and marketers can utilize Rio SEO's latest study to understand how local pages and listings are performing in active markets, what interactions are taking place across first- and third-party review sites and how COVID-19 purchasing behaviors will uphold in the future. Its findings are compiled from survey results from a random sample of more than 1,000 consumers of diverse age groups, genders, regions, and devices. Questions focused on consumers' local search behavior, including the impact of business' reviews/online reputation and COVID-19's transformational changes such as curbside pickup and virtual services.
Visit Rio SEO's website to access the full study and dive deeper into the findings.
# # #
About Rio SEO
Rio SEO is the leading local marketing platform for enterprise brands, agencies and retailers. Rio SEO's Open Local Platform provides multi-location organizations with a comprehensive, seamlessly integrated suite of turnkey local marketing solutions and reputation management tools – Local Listings, Local Pages, Local Reviews, Local Ratings, Local Reporting and Local Manager – proved to increase brand visibility across search engines, social networks, maps applications and more.
Founded in 2006, Rio SEO ranks among the largest global providers of local search automation solutions and patented SEO reporting tools, driving business from search to sale for corporate brands worldwide. Over 150 enterprise brands and retailers rely on the innovative technology and Rio SEO's local marketing expertise to drive motivated, measurable online traffic to their local websites and into physical stores. Rio SEO currently serves Fortune 500 companies across a variety of industries, including retail, finance, insurance, hospitality and more. For more information, visit rioseo.com or follow @rio_SEO on Twitter.
Media Contact
Chelsea Alves, [email protected], +1 858-529-5042, [email protected]
SOURCE Rio SEO
Share this article