Are you ready to capitalise on the boom in mobile local search?

Today’s smartphone-wielding public wants their information served right now: in the palm of their hands, the minute they need it, and on the go.
The UK has one of the highest mobile phone market penetrations by smartphones in the world. Today, a staggering 58% of Brits have a smartphone, according to Ofcom.
The fast growing adoption of smartphones means the way people search for information is changing. Recent research by Google reveals that 95% of smartphone users have searched for local businesses and services online. Crucially, 68% of local information seekers will call or visit a business after finding information on their phones.
The implication is clear: to thrive and survive in this brave new world, every small business needs a mobile-friendly web presence.
Local information at your fingertips?
If you’ve got a smartphone, chances are you’ve used it to look up directions to that shop you couldn’t find, searched for the address of a consultant you were on your way to meet, or Googled the phone number of a restaurant to tell them you were running late.
And you wouldn’t be alone in doing that. According to Google, 50% of mobile search is local. That’s up from 40% as announced last year.
Think about it. That’s a massive number of people using their smartphone to find a local service or service provider. It is also a wakeup call for anyone who promotes their services to local customers.
The results from Google’s latest research are telling – half of all search queries coming from smartphones have a local intent.
SMEs are missing out
Despite the huge volume of local queries in mobile, the majority of small businesses still don’t have a mobile optimised website. A recent ‘Online Business Outlook 2013’ study by Barclays shockingly revealed that the majority of UK businesses are unprepared for the shift in consumer activity away from PCs and laptops to mobile devices.
A total of 89% of businesses surveyed by Barclays confessed they still have not developed their website for mobile devices. Which means UK plc is missing out on a whole lot of potential opportunities from consumers looking for a local service provider.
A lost opportunity
If you don’t have a mobile friendly website then the chances are that local searchers will simply move on and talk to your competitors.
Online searchers find it frustrating having to zoom in and out of sites or wait for pages to load or struggling to decipher text and images that don’t appear correctly. If they can’t find the information they’re looking quickly and easily, they won’t hang around.
In just seconds they could be moving onto a site where they can find what they want fast – including that all important phone number they need up front and on the homepage.
What your businesses really needs
Smartphone users looking for information in a hurry just need the essentials – just enough information to decide if this is the right service provider for their needs – and want to be able to make fast, efficient contact.
If you’re a small business or sole trader that means that all you really need is a smart online mobile friendly website that sets out the basic facts and clearly displays all the ways you can be contacted.
In other words, your mobile website simply needs to work well, load fast, look good and be easily accessible.
Telnames makes it easy, for everyone
That’s exactly what a .tel mobile website from Telnames gives you. A concise directory profile page containing all your contact information – including social media links – together with a business profile that’s displayed in a smart, mobile-friendly way.
It’s the perfect way to get a mobile optimised online presence that has instant appeal to smartphone owners looking for a local service provider.