With a world of information at our fingertips, it comes as no surprise that a rapidly increasing number of people now rely upon the internet for a variety of everyday tasks. From checking bank balances to seeing what the weather will be like tomorrow, the internet provides opportunities to have almost any question answered in real time. One area where information has lagged in many respects is at the local level; due to lower demand for niche information, one can often find out what shows are playing in a major theatre halfway around the world, but not what time a new restaurant in town closes on Saturdays. If you own a business or manage a brand, then optimizing local search is critical. We’ll discuss what types of local information you should strive to provide in the following article.

Business Hours

This is by far the most commonly searched for piece of information when it comes to local searches. Many people are out and about when they decide that they’d like to stop by a certain store, but they are unsure of when it opens or closes. It is mind-boggling to see how many local businesses do not adequately utilize search to provide this information to consumers. With solutions such as Google Plus, you can easily add hours of operation and that will be synchronized with local searches. A mobile user can quickly search for your hours and Google will neatly display the information on the search results page. Pinging for SEO in this regard will boost in-business visits or give more people an opportunity to interact with your brand.

Local Address and Directions

Without an address to your store, a mobile user may find that your brand exists but has no way of knowing how to get there. If you want to promote an increased amount of traffic to your site (and your website as well), then you must be sure to include the address and directions to your store. We recommend providing not only a map that can route mobile users through an app, but also manual directions that can be read aloud and used by those who may be less technologically inclined. By ensuring that these pieces of information are available, you will increase the likelihood of in-store visits.

Product Availability

While this may be harder to accomplish, brands that provide users with information about whether or not the products they are in stock tend to do much better than those that do not and consistently do better at pinging for SEO. With a live inventory system connected to a mobile app and/or website, users will know that the product they want is in stock and can be purchased same-day. When there is doubt in this regard, many people decide to simply purchase the item online and wait a couple of days for delivery; the costs of shipping in many cases are no more than the amount of gas it’d take to drive to the store. Consumers can be impulsive – by having a live system that tells shoppers that the product is available, you can expect an increase in visits and sales.