Local presence is a hugely important component of any online marketing strategy. Especially as people are increasingly searching for businesses while on the go and mobile. A woman says to her iPhone while in a traffic jam, “Siri, find me some pizza.”
Customers, actual and potential, want to know where you are. They want to know where to find you. They want to find the local businesses that offer the goods or services you provide.
As with generic search, online map traffic is dominated by Google. According to the New York Times (3/19/2012):
According to comScore, OpenStreetMap itself still has a minuscule amount of Web traffic. Google Maps had 65 million users in February, a 16 percent increase from a year earlier. MapQuest had 35 million, a 13 percent drop. Microsoft’s Bing Maps came in third with nine million users, an 18 percent gain.
As the article suggests, it is not the only game in town, as other mainstream providers exist. You should pay attention to them all. Including the online yellow pages and other similar directories.
Is your online presence optimized for your physical location? Can your existing customers easily find you online? Can potential local customers find you now?