Local SEO Statistics

With nearly a third (32%) of consumers completing online searches for local businesses daily, the importance of a small business’s internet presence is clear. Experimenting with local SEO can help a business rank higher in Google’s Local Pack, and, therefore, reach more potential customers.

This report uncovers key local SEO statistics, from both the perspective of consumers and those working in local SEO. This includes key stats on local SEO ranking factors, the importance of businesses collecting high quality online reviews, and the potential offered by using AI to optimise a local business’s position on the search engine results page (SERP).

Top 10 local SEO statistics

• Two in five (42%) consumers regularly check for reviews online when researching a local business
• Google is the number one site for consumers searching for reviews, used by four-fifths (81%) of consumers
• Nearly two-fifths (37%) of consumers expect a business to have a minimum of four stars before they will consider using them
• More than a quarter (26%) of consumers say that the online reviews of a local outlet affect their opinion of the larger parent brand
• According to marketers, Local Pack rankings are the most important factor for local marketing success
• Google Business Profile management is the top service offered by local marketing freelancers and SEO agencies
• Video marketing has seen the greatest growth as a service offered by local marketers (+11% between 2022 and 2023)
• Of 44 local SEO experts interviewed, 20 use generative AI for content creation
• The address listed on your Google Business Profile (GBP) being a PO box, virtual office, or otherwise fake address poses the greatest risk for GBP suspension
• The average salary of local marketers in the USA is $109,575 (2023), equivalent to ~£87,446

Trends and patterns of local SEO consumer behaviour

How often do people search locally?

According to a survey undertaken by Statista, one-fifth (21%) of users use the internet to search for local businesses every single day.

A breakdown of how often consumers say they complete online searches for local businesses

The most common answer given by survey respondents is that they complete online searches for local businesses multiple times per week, with nearly a third (32%) sharing this response.

This is followed by almost a quarter (24%) of users who claim to search for local businesses online at least once per week.

Most popular device used to search local businesses

Exclusive local SEO statistics from Reboot reveal that users prefer to search for local businesses using a desktop, across seven out of nine business types.

This preference is most apparent in the case of builders, where 92.19% of users opt to search for these local businesses using desktop, compared to just 7.81% who prefer to use their mobiles.

A breakdown of the most popular devices used to search for local businesses, by business type

Source: Reboot via Semrush

Just two types of businesses are more popular with mobile searchers than desktop users; restaurants and estate agents.

Under three-fifths (57.22%) of users on restaurants’ sites are mobile users, compared to 42.78% desktop users, while just over half (51.29%) of estate agent site users opt for their mobile, compared to 48.71% who use their desktop.

Most common local searches

Over 2024, the popularity of the search term ‘near me’ on Google has fluctuated between 57 and 64. This is much higher than the decade before, when popularity hovered between just five and six.

A breakdown of the worldwide popularity of the search term ‘near me’ (September 2014-August 2024)

The popularity of the search term ‘near me’ naturally took a hit towards the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as people were staying at home (popularity dropped to 48). However, the pandemic appears to have had an overall positive impact on people shopping locally, as ‘near me’ reached its peak popularity in July 2021.

How often do customers read online reviews when searching for local businesses?

Between 2022 and 2024, the frequency with which consumers search for online reviews of local businesses has remained largely unchanged.

A breakdown of the frequency with which consumers read online reviews when browsing for local businesses

In 2022, just over a third (34%) of users always made the effort to read online reviews for businesses near them. In 2023 and 2024, this figure had only dropped by a single percentage point, to just under a third (33%).

The proportion of consumers who regularly read online reviews when browsing for local businesses underwent a similar trend, again dropping by just a single percentage point (43% to 42%).

Consumers who stated they only occasionally or never read reviews faced an opposite change, each rising by one percentage point in the period, to 22% and 3%, respectively.

Most common sites used by consumers for local business reviews

In 2024, more than four-fifths (81%) of consumers opted to use Google to research local businesses. While the search engine has remained the most popular tool between 2022 and 2024, this figure of four-fifths is a noticeable drop from the 87% of consumers who claimed to use Google in 2023.

A breakdown of the most popular review sites consumers use to research local businesses

Source: brightlocal

The second-most popular source for uncovering local business information is Facebook, with 45% of consumers using the site. This is the only social media-based review platform to feature in consumers’ top choices for local business research.

This is followed by the dedicated review site Yelp, used by over two-fifths (44%) of consumers, and travel agency and user-generated content (UGC) platform Tripadvisor, used by a fifth (21%).

The top five sources for researching local business ratings are rounded out by the Better Business Bureau. In 2024, a fifth (20%) of consumers said that they make use of the non-profit’s directory of accredited businesses, a drop of 11 percentage points from 2022, when three in 10 (31%) consumers used the site.

Other popular sources of information used by consumers when evaluating local businesses

Outside of dedicated review sites, consumers appear to trust their local news the most for local business information. While just over a third (35%) of consumers chose their local channels for research in 2023, in 2024 this figure has risen to well over two-fifths (43%).

A breakdown of the most popular non-review site sources that consumers use for local business information

The influence of YouTube is decreasing as other video hosting platforms such as Instagram and TikTok take their place in consumers’ research. Between 2023 and 2024, the proportion of consumers using YouTube to access local business information dropped from 35% to 32%, while Instagram grew by two percentage points (to 34%) and TikTok by three (to 23%).

While just under a fifth (19%) of consumers turn to neighbourhood experts, the proportion of those using local bloggers’ sites for business information increased by more than a third (+35.71%) between 2023 and 2024, to 19%.

How useful do consumers rate different Google review features?

The most popular platform for consumers looking for local business information and reviews, Google, offers users many features to help them narrow down and filter results. Of these functionalities, consumers state that ‘sort by newest’ is the most useful in their review search, with nearly half (47%) of consumers stating that this tool is highly useful.

A breakdown of the usefulness of Google review functionalities, according to consumers

Interestingly, the ‘sort by highest rating’ feature is seen as less useful than the ‘newest’ filter option, with less than two-fifths (39%) rating this feature as highly useful. This suggests consumers are more interested in uncovering how a business has been performing more recently than they are in reading historic positive reviews.

The functionality with the most ‘not useful’ votes from consumers is the highlighted reviews. These snippets of reviews are displayed alongside a business’s information in Google’s Local Pack.

The most important review factors for consumers when looking for local businesses

The most important review factor for informing consumers’ opinions on a business is that the review describes a positive experience. However, while more than two-thirds (69%) of consumers name this factor, the proportion of consumers who view this as the most likely aspect to give them a good impression of a company is six percentage points lower in 2024 than in 2022 (75%).

A breakdown of the review factors most likely to make consumers feel positive about using a local business

Consumers are consistent in their expectations of business owners, with over half (55%) of users stating that they feel more positively about a company if the owner has responded to reviews.

While the aspect with the least weight is that the review is long and detailed, a fifth (21%) of consumers nevertheless feel more positively about a business due to reviews of this nature. That said, this is down from 27% of consumers in 2022.

What is the minimum star rating consumers look for before considering using a business?

In 2024, more consumers stated that a business must have at least four out of five stars before they consider using it than any other rating level, with nearly two-fifths (37%) looking for this high rating.

A breakdown of the minimum average star rating a business must have for a consumer to consider using it

This is a consistent expectation from consumers, with four stars listed as the minimum average star rating expected since 2022.

Surprisingly, one in 20 (5%) consumers state that star ratings do not impact their decision to use a business.

The minimum number of reviews required before consumers will use a business

Three in 10 consumers expect a business to have between 20 and 49 reviews before they will consider using it. This proportion has remained unchanged from 2023.

A breakdown of the minimum number of reviews a business must have for a consumer to consider using it

Following this, more than a quarter (28%) of consumers want a business to have 50-99 reviews before they decide whether they will use them.

In general, the number of reviews that a business has is less important to consumers than the average star rating, with nearly one in eight (12%) stating that the quantity of reviews a business has does not impact their decision to use the company.

Minimum number of review sites visited before consumers will use a business

Over a third (36%) of consumers like to read reviews from two different sites before they decide to use a local business.

A breakdown of the number of review sites consumers check before deciding to use a local business

Meanwhile, a quarter (25%) look for reviews across three different sites, while marginally fewer (23%) are content to make a decision after reading just one site.

One in 14 consumers (7%) look for at least five different sources of reviews before they choose to use a business.

How recent do online reviews need to be for a consumer to consider using a business?

As indicated by consumers’ opinions on the most useful Google review function, consumers value recency when analysing a business’s reviews. In this vein, more than a quarter of consumers (27%) only consider reviews posted in the past two weeks when making a decision on whether to use a business.

A breakdown of how recent an online review needs to have been posted for it to impact a consumer’s decision to use a business

Consumers’ interest in the most recent reviews has increased since 2022. In that year, more consumers were content with reviews from the past month (26%) than those needing the most recent reviews (22%).

The likelihood of a review influencing a consumer’s decision decreases as the length of time since the review was posted increases.

Meanwhile, one in 14 consumers state that the recency of reviews does not impact their decision, suggesting that they like to get an idea of the business as a whole, rather than just how it has been performing lately.

How likely are consumers to use a business based on how they respond to online reviews?

Consumers expect businesses to interact with reviewers, with nearly nine in 10 (88%) stating that they are fairly or highly likely to use a business that responds to all reviews.

A breakdown of the proportion of consumers that say they are ‘fairly’ or ‘highly’ likely to use a business that responds to reviews in a range of ways

Less than half (47%) of consumers state that they are still likely to use a business that does not respond to reviews.

Interestingly, consumers are more likely to use a business that only responds to negative reviews (58%) than one that only responds to positive ones (54%).

How soon should local business owners respond to a consumer review?

After leaving a review, most consumers expect a speedy response from the owner, with a third (34%) of consumers stating they expect to see a review within two or three days.

A breakdown of when consumers expect to see a response to their reviews

One in 14 consumers (7%) do not expect a response from a business after they leave a review, suggesting that they review companies for the benefit of fellow consumers rather than to inform a business of its performance.

To what extent do consumers trust online consumer reviews?

Consumers’ level of trust in online reviews of local businesses is mixed across the board. In 2024, half (50%) of consumers agreed with the statement ‘I trust consumer reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends and family’, up by four percentage points from 2023 (46%).

A breakdown of the proportion of consumers who agree with positive statements about online consumer reviews

Conversely, the proportion of consumers who agree that they trust online reviews as much as recommendations from social media influencers has decreased since 2022, from 37% to 35%.

How do local reviews affect brand reputation?

In terms of larger chains, the reviews of local outlets also have an impact on consumer perceptions of the parent brand.

A breakdown of how local reviews of big brands and chains affect the parent brand’s reputation

More than a quarter (26%) of consumers state that local reviews have ‘a great deal’ of impact on a parent brand’s reputation.

However, this is not a clear-cut issue, as just under a quarter (24%) of consumers state there is ‘not much’ impact on their opinion of the chain from local reviews.

Where do consumers believe they have seen fake reviews?

Consumers are most confident that they have seen fake reviews on Amazon, with virtually half (49%) of survey respondents saying that they have identified dishonest reviews on the retail platform. This is a slight drop from 54% of consumers saying the same in 2023.

A breakdown of where consumers are confident they have seen fake reviews

In fact, across the top four sites that consumers believe they have seen fake reviews on, all have had a noted drop in perceived dishonest reviews between 2023 and 2024. The greatest decrease was seen on Google, where half (50%) of consumers were sure they had seen fake reviews in 2023, dropping to under two-fifths (38%) in 2024.

Conversely, consumers using Tripadvisor, Apple Maps, and the Better Business Bureau, are more likely to report seeing fake reviews in 2024 than in 2023. Apple Maps saw the greatest increase, with 8% in 2023 and 12% in 2024.

What makes consumers believe a review might be fake?

In terms of the features of reviews that are most likely to ring alarm bells for consumers in 2024, respondents were most concerned about reviews they feel were written by AI (40% of consumers).

A breakdown of what makes consumers suspicious that a review might be fake

Prior to 2024, consumers felt that reviews that featured a star rating but with hardly any text to back this up were most likely to be fake, with just below half (47%) of respondents flagging this as a likely indicator (2023).

In 2022, consumers were more concerned by reviews they deemed to be over-the-top in praise, with 45% of respondents stating this is a red flag.

Most common types of reviews left by consumers

When consumers leave reviews themselves they are most likely to do so for positive experiences, with nearly two-fifths (38%) stating this is the review they are most likely to leave.

A breakdown of the reviews most often left by consumers

Interestingly, consumers are more likely (25%) to leave a mixed review than they are to leave a negative review (10%). This trend has largely stayed the same between 2022 and 2024, with a slight increase in the proportion of respondents leaving negative reviews (7% to 10%).

The percentage of consumers who have never left a review and stated they never will has remained virtually unchanged between 2022 and 2024, rising only one percentage point (from 3% to 4%).

How often do consumers leave reviews?

The number of consumers who state that they always leave a review when prompted to by a business has increased slightly, with over a tenth (12%) giving this response in 2022, increasing to just below a fifth (19%) in 2024.

A breakdown of whether consumers can recall being asked to leave a review in the last year

In line with this, the proportion of consumers who recall being asked to leave a review but have never done so decreased over this period, from 18% to 12%.

Interestingly, in both 2023 and 2024, a fifth (20%) of consumers stated that they could not recall being prompted to leave a review for any business in the last 12 months. This signifies a clear missed opportunity by businesses, as they are failing to interact with their customers.

Most popular review request methods

In terms of review requests, consumers state they are most likely to leave feedback if prompted to do so over email, with almost a third (32%) providing this answer. The success of this request method underwent a slight decrease between 2023 and 2024, from 34% to 32%.

A breakdown of the review request methods most likely to make a consumer write a review

The second most successful request method is in person, with 28% of consumers stating they are likely to leave a review if asked to do so during the sale or service. However, this has also decreased between 2023 and 2024, from 33% to 28%.

Only three request types have seen an increase in their likelihood to prompt a review, with SMS text messages (23% to 26%), on a business card (8% to 13%), and on signage in the business’s location (9% to 12%) all seeing an increase in their ability to encourage consumers to leave a review.

When do consumers think they should be prompted to leave a review?

The time at which consumers believe they should be asked to leave a review varies across industries. For food and drink services, nearly a quarter (24%) of customers think they should be prompted to leave a review on the same day, while for professional trade and real estate services, just a tenth (11% and 10%, respectively) agree.

A breakdown of when consumers think a business should contact them with a request to write a review, by industry

Source: brightlocal

The most popular answer across all industries is that consumers are happy to be prompted anytime within three days. Most industries hover around the quarter mark here, with just healthcare and real estate consumers at a slightly lower rate (20% and 16%, respectively).

The proportion of consumers who feel it doesn’t matter when they are prompted and those who believe they should not be prompted at all fall around the same mark, regardless of industry.

The most common incentives for leaving a consumer review

Despite the fact that incentivising reviews is prohibited by review platforms such as Google, Yelp, Facebook, and Tripadvisor, many consumers nevertheless state that they have been offered an incentive for leaving a review in the past 12 months.

A breakdown of the proportion of consumers who have been offered an incentive for a review in the past 12 months

In 2024, the most common incentive offered was a discount on future products or services, with well over two-fifths (45%) of consumers stating they have been offered this in the past 12 months. This is a marked increase (+200%) from 2022 when only 15% had been offered this.

The number of consumers being incentivised by the promise of a gift or service has also increased between 2022 and 2024, rising from 15% to a third (33%).

Local SEO and consumer trust statistics

Which platforms do consumers trust the most for information about local businesses?

Google is far and away the most trusted source of business information according to consumers, with two-thirds (66%) of customers stating they trust business information found on the search engine.

A breakdown of the sources of business information that consumers trust the most

Interestingly, consumers are more likely to trust information found on Google or its Maps subsidiary (45%) than they are to trust details found on the business’s own website, with only just over a third (36%) trusting the supplied information. Still, this is a key learning opportunity for local businesses to keep their websites consistently updated so that consumers don’t need to rely only on user-generated information found on Google and Google Maps.

Just under a third (32%) of consumers trust the business information found on Yelp or Facebook, the latter of which offers both UGC reviews and business-created pages.

Most popular maps app when searching for local businesses

Apple users trust Google Maps over Apple’s own navigation app when searching for local businesses.

A breakdown of the preferred maps apps used by Apple users when searching for local businesses

Nearly three-fifths (58.6%) of Apple users opt for Google Maps for local business discovery, more than double the proportion who choose Apple Maps as their go-to for business information (26.3%).

More than one in seven (15.2%) Apple users use other maps apps when searching for local businesses.

Main reasons for using business information sites

In 2023, consumers were most likely to use business information sites when looking for a new business, with three-fifths (61%) of customers stating this is the main situation for which they use these sites. This is a slight drop from two-thirds in 2021 (66%).

A breakdown of the main situations where consumers require the use of business information sites

In 2021, finding local businesses that consumers had heard of but not yet used was tied with brand new businesses for the main situation where consumers require the use of business information sites (66%). However, in 2023 the proportion of consumers using these sites for this purpose dropped to 56%.

Consumers are still likely to use business information sites even if they are companies they have used before, with two-fifths (41%) of consumers using these sites in this situation.

Public opinions on incorrect information for local businesses

Consumer attitudes to finding incorrect information on business information sites remained largely unchanged between 2021 and 2023.

A breakdown of consumers’ responses to the statement ‘Finding incorrect information on a business information site would stop me from using a business’

The proportion of consumers who stated that they strongly agreed that finding incorrect information would deter them from using a business was a fifth (21%) in 2023, only slightly lower than in 2021 (22%).

Similarly, in 2021, 2% of consumers stated they strongly disagreed that incorrect information would stop them from using a business, dropping to 1% in 2023.

The most common actions taken by consumers when faced with incorrect local business information

Typically, when consumers are unable to find a business’s address due to incorrect location information online, they will call the business to confirm the address, with over a third (36%) completing this action.

A breakdown of what actions consumers take if they cannot find a business’s location due to an address being incorrect online

Under a quarter of consumers (23%) prefer to seek alternative information sources online in order to find the correct address.

Local businesses risk losing money by having incorrect location data online, with 15% of consumers stating they will go to a nearby alternative if they can’t find the first business’s address online. Moreover, 7% of consumers will abandon their search altogether - a figure that has more than doubled since 2021 (3%).

The most common issues that make consumers lose trust in local businesses

Consumers are most likely to lose trust in a local business if they come across mostly negative written reviews online, with nearly two-thirds (63%) stating that this will sully their perception of a local business.

A breakdown of the issues most likely to cause consumers to lose trust in a business

Incorrect information also has a negative impact on businesses, with over two-fifths of consumers losing trust in a business if the address or phone number is incorrect or inconsistent online (46% and 45%, respectively).

The importance of having a clear web presence can also not be understated, as 44% of consumers will lose trust in a business if they do not have an easily found website.

The most important business and reputation factors when looking for a local business

The reputation factor most important to prospective consumers varies across industries.

A breakdown of the most important business and reputation factors for consumers when looking for a local business

In retail, consumers most value finding correct opening hours online (53%), while tradespersons are more likely to be successful if they have correct contact information online (49%).

Meanwhile, consumers searching for beauty and wellbeing services are more interested in a high average review rating, with 38% stating this is the most important reputation factor when considering a local business for this type of service.

How often are consumers facing issues of incorrect local business information?

The most common issue faced by consumers when searching for local businesses is that they find incorrect contact information for the business, with one in 13 (8%) consumers facing this issue more than once a week.

A breakdown of how often consumers have issues with inaccurate business information

Broken links to businesses are also a huge problem for consumers, with 13% of consumers faced with a broken link several times a month, and 16% encountering this issue around once a month.

How often are consumers using different types of business information

More than once a week, one in eight consumers search for a business in order to find its opening hours or have clicked through to a business’s site from a business information website.

A breakdown of how often consumers are using different types of business information

A few times per month, more than a quarter (26%) of consumers view photos of a business and its service on a listing or social profile for the company.

Most trusted social media websites and apps for information

YouTube is the most trusted social media website/app for business information, with a tenth (10%) of consumers stating they strongly trust information found on the video-sharing site, while nearly a third (32%) of consumers find the information somewhat trustworthy.

A breakdown of to what extent consumers trust the information they see on social media websites and apps

Interestingly, the other video-sharing app considered, TikTok, is the least trusted site for business information, with a fifth (22%) of consumers stating they do not trust information on the app at all, and a further fifth (21%) finding the information somewhat untrustworthy.

How often do consumers use social media websites or apps for local business discovery?

Despite YouTube being the most trusted app for information, consumers most often use Facebook for local business discovery, with three in 10 consumers stating they use the app for business discovery more than once a week.

A breakdown of the frequency with which consumers use social media websites and apps for local business discovery

YouTube is the second-most used app for local business discovery, with well over a quarter (27%) of consumers using the app a few times a month for this purpose.

Instagram’s answer to X, Threads, is the least used app for local business discovery, with seven in 10 consumers (71%) stating they never use the app for this purpose.

Importance of photos in local business information

When considering using a new hotel, consumers are most interested in being able to view photos taken by fellow customers, with nearly a third (32%) of prospective consumers saying this is the form of media they care about the most.

A breakdown of the type of photos consumers care about most, by industry

Similarly, photos taken by the business are also very important for hotel customers, with over a quarter (27%) searching for these images.

Meanwhile, photos taken of the staff are more valued by healthcare consumers, as 17% of consumers value this type of image the most.

Statistics on local search ranking factors

Factors that affect local search rankings

According to local SEO experts, the most important factor for improving local organic rankings is having a dedicated page for each service. This factor scored 163 out of a potential 220 points from the experts.

A breakdown of factors, ranked by their impact on local organic rankings

The second-most important factor is ensuring you have appropriate and robust internal linking across the entire website - this factor scored 149 points out of 220.

The lowest-scoring factor, but nevertheless still important with 128 points, is ensuring that inbound links to your domain have keywords in the anchor text.

Conversion factors that affect local search rankings

The factor deemed to have the most impact on customer conversion is a business having high numerical Google ratings (i.e. four to five stars), with local SEO experts giving this factor 177 out of 220 points.

A breakdown of factors, ranked by their impact on conversions

The second-most important conversion factor is also related to reviews, with local SEO experts giving positive sentiment in review text 151 out of 220 points.

Having a website of high quality is also deemed important to customer conversion, with a mobile-friendly and responsive website scoring 149 points, while ensuring you have a dedicated page for each service scores 137 points.

Statistics on local SEO myths

Local SEO myths are factors that may appear to have an impact on rankings, but, in actuality, are deemed to have little impact by local SEO experts.

Factors that local search experts don’t believe have much of an impact on rankings

Companies’ Google Business Profile (GBP) featuring geo-tagged photos is seen as having the least impact on rankings, with local SEO experts only scoring this factor two out of 220 points.

Also related to your GBP, local SEO experts assign little importance to the use of keywords in the description of your GBP, with this factor receiving just 11 points.

Suspension risk factors that affect local SEO rankings

The factor that poses the greatest risk of getting your Google Business Profile suspended is your listed address being a PO Box, UPS mail store, virtual office, or otherwise false address. Local SEO experts gave this a suspension risk score of 167 out of 220.

A breakdown of the factors which risk suspension of your Google Business Profile

Poor online behaviour poses the second-greatest risk of GBP suspension, with local SEO experts scoring this 144 out of 220.

Your GBP being associated with other suppressed listings on Google also poses a threat, with a score of 144.

Filtering out negative reviews, otherwise known as ‘review gating,’ is not only a dishonest practice but also places your GBP at risk of suspension, with local SEO experts giving this a risk score of 105 out of 220.

Google Local Service Ads (GLSAs) ranking factors

44 local SEO experts who work on Google Local Service Ads for their clients were asked what they feel is the most important ranking factor for GLSAs. The number of reviews the client has received the most mentions across these responses, with eight experts highlighting the importance of this factor.

A breakdown of factors with the biggest impact on rankings in the Google Local Service Ads

Six local SEO experts stated that their clients’ responsiveness to leads is an important ranking factor.

Meanwhile, three experts stated that having the hours of operation listed, the proximity to the searcher’s location, and the services offered are also important ranking factors for Google Local Service Ads.

How local SEOs are using AI

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being integrated into local SEO. 44 experts were asked how they use AI the most, with nearly half (20) of the experts stating that they use AI to create content, which is then edited by a human.

A breakdown of the most popular use cases of AI in local SEO

Similarly, 18 experts use AI for content ideation and inspiration.

Far fewer experts are integrating AI into their keyword strategy, with only six (13.64%) experts stating that they use this technology for keyword research and topic classification/clustering.

Local Pack vs local organic ranking statistics

The main difference between the Local Pack and local organic search is that Local Pack results are based on the specific location of a business, while organic search results are based on keywords and other factors.

A breakdown of the top-ranking factors in the Local Pack and local organic search

According to local SEO experts, having a comprehensive Google Business Profile is the most important ranking factor for the Local Pack (32%), while on-page information is the most important for local organic results (36%).

While links are the second-most important factor for local organic rankings, voted for by a quarter (26%) of experts, this is only the fourth-most important factor for the Local Pack (11%).

Google Business Profile signal statistics

The impact of the Google Business Profile on the Local Pack/Finder rankings was on an upward trajectory between 2017 and 2021, reaching a peak of 36% value.

Google My Business statistics

Average number of Google reviews for local businesses, by city

Local businesses in Leeds receive the most customer reviews on Google, as Reboot reports that these businesses receive 912 reviews on average.

A breakdown of the average number of Google reviews per local business, by UK city

Source: Reboot via Google

Local businesses in the capital, London, only rank in 21st position for the average number of reviews left per business, with 427 on average.

Google My Business statistics further reveal that seven of the 10 cities with the highest number of reviews per local business are situated in England. Capitals Edinburgh and Cardiff feature with 674 and 648 reviews per business, respectively, while Glasgow is the highest ranking non-English city, with 685 reviews.

Average number of Google reviews for local businesses, by type of business

Reboot’s analysis of Google My Business statistics indicates that restaurants are the local business type most likely to receive customer reviews. Eateries receive an average 1,501 reviews per business, more than three times the business type in second place, tech shops (494 reviews).

A breakdown of the average number of Google reviews per local business, by type of business

Source: Reboot via Google

There is no clear winner in terms of whether businesses selling products or services are more likely to receive reviews. For products, while tech shops and craft shops rank second and third, butchers and flower shops fall in seventh and eighth position.

Builders are the least likely to receive customer reviews on Google, with an average of just 17 reviews per local business.

Local SEO investment statistics

Local businesses in Birmingham are most interested in investing in their local SEO, with search terms related to this service receiving 200 monthly searches per 100 businesses in this city, according to exclusive data from Reboot.

A breakdown of average monthly searches, by city, for the following terms: SEO company; Local SEO company; SEO agency SEO services; SEO consultant SEO freelancer

Source: Reboot via Google and ONS

By comparison, there are no equivalent searches for these terms by local businesses in Westminster.

In terms of the UK’s capitals, the average number of searches for local SEO investment terms per 100 local businesses are:

• Belfast: 10
• Cardiff: 15
• Edinburgh: 120
• Greater London: 110

Local SEO market statistics

Average salaries of local marketers

The average and median salaries of local marketers in the USA have increased since 2021, at a rate of 20.89% and 3.9% overall, respectively.

A breakdown of the average and median pre-tax personal earnings of local marketers in the USA

In 2021, the average salary for local marketers was $90,644, which increased by 4.97% to $95,152. This then further increased by 15.16% to $109,575 in 2023.

Meanwhile, the median salary for local marketers took a hit between 2021 and 2022. In 2021 the average salary was $77,000, which decreased by 1.56% to $75,800 in 2022, before increasing by 5.54% to $80,000 in 2023.

To what extent are local marketers satisfied with their salary

Despite the overall increase of 20.89% for the average local marketers' salary, the level of salary satisfaction among this group has decreased between 2021 and 2023.

A breakdown of salary satisfaction levels of local marketers

In 2021, 28% of local marketers stated that they were very satisfied, while in 2023 this had dropped to a quarter (25%).

Meanwhile, the proportion of local marketers who are not very satisfied with their salaries increased from 10% to 15% between 2021 and 2023.

How do marketers rate their level of local SEO knowledge?

Marketers are largely confident in their level of local SEO knowledge, with two in five (40%) stating that their knowledge is very good.

A breakdown of how strongly marketers rate their levels of SEO knowledge

While just over a quarter (26%) of marketers believe their local SEO understanding is excellent, the same proportion (26%) rate their knowledge as just good.

Meanwhile, one in 14 (7%) local marketers state that their knowledge is fair, while 1% believe their understanding of local SEO is poor.

Average annual revenue for agencies and freelancers in the local SEO industry

Typically, freelancers in the local SEO industry take less than $50,00 in revenue each year, with over half (52%) of freelancers earning this average revenue.

A breakdown of the average annual company revenue of agencies and freelancers in the USA

Meanwhile, the most common average annual company revenue for local SEO agencies is $100,000 to $250,000, at just over a quarter (26%) of agencies. The second most common average revenue is $1 million to $5 million, at more than a fifth (22%) of agencies.

No freelancers in the USA reported taking more than $1 million in average annual revenue.

Average annual revenue for freelancers over time (2021-23)

While the number of freelancers taking home an average revenue of up to $50,000 has more than doubled since 2021 (24% to 52%), all other revenue brackets have stagnated or seen a drop.

A breakdown of the average annual revenue for freelancers in the USA (2021-23)

The greatest drop is seen in the $100,000 to $250,000 bracket, changing from 38% of freelancers to 19%. However, this latter figure is a slight increase from 2022, when 16% of freelancers took this annual revenue.

In 2022, 3% of freelancers sat in the $5 million or above bracket, but no freelancers were represented here in 2021 or 2023.

Average company revenue for businesses in the local marketing industry

Typically, the average annual revenue of single and multi-location businesses in the local marketing industry is between $1 million and $5 million, with nearly three-tenths (28%) of businesses taking this revenue.

A breakdown of the average annual revenue of single and multi-location businesses in the local marketing industry

The second-most common revenue is $10 million or above, with over a quarter (27%) claiming this revenue.

The distribution range of revenue clearly indicates that local marketing is a profitable industry, as far more businesses take home in excess of $10 million (27%), than companies in the $500,000 to $1 million bracket or below.

The most important local SEO metrics for success

According to marketers, the most important factor at play when considering local marketing success is a business’s Local Pack rankings, with over half (52%) of marketers giving this factor.

A breakdown of the metrics most important for local marketing success, according to marketers

In the combined second position are new leads and Google organic rankings, with over two-fifths (42%) of marketers stating these are important factors.

Organic traffic, phone calls, GBP metrics, new customers, and the number of new reviews were all nominated by over three in 10 marketers.

Statistics on responding to local algorithm updates

The proportion of local marketers who strongly agree that reacting to algorithm updates is an important focus for their business and clients has increased since 2021, from one in 10 (10%) in 2021 to almost a fifth (19%) in 2023.

A breakdown of local marketers’ responses to the statement ‘Reacting to algorithm updates is an important focus for my business/clients’

However, the number of local marketers disagreeing with this sentiment has also slightly increased, from 11% to 12%.

In 2023, the most common response (42%) from these industry professionals was that they agreed that reacting to algorithm updates is an important factor.

Average number of clients for local marketers

As expected, local marketing agencies typically have more clients than freelancers, with a third (33%) reporting 51 or more clients.

A breakdown of the average number of clients of local marketing agencies and freelancers

Conversely, the majority (47%) of freelancers work with two to five clients.

While one in 20 (5%) freelancers report having 51 or more clients, no freelancers report working with 41 to 50 clients.

Average client lifespan for local marketers

The average client lifespan is relatively similar across agencies and freelancers, particularly at the five-year and above mark. Agencies report 18% of clients with a lifespan of five to ten years, while freelancers report 17% with the same lifespan, and both agencies and freelancers state that 5% of their clients have had a lifespan of 10 years or above.

A breakdown of the average client lifespan for local marketing agencies and freelancers

The majority of agencies’ clients have a lifespan of between three and five years, at nearly three in 10 (29%).

Conversely, most freelancers’ clients have a lifespan of one to two years (22%).

Average monthly revenue per client for local marketers

The most profitable clients for local marketers are those with a lifespan of two to three years. These clients offer an average monthly revenue of $1,569, significantly higher than those with the longest lifespan of 10+ years ($1,285).

A breakdown of average monthly revenue per client, by client lifespan

As expected, the least profitable clients are those at the beginning of their relationship with marketers - clients with a lifespan of up to a year offer an average monthly revenue of $799.

Most common local SEO services offered by local marketers

The most common local SEO services offered by marketers have remained largely unchanged since 2021, with only slight growth and decline noted across the options.

A breakdown of the most common local SEO services offered by local marketers

Source: brightlocal

The service which has seen the greatest increase is on-site optimisation, with 81% of local marketers offering this in 2023, compared to 77% in 2021.

Meanwhile, the only service offering to see a decrease is local SEO auditing, with the proportion of local marketers providing this service dropping from 83% to 80% in 2023.

Most common local SEO services offered by agencies and freelancers

The most common local SEO service offered by both local marketing agencies and freelancers and consultants is Google Business Profile management, with 92% and 91% of entities offering this, respectively.

A breakdown of the most common local SEO services offered by local marketers

Source: brightlocal

Similarly, the second-most offered service is also shared by both types of local marketers, with 86% of agencies and freelancers each offering content creation for their clients.

At the other end of the scale, influencer marketing is the least offered service. One in 10 (10%) local marketing agencies offer this service, while just one in 20 (5%) freelancers and consultants work with their clients in this area.

Largest growth in most common local SEO services offered by local marketers

The proportion of local marketers offering video marketing services underwent the greatest increase between 2022 and 2023, rising by 11%.

A breakdown of local SEO service offerings which underwent the most growth between 2022 and 2023

Though shown in the last chart to be the least commonly offered service, more and more local marketers are beginning to offer influencer marketing, with this service growing by 9% between 2022 and 2023.

Local marketers are also upping their strategy services, with an 8% growth reported in those offering reporting and analytics work over the same period.

Most valuable local SEO services offered (marketers vs clients)

There are some noticeable differences between marketers' own perception of their most valuable local SEO services, versus what they believe their clients’ perception to be.

A breakdown of the most valuable local SEO services according to marketers (agencies and freelancers), and what marketers think their clients would say

Source: brightlocal

Over three-quarters (76%) of marketers believe that Google Business Profile management is their most valuable offering, while they expect that only half (52%) of their clients agree.

The greatest disparity where local marketers assign less importance than they believe their clients do is found in social media. Only one in 10 marketers think that their social media offering is one of their most valuable services, while they expect a quarter (25%) of their clients to see the most impact here.

Most common billing methods between agencies and freelancers

The most common billing method chosen by both agencies and freelancers is a monthly fee based on deliverables, with nearly two-thirds (63%) and a half (51%) of marketers opting for this, respectively.

A breakdown of the typical billing methods chosen by agencies and freelancers

While more agencies than freelancers opt for a monthly fee based on hours (24% vs. 9%, respectively), freelancers are more likely to choose billing methods per project and by hourly rate.

Do local marketers have personal training budgets?

Only two-fifths of local marketers have personal training budgets, which can be used to improve their processes and comprehension.

A breakdown of whether local marketers have personal training budgets

Meanwhile over half (54%) do not have access to this financial support.

Around one in 14 marketers are unsure if they have a personal training budget, suggesting that those who work for agencies may lack transparency around their access to personal improvement resources.

How many hours a week are marketers allocating for learning and personal development?

Despite these differences in personal training budgets, it's clear that learning and personal development remain important to local marketers, as two-fifths allocate one to two hours per week for training.

A breakdown of how much time per week marketers allocate for learning

Further, almost two-fifths (39%) of local marketers are devoting more than two hours a week to personal learning.

Just one in 50 (2%) marketers are neglecting their personal development by not putting any time aside for learning.

The most common methods of learning in local marketing

Of those local marketers who are devoted to continued learning, more than four-fifths (81%) opt for online research to facilitate this.

A breakdown of the top methods of learning used in local marketing roles

Two-thirds (66%) of local marketers make use of virtual training courses and webinars, while just under three-fifths (58%) search for resources on YouTube.

Industry news sites are used by 56% of local marketers to push their learning.

Attitudes to future success

In 2023, local SEO experts expected their work to get harder over the next year, with nearly two-fifths (38%) stating they expect it to be slightly harder to achieve success in the next year. This figure is up from 31% in 2022.

A breakdown of how easy local SEOs expect achieving success next year to be

Moreover, the proportion of local marketers who expected it to become much harder to achieve success increased to 8% in 2023, from 5% in 2021 and 2022.

While local marketers in 2021 and 2022 were optimistic that achieving success would be slightly easier in the next year (20% and 19%, respectively), this proportion dropped to 13% in 2023.

Use of generative AI in local marketing

OpenAI’s ChatGPT is the most popular generative AI tool used by local marketers, with 92% of those surveyed saying they have experimented with this platform.

A breakdown of the most popular generative AI platforms used by local marketers for experimentation

Google Bard, though the next most commonly used tool, is far less popular with local marketers. Just over two-fifths (41%) of local marketers have been experimenting with Google’s AI tool.

OpenAI’s other tool, DALL-E, a text-to-image platform, is used by around a fifth (22%) of local marketers.

Future use of generative AI in local marketing

In line with this AI experimentation, around two-fifths of local marketers are looking to incorporate generative AI into their role and business’s services (44% and 38%, respectively).

A breakdown of local marketers’ attitudes to incorporating generative AI

Further, over a third of these professionals are very keen to introduce generative AI into their role and business, with 39% and 35%, respectively, strongly agreeing that they are looking to do this.

Only a negligible amount of local marketers are strongly against incorporating generative AI into their role or business’s services, at 1% and 3%, respectively.

Local SEO marketing hiring statistics

Local marketers seem to be content with the strength of their workforce, with more than a third (36%) in 2023 reporting that they are unlikely to hire additional SEO or marketing-related staff in the next year. This figure is up from 23% and 24% in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

A breakdown of local marketers’ likelihood to hire additional SEO or marketing-related staff each year

Further, the proportion of local marketers who stated that they are definitely looking to hire new staff has consistently dropped since 2021, with 24% in 2021, 21% in 2022, and 14% in 2023.

FAQs

What is local SEO?

Local search engine optimisation is the process of improving the search visibility and brand awareness of local businesses, to drive more traffic to the business.

How to improve local SEO

The go-to service offered by local marketers to improve the SEO of local business clients is Google Business Profile management, with 92% of local marketers offering this as one of their main services.

More than four-fifths (86%) of local marketers offer content creation for local business websites, in an effort to improve your local SEO.

How to find keywords for local SEO

There are many keyword tools available to help you ideate important terms to include on your business’s site in an effort to improve your local SEO. For example, Ahrefs offers a keyword explorer tool, which can be used to uncover related terms.

What are the benefits of local SEO?

By improving your local business’s visibility on the search engine results page (SERP), you are increasing your pool of potential customers.

Moreover, local SEO experts state that improving your Google Business Profile and other SEO factors can have a great impact on your customer conversion rate.

How to improve local SEO rankings

According to local SEO experts, the most important factor in improving your rankings in organic local search is ensuring that your website has a dedicated page for each service you offer.

Other highly ranked factors include having effective internal linking strategies in place across your entire website, and the quality and authority of inbound links to your domain.

Glossary

GBP

A Google Business Profile is a free tool offered by Google, which allows businesses to manage how they appear on the SERP and on Google Maps. This can be considered almost like a virtual storefront, and it’s important to keep all information on your profile up-to-date and accurate.

Local Pack

Google’s Local Pack is a grouping of businesses that appear when customers search for a product or service. These are tied to specific locations, and typically appear when customers use ‘near me’ or ‘near X’ in their search. The pack includes opening hours, contact information, and reviews for the business.

SGE

Search Generative Experience is a Google feature which uses generative AI to improve customers’ search experience, enabling them to engage in conversation and further the results of their queries.

UGC

User-generated content is unique content specific to your brand, which has been created by customers.

Sources

• https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=near%20me&hl=en-US
• https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/
• https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-business-discovery-trust-report/
• https://whitespark.ca/local-search-ranking-factors#conversion
• https://www.brightlocal.com/learn/local-seo/introduction-to-local-seo/ranking-factors/
• https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/activitysizeandlocation/datasets/ukbusinessactivitysizeandlocation
• https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-search-industry-survey/

Methodology

Most popular devices used to search for local businesses

1. Using the list of businesses obtained for the previous data point (average number of Google reviews for local businesses), URLs for each of the businesses was obtained.
2. Note: Google could not accurately find certain business URLs, in which case they have been suppressed in the data.
3. This was then used in conjunction with Semrush’s traffic analytics to obtain the percentage of mobile and desktop users for each site. Semrush data is based on UK traffic in 2023.
4. This data was then aggregated by business type and city, to show the average mobile/desktop user split.

Average number of Google reviews for local businesses

1. Google search was used to obtain the top three local businesses for different industries and cities in the UK.
2. The following businesses were chosen to represent different industries that would realistically be in an average local area:
   • Solicitors - Administrative, support, and waste management
   • Builders - Construction
   • Craft shop - Arts, entertainment, and recreation
   • Flower shop - Retail trade
   • Butchers - Wholesale trade
   • Estate agent - Real estate & rental and leasing
   • Lawyer - Professional, scientific, and technical services
   • Restaurant - Accommodation and food services
   • Tech shop - Information
3. The search was formatted as “{business} in {city}”, and the number of reviews for the top three businesses in each search was obtained.

Local SEO investment statistics

1. Google's keyword planner was used to obtain search volumes for the following terms over the past year, for each city in the UK:
   • SEO company
   • Local SEO company
   • SEO agency
   • SEO services
   • SEO consultant
   • SEO freelancer
2. Note: If a search volume was less than 10 (but not 0), it was rounded up to 10, so some data may be slightly inflated.
3. The following cities are missing data due to string comprehension issues with google's location lookup API:
   • Brighton & Hove
   • Kingston-upon-Hull
   • Newcastle-upon-Tyne
   • Stoke on Trent
   • St Asaph
   • St Davids
4. Business enterprise population data was then obtained from ONS, by city.
   • Note: ONS did not have data for certain smaller cities in Scotland and Ireland particularly.
5. The business enterprise population data was then used to weight the average yearly search terms per 100 businesses in each city.

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