GMB Optimization is 2020's Most Valuable Local Marketing Service

According to a recent survey, Google My Business optimization is the most valuable local marketing service in 2020.

BrightLocal has just released the findings for its annual The Local Search Industry Survey. It’s a study that examines the business practices, pricing, salary, and services that local marketers offer.

This year, the researchers surveyed 475 local marketers to understand their attitude and experiences in managing marketing for local or multilocation businesses. The participants include in-agency marketers as well as freelancers, who shared their insight to create the report.

Here are some takeaways from the study.

GMB Optimization is the Most Valuable Local Marketing Service

Findings from the survey suggest that Google My Business optimization is the most valuable local marketing service.

Meanwhile, on-site optimization and reputation management are the second and third most valuable service, respectively. Finally, the surveyed marketers said that citation management is the fourth most useful skill, while website design came fifth.

GMB Optimization is the Most Offered Local Marketing Service

Since GMB Optimization is the most valuable service, it’s not surprising that marketers would offer the service frequently. Other most commonly provided services include SEO audits and analysis, on-site optimization, and reporting/analytics.

According to the survey, link building is one of the less frequently offered services. Also, only about 50 percent of the local marketers that participated in the study are providing the service.

SEO Is the Best Online Tactic For Attracting New Client

SEO is not the most valuable service; neither is it the most offered service. However, local marketers say that it’s still the best online tactic for attracting new clients.

Other valuable online channels, according to the survey, include content marketing, LinkedIn, and PPC. However, word of mouth is the most relevant channel overall for winning clients.

Google Ranking is the Most Valuable Local Marketing Metric

According to the survey, Google ranking is the most valuable metric for local marketers.

In fact, it’s even more important than new customers and new leads, which came second and third on the list, respectively. After that, the marketers picked organic traffic and the number of new reviews as other valuable metrics.

For more insight, read the full report here.