{"id":1458,"date":"2023-03-10T13:28:04","date_gmt":"2023-03-10T13:28:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/?p=1458"},"modified":"2023-03-16T16:08:43","modified_gmt":"2023-03-16T16:08:43","slug":"local-citations-trust-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/local-citations-trust-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Local Citations Trust Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"takeaways\">\n<h3 class=\"h2 takeaway-title\">Key Findings<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"takeaways-standard\">\n<li class=\"click-me not-bold click-me-0\">93% of consumers say they are frustrated by incorrect information in online directories<\/li>\n<li class=\"click-me not-bold click-me-1\">80% of consumers lose trust in local businesses if they see incorrect or inconsistent contact details or business names online<\/li>\n<li class=\"click-me not-bold click-me-2\">In the last 12 months, 71% of consumers had a negative experience because of incorrect local business information found online<\/li>\n<li class=\"click-me not-bold click-me-3\">In the last year, 22% of consumers visited the wrong location for a business because the address was incorrect online<\/li>\n<li class=\"click-me not-bold click-me-4\">Upon finding an inaccurate listing, consumers are more likely to blame the local business than the directory<\/li>\n<li class=\"click-me not-bold click-me-5\">24% of consumers will call a local business before going to visit it<\/li>\n<li class=\"click-me not-bold click-me-6\">40% would give up looking for a local business that they couldn\u2019t find because the address was wrong online<\/li>\n<li class=\"click-me not-bold click-me-7\">68% of consumers would stop using a local business if they found incorrect information in online directories<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>The building of\u00a0local citations\u00a0is a keystone in local search visibility. When your business\u2019s Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) are mentioned online in directories, business listings, and other websites, you can be sure of increased discoverability and awareness. However, due to human and program error, mistakes and inaccuracies can slip in and provide a very different experience than intended.<\/p>\n<p>We set out to explore the extent to which consumers notice and value consistently correct details when searching for local businesses, and to find out whether local businesses need to make ensuring accuracy and consistency a priority. To do this, we asked\u00a0<a href=\"#methodology\">a panel of consumers<\/a>\u00a0a series of questions around online listings and local citations.<\/p>\n<p>While we\u00a0know from experience that\u00a0there are plenty of businesses out there with incorrect contact details online, we had no idea quite how much this was negatively affecting consumers.<\/p>\n<p>We were shocked at\u00a0<a href=\"#Q2\">how many consumers have seen incorrect details online<\/a>\u2014and how many of them had been personally inconvenienced as a result. It\u2019s no wonder that\u00a0<a href=\"#Q7\">93% of our panel say they get frustrated by incorrect information in directories.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Too many businesses\u00a0<a href=\"#Q5\">risk losing customers they didn\u2019t even know wanted to buy from them<\/a>. These lost opportunities could mean the difference between a sale and a fail \u2013 and in the eyes of consumers,\u00a0<a href=\"#Q3\">businesses only have themselves to blame<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"questions\">Questions<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"#Q1\">When searching for a business online, which issues would make you lose trust in a business?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#Q2\">Which situations have you experienced in the last 12 months?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#Q3\">When online directories\/listings display incorrect information for a local business, who is more at fault?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#Q4\">When planning to visit a business for the first time, which of the following are you most likely to do?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#Q5\">If you couldn\u2019t find the location of a local business because the address was incorrect online, what would you do?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#Q6\">\u201cFinding incorrect information in online directories would stop me from using a local business.\u201d \u2013 Do you agree with this statement?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#Q7\">\u201cFinding incorrect information in online directories frustrates me.\u201d \u2013 Do you agree with this statement?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 class=\"anchor-heading-h2\">Local Citations Trust Report 2018<\/h2>\n<h3 id=\"Q1\">Q1. When searching for a business online, which issues would make you lose trust in a business?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"bl-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1460 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/1.-When-searching-for-a-business-online-which-of-the-following-issues-would-make-you-lose-trust-in-a-business_-1WebXO-1024x654.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"654\" srcset=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/1.-When-searching-for-a-business-online-which-of-the-following-issues-would-make-you-lose-trust-in-a-business_-1WebXO-1024x654.png 1024w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/1.-When-searching-for-a-business-online-which-of-the-following-issues-would-make-you-lose-trust-in-a-business_-1WebXO-300x192.png 300w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/1.-When-searching-for-a-business-online-which-of-the-following-issues-would-make-you-lose-trust-in-a-business_-1WebXO-768x491.png 768w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/1.-When-searching-for-a-business-online-which-of-the-following-issues-would-make-you-lose-trust-in-a-business_-1WebXO-1536x981.png 1536w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/1.-When-searching-for-a-business-online-which-of-the-following-issues-would-make-you-lose-trust-in-a-business_-1WebXO-2048x1308.png 2048w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/1.-When-searching-for-a-business-online-which-of-the-following-issues-would-make-you-lose-trust-in-a-business_-1WebXO-1920x1227.png 1920w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/1.-When-searching-for-a-business-online-which-of-the-following-issues-would-make-you-lose-trust-in-a-business_-1WebXO-1170x747.png 1170w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/1.-When-searching-for-a-business-online-which-of-the-following-issues-would-make-you-lose-trust-in-a-business_-1WebXO-585x374.png 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/div>\n<p><em>(Respondents were able to select multiple responses)<\/em><br \/>\n<strong>Key Findings<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>80% of consumers lose trust in local businesses if they see incorrect or inconsistent contact details or business names online<\/li>\n<li>70% lose trust if they see incorrect or inconsistent contact details online<\/li>\n<li>Only 10% of consumers wouldn\u2019t lose trust in a local business because of incorrect or outdated information online<\/li>\n<li>Poor quality or out-of-date photos make 50% of consumers lose faith in a local business<\/li>\n<li>Incorrect opening hours online damage the business trust of 51% of consumers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Insights<\/strong><br \/>\nIncorrect names, addresses, and phone numbers (NAP) found online negatively impact consumers\u2019 opinions of local businesses.<\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s not just NAP that damages the trust of consumers who are searching online for a local supplier. More than half of consumers told us that discovering incorrect opening hours would lower their trust of a business.\u00a0 If you\u2019re a local business owner, check and double check where your opening times appear online to make sure no one wastes their time\u2014particularly around public holidays where timings may differ.<\/p>\n<p>Poor quality and out-of-date photos are also frowned upon by consumers. In 2019, we surveyed consumers to find out how they interacted with Google My Business and local business websites, and found that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/research\/local-business-websites-and-google-my-business-comparison\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">images on local websites affected their trust of a business<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>We found that having images on business websites inspires trust in consumers\u2014and the data from this survey certainly backs up this assertion.<\/p>\n<p>Regularly updating your website with high quality, recently taken photos can help show customers (and search engines!) that you\u2019re an active business. While you can\u2019t always control which images will show in search results, Google allows verified businesses to upload their own photos to Google My Business.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"Q2\">Q2. Which situations have you experienced in the last 12 months?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"bl-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1461 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2.Which-situations-have-you-experienced-in-the-last-12-months_-1_WebXO-1024x626.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"626\" srcset=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2.Which-situations-have-you-experienced-in-the-last-12-months_-1_WebXO-1024x626.png 1024w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2.Which-situations-have-you-experienced-in-the-last-12-months_-1_WebXO-300x184.png 300w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2.Which-situations-have-you-experienced-in-the-last-12-months_-1_WebXO-768x470.png 768w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2.Which-situations-have-you-experienced-in-the-last-12-months_-1_WebXO-1536x940.png 1536w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2.Which-situations-have-you-experienced-in-the-last-12-months_-1_WebXO-2048x1253.png 2048w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2.Which-situations-have-you-experienced-in-the-last-12-months_-1_WebXO-1920x1174.png 1920w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2.Which-situations-have-you-experienced-in-the-last-12-months_-1_WebXO-1170x716.png 1170w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2.Which-situations-have-you-experienced-in-the-last-12-months_-1_WebXO-585x358.png 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/div>\n<p><em><strong>Age Group Split: Which situations have you experienced in the last 12 months?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"bl-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1462 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2a.-Which-situations-have-you-experienced-in-the-last-12-months_-1_webXO-1024x675.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2a.-Which-situations-have-you-experienced-in-the-last-12-months_-1_webXO-1024x675.png 1024w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2a.-Which-situations-have-you-experienced-in-the-last-12-months_-1_webXO-300x198.png 300w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2a.-Which-situations-have-you-experienced-in-the-last-12-months_-1_webXO-768x506.png 768w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2a.-Which-situations-have-you-experienced-in-the-last-12-months_-1_webXO-1536x1012.png 1536w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2a.-Which-situations-have-you-experienced-in-the-last-12-months_-1_webXO-2048x1349.png 2048w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2a.-Which-situations-have-you-experienced-in-the-last-12-months_-1_webXO-1920x1265.png 1920w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2a.-Which-situations-have-you-experienced-in-the-last-12-months_-1_webXO-1170x771.png 1170w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/2a.-Which-situations-have-you-experienced-in-the-last-12-months_-1_webXO-585x385.png 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/div>\n<p><em>(Respondents were able to select multiple responses)<\/em><br \/>\n<strong>Key Findings<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In the last 12 months, 71% of consumers had a negative experience because of incorrect local business information found online<\/li>\n<li>30% saw incorrect or incomplete information on online listings<\/li>\n<li>36% of consumers called a wrong number for a local business in the last year<\/li>\n<li>24% arrived at a business too early or late because opening hours were incorrect online<\/li>\n<li>22% visited the wrong location for a business because the online address was incorrect<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Insights<\/strong><br \/>\nWe were surprised with the huge proportion of consumers who had a negative experience in the last year due finding incorrect listing information online. As shown in\u00a0<a href=\"#Q1\">Q1<\/a>, incorrect local citations have a negative impact on consumer trust. This is likely to be exacerbated by the frustrating situations consumers have recently found themselves in because of inaccurate business listings.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s clear, that local businesses with incorrect or inaccurate citations need to take action now to avoid losing the trust of their customers.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tweet-two social-tweet right tweet-panel\">\n<p>In 2017, 33% of 18-34 year olds went to the wrong business location because of incorrect details online<\/p>\n<div class=\"actio\">When looking at this data split by age groupings, we found those in the 55+ age bracket were the least likely to have had a negative experience with a business due to incorrect local citations online.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>This could be for a number of reasons. For example, they may be more likely to have chosen suppliers already in mind. It\u2019s also possible that they\u2019re more used to looking to offline sources for contact details. Potentially, they\u2019re less likely to rely on the internet for business information.<\/p>\n<p>A whopping 33% of 18-34 year olds went to the wrong location for a business in the last year because of incorrect details found online. A further 36% arrived too early or late due to incorrect hours displayed online. In\u00a0<a href=\"#Q5\">Q5<\/a>\u00a0we\u2019ll cover the impact of visiting an incorrect location in more depth.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"Q3\">Q3. When online directories\/listings display incorrect information for a local business, who is more at fault?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"bl-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1463\" src=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/3.-When-online-directories_listings-display-incorrect-information-for-a-local-business-who-is-more-at-fault_-1_webXO-1024x639.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"639\" srcset=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/3.-When-online-directories_listings-display-incorrect-information-for-a-local-business-who-is-more-at-fault_-1_webXO-1024x639.png 1024w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/3.-When-online-directories_listings-display-incorrect-information-for-a-local-business-who-is-more-at-fault_-1_webXO-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/3.-When-online-directories_listings-display-incorrect-information-for-a-local-business-who-is-more-at-fault_-1_webXO-768x479.png 768w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/3.-When-online-directories_listings-display-incorrect-information-for-a-local-business-who-is-more-at-fault_-1_webXO-1536x959.png 1536w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/3.-When-online-directories_listings-display-incorrect-information-for-a-local-business-who-is-more-at-fault_-1_webXO-2048x1279.png 2048w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/3.-When-online-directories_listings-display-incorrect-information-for-a-local-business-who-is-more-at-fault_-1_webXO-1920x1199.png 1920w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/3.-When-online-directories_listings-display-incorrect-information-for-a-local-business-who-is-more-at-fault_-1_webXO-1170x730.png 1170w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/3.-When-online-directories_listings-display-incorrect-information-for-a-local-business-who-is-more-at-fault_-1_webXO-585x365.png 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/div>\n<p><strong>Key Findings<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Consumers are more likely to blame local businesses for incorrect listings (31%) than the directories themselves (18%)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Insights<\/strong><br \/>\nIt\u2019s interesting to see that the onus for correct listings lies with local businesses, according to most consumers.<\/p>\n<p>Errors mean that consumers are less likely to have faith in the information a business displays online. While directories are the holders of the information, it\u2019s the businesses that will be held accountable if this data isn\u2019t accurate.<\/p>\n<p>To check if your website has consistent local citations across listing sites,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/tools.brightlocal.com\/seo-tools\/admin\/sign-up\/2003\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sign up for a 14-day free trial<\/a>\u00a0now and run an audit using\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/local-seo-tools\/auditing\/citation-tracker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Citation Tracker<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"Q4\">Q4. When planning to visit a business for the first time, which of the following are you most likely to do?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"bl-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1464\" src=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4.-When-planning-to-visit-a-local-business-for-the-first-time-which-of-the-following-are-you-most-likely-to-do_-1-1932x1120_webXO-1024x594.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"594\" srcset=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4.-When-planning-to-visit-a-local-business-for-the-first-time-which-of-the-following-are-you-most-likely-to-do_-1-1932x1120_webXO-1024x594.png 1024w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4.-When-planning-to-visit-a-local-business-for-the-first-time-which-of-the-following-are-you-most-likely-to-do_-1-1932x1120_webXO-300x174.png 300w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4.-When-planning-to-visit-a-local-business-for-the-first-time-which-of-the-following-are-you-most-likely-to-do_-1-1932x1120_webXO-768x445.png 768w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4.-When-planning-to-visit-a-local-business-for-the-first-time-which-of-the-following-are-you-most-likely-to-do_-1-1932x1120_webXO-1536x890.png 1536w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4.-When-planning-to-visit-a-local-business-for-the-first-time-which-of-the-following-are-you-most-likely-to-do_-1-1932x1120_webXO-1920x1113.png 1920w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4.-When-planning-to-visit-a-local-business-for-the-first-time-which-of-the-following-are-you-most-likely-to-do_-1-1932x1120_webXO-1170x678.png 1170w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4.-When-planning-to-visit-a-local-business-for-the-first-time-which-of-the-following-are-you-most-likely-to-do_-1-1932x1120_webXO-585x339.png 585w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4.-When-planning-to-visit-a-local-business-for-the-first-time-which-of-the-following-are-you-most-likely-to-do_-1-1932x1120_webXO.png 1932w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/div>\n<p><em><strong>Age Group Split:\u00a0When planning to visit a business for the first time, which of the following are you most likely to do?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"bl-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1465\" src=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4a.-When-planning-to-visit-a-local-business-for-the-first-time-which-of-the-following-are-you-most-likely-to-do_-1_webXO-1024x637.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"637\" srcset=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4a.-When-planning-to-visit-a-local-business-for-the-first-time-which-of-the-following-are-you-most-likely-to-do_-1_webXO-1024x637.png 1024w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4a.-When-planning-to-visit-a-local-business-for-the-first-time-which-of-the-following-are-you-most-likely-to-do_-1_webXO-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4a.-When-planning-to-visit-a-local-business-for-the-first-time-which-of-the-following-are-you-most-likely-to-do_-1_webXO-768x478.png 768w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4a.-When-planning-to-visit-a-local-business-for-the-first-time-which-of-the-following-are-you-most-likely-to-do_-1_webXO-1536x956.png 1536w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4a.-When-planning-to-visit-a-local-business-for-the-first-time-which-of-the-following-are-you-most-likely-to-do_-1_webXO-2048x1275.png 2048w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4a.-When-planning-to-visit-a-local-business-for-the-first-time-which-of-the-following-are-you-most-likely-to-do_-1_webXO-1920x1195.png 1920w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4a.-When-planning-to-visit-a-local-business-for-the-first-time-which-of-the-following-are-you-most-likely-to-do_-1_webXO-1170x728.png 1170w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/4a.-When-planning-to-visit-a-local-business-for-the-first-time-which-of-the-following-are-you-most-likely-to-do_-1_webXO-585x364.png 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/div>\n<p><strong>Key Findings<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>90% of consumers look for details of a business before visiting it for the first time<\/li>\n<li>Consumers are most likely to look up local businesses before starting their journey (54%)<\/li>\n<li>24% call a local business before going to visit it<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Insights<\/strong><br \/>\nThroughout the study, a key theme emerged around the continued importance of phone calls for local businesses.<\/p>\n<p>While the majority of people research a business\u2019s location before setting out, a surprising 24% of consumers prefer to call the business first. This behavior was even more prevalent amongst those aged 55+ (30%).<\/p>\n<p>The 55+ age group was also the least likely of the groups to look up the address on the way or drive to the business and look around. This could be correlated with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.weforum.org\/agenda\/2017\/05\/think-older-people-are-technophobes-think-again\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">fewer over 55s owning smartphones<\/a>, as these consumers could be less likely to find addresses while on the move.<\/p>\n<p>Those in the other age groups may be more willing to head out to look for a local business\u2019s location, and course-correct if they find themselves lost (although this is a small proportion of the\u00a0overall respondents). But with more and more digital natives becoming full-time consumers, this could be a trend that grows in the future. Only time will tell.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"Q5\">Q5. If you couldn\u2019t find the location of a local business because the address was incorrect online, what would you do?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"bl-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1466\" src=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5.-If-you-couldnt-find-the-location-of-a-local-business-because-the-address-was-incorrect-online-what-would-you-do_-1-783x520_webXO.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"783\" height=\"520\" srcset=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5.-If-you-couldnt-find-the-location-of-a-local-business-because-the-address-was-incorrect-online-what-would-you-do_-1-783x520_webXO.png 783w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5.-If-you-couldnt-find-the-location-of-a-local-business-because-the-address-was-incorrect-online-what-would-you-do_-1-783x520_webXO-300x199.png 300w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5.-If-you-couldnt-find-the-location-of-a-local-business-because-the-address-was-incorrect-online-what-would-you-do_-1-783x520_webXO-768x510.png 768w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5.-If-you-couldnt-find-the-location-of-a-local-business-because-the-address-was-incorrect-online-what-would-you-do_-1-783x520_webXO-585x389.png 585w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5.-If-you-couldnt-find-the-location-of-a-local-business-because-the-address-was-incorrect-online-what-would-you-do_-1-783x520_webXO-263x175.png 263w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 783px) 100vw, 783px\" \/><\/div>\n<p><em><strong>Age Group Split: If you couldn\u2019t find the location of a local business because the address was incorrect online, what would you do?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"bl-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1472\" src=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5a.-If-you-couldnt-find-the-location-of-a-local-business-because-the-address-was-incorrect-online-what-would-you-do.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"860\" height=\"501\" srcset=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5a.-If-you-couldnt-find-the-location-of-a-local-business-because-the-address-was-incorrect-online-what-would-you-do.png 860w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5a.-If-you-couldnt-find-the-location-of-a-local-business-because-the-address-was-incorrect-online-what-would-you-do-300x175.png 300w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5a.-If-you-couldnt-find-the-location-of-a-local-business-because-the-address-was-incorrect-online-what-would-you-do-768x447.png 768w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5a.-If-you-couldnt-find-the-location-of-a-local-business-because-the-address-was-incorrect-online-what-would-you-do-585x341.png 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 860px) 100vw, 860px\" \/><\/div>\n<p><em><strong>Gender Split: If you couldn\u2019t find the location of a local business because the address was incorrect online, what would you do?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"bl-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-1467\" src=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5b.-If-you-were-unable-to-find-the-location-of-a-business-because-the-address-was-incorrect-online-which-of-the-following-would-you-be-most-likely-to-do_-1_webXO-1024x694.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"694\" srcset=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5b.-If-you-were-unable-to-find-the-location-of-a-business-because-the-address-was-incorrect-online-which-of-the-following-would-you-be-most-likely-to-do_-1_webXO-1024x694.png 1024w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5b.-If-you-were-unable-to-find-the-location-of-a-business-because-the-address-was-incorrect-online-which-of-the-following-would-you-be-most-likely-to-do_-1_webXO-300x203.png 300w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5b.-If-you-were-unable-to-find-the-location-of-a-business-because-the-address-was-incorrect-online-which-of-the-following-would-you-be-most-likely-to-do_-1_webXO-768x521.png 768w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5b.-If-you-were-unable-to-find-the-location-of-a-business-because-the-address-was-incorrect-online-which-of-the-following-would-you-be-most-likely-to-do_-1_webXO-1536x1041.png 1536w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5b.-If-you-were-unable-to-find-the-location-of-a-business-because-the-address-was-incorrect-online-which-of-the-following-would-you-be-most-likely-to-do_-1_webXO-2048x1389.png 2048w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5b.-If-you-were-unable-to-find-the-location-of-a-business-because-the-address-was-incorrect-online-which-of-the-following-would-you-be-most-likely-to-do_-1_webXO-1920x1302.png 1920w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5b.-If-you-were-unable-to-find-the-location-of-a-business-because-the-address-was-incorrect-online-which-of-the-following-would-you-be-most-likely-to-do_-1_webXO-1170x793.png 1170w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/5b.-If-you-were-unable-to-find-the-location-of-a-business-because-the-address-was-incorrect-online-which-of-the-following-would-you-be-most-likely-to-do_-1_webXO-585x397.png 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/div>\n<p><strong>Key Findings<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>40% would give up looking for a local business that they couldn\u2019t find because the address was wrong online<\/li>\n<li>30% of consumers would go to a competitor if they couldn\u2019t locate a business because of incorrect information found online<\/li>\n<li>43% would call a business if the address found online was incorrect<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Insights<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen viewed alongside the\u00a0<a href=\"#Q2\">22% of consumers who visited an incorrect business location in the last year because of incorrect details online<\/a>, there\u2019s evidence to suggest that many businesses are losing out on customers they didn\u2019t even know about.<\/p>\n<p>Again, we were surprised at how many consumers rely on calls to find local businesses. If a consumer gets lost because of seeing the wrong address online, they\u2019re highly likely to want to find the phone number to self-correct.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important that local businesses continue to keep phone lines manned and active to suit this demand. Or, if they\u2019re unable to take calls, they should set a voicemail message with clear address, directions, and ways to get in contact with if the caller has more in-depth questions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tweet-three social-tweet right tweet-panel\">\n<p>30% would go to a competitor if they couldn\u2019t find a business because of incorrect information online<\/p>\n<div class=\"actio\">It\u2019s important to understand who your customers are, as certain demographics may be likely to interact with your business in different ways. Consumers aged 55+ are significantly more likely to call businesses that they couldn\u2019t find.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Likewise, the female respondents in our study were far more likely to call the business than their male counterparts. Male consumers were more likely to abandon their search for the business.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"Q6\">Q6. \u201cFinding incorrect information in online directories would stop me from using a local business.\u201d \u2013 Do you agree with this statement?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"bl-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1468\" src=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/6.-Finding-incorrect-information-in-online-directories-would-stop-me-from-using-a-local-business.-783x475_webXO.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"783\" height=\"475\" srcset=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/6.-Finding-incorrect-information-in-online-directories-would-stop-me-from-using-a-local-business.-783x475_webXO.png 783w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/6.-Finding-incorrect-information-in-online-directories-would-stop-me-from-using-a-local-business.-783x475_webXO-300x182.png 300w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/6.-Finding-incorrect-information-in-online-directories-would-stop-me-from-using-a-local-business.-783x475_webXO-768x466.png 768w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/6.-Finding-incorrect-information-in-online-directories-would-stop-me-from-using-a-local-business.-783x475_webXO-585x355.png 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 783px) 100vw, 783px\" \/><\/div>\n<p><em><strong>Age Group Split:\u00a0\u201cFinding incorrect information in online directories would stop me from using a local business.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"bl-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1469\" src=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/6a.-Finding-incorrect-information-in-online-directories-would-stop-me-from-using-a-local-business.-783x496_webXO.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"783\" height=\"496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/6a.-Finding-incorrect-information-in-online-directories-would-stop-me-from-using-a-local-business.-783x496_webXO.png 783w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/6a.-Finding-incorrect-information-in-online-directories-would-stop-me-from-using-a-local-business.-783x496_webXO-300x190.png 300w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/6a.-Finding-incorrect-information-in-online-directories-would-stop-me-from-using-a-local-business.-783x496_webXO-768x486.png 768w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/6a.-Finding-incorrect-information-in-online-directories-would-stop-me-from-using-a-local-business.-783x496_webXO-585x371.png 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 783px) 100vw, 783px\" \/><\/div>\n<p><em><strong>Gender Split:\u00a0\u201cFinding incorrect information in online directories would stop me from using a local business.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"bl-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1470\" src=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/6b.-Finding-incorrect-information-in-online-directories-would-stop-me-from-using-a-local-business.-1-783x490_webXO.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"783\" height=\"490\" srcset=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/6b.-Finding-incorrect-information-in-online-directories-would-stop-me-from-using-a-local-business.-1-783x490_webXO.png 783w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/6b.-Finding-incorrect-information-in-online-directories-would-stop-me-from-using-a-local-business.-1-783x490_webXO-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/6b.-Finding-incorrect-information-in-online-directories-would-stop-me-from-using-a-local-business.-1-783x490_webXO-768x481.png 768w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/6b.-Finding-incorrect-information-in-online-directories-would-stop-me-from-using-a-local-business.-1-783x490_webXO-585x366.png 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 783px) 100vw, 783px\" \/><\/div>\n<p><strong>Key Findings<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>68% of consumers would stop using a local business if they found incorrect information in online directories<\/li>\n<li>73% of 35-54 year olds would stop using a local business if they found incorrect information in online directories<\/li>\n<li>Men are more likely to stop using a local business due to incorrect information than women<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Insights<\/strong><br \/>\nIt\u2019s clear from this data that having incorrect information about your business visible in your local citations could be having a serious impact on your potential audience\u2019s likelihood to visit or call you.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tweet-four social-tweet right tweet-panel\">\n<p>Men are significantly more likely to give up on businesses due to incorrect business listing information<\/p>\n<div class=\"actio\">18-54 years olds are more likely to give up on a business if they see incorrect local citations, so it seems that the older age group in our study are more likely to be forgiving of local businesses\u2019 mistakes online. Those aged 35-54 are most likely to be deterred.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Men are also significantly more likely to give up on a business because of online inconsistencies; 78%, compared to 62% of women.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"Q7\">Q7. \u201cFinding incorrect information in online directories frustrates me.\u201d<\/h3>\n<div class=\"bl-img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-1471\" src=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/7.-Finding-incorrect-information-in-online-directories-frustrates-me.-783x475_webXO.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"783\" height=\"475\" srcset=\"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/7.-Finding-incorrect-information-in-online-directories-frustrates-me.-783x475_webXO.png 783w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/7.-Finding-incorrect-information-in-online-directories-frustrates-me.-783x475_webXO-300x182.png 300w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/7.-Finding-incorrect-information-in-online-directories-frustrates-me.-783x475_webXO-768x466.png 768w, https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/7.-Finding-incorrect-information-in-online-directories-frustrates-me.-783x475_webXO-585x355.png 585w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 783px) 100vw, 783px\" \/><\/div>\n<p><strong>Key Findings\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>93% of consumers are frustrated by incorrect information in online directories<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Insights<\/strong><br \/>\nNearly everyone finds incorrect information in online directories frustrating.\u00a0<a href=\"#Q3\">As we\u2019ve seen above<\/a>, the blame for incorrect local citations tends to lie with the business. These errors can be reason enough to deter potential customers, and sometimes even send them into the arms of competitors.<\/p>\n<p>Businesses need to take action now if they are to maximize their chances of getting customers through the door and ready to buy. It\u2019s not enough to make sure contact details are correct on the business website, as anyone researching their choice of local business using an online directory could still fall foul of incorrect info.<\/p>\n<p>There is still demand for consumers to buy locally, but if businesses aren\u2019t able to provide a customer experience that parallels the ease of buying that big online businesses\u00a0offer, they risk losing out.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"methodology\">Methodology<\/h2>\n<p>The Local Citations Trust Report is based on a representative sample of 1,025 US-based consumers. It was conducted in March 2018 with an independent consumer panel. When analyzing some results, we removed a small number of respondents who were unsure or undecided on their opinions.<\/p>\n<p>We also looked into how trends differed based on the ages (18-34, 35-54, 55+) or genders of respondents, and included the most interesting findings. If there were any further questions you\u2019d like to see demographic splits for,\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:content@brightlocal.com\">please get in touch<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If you have any questions about the report or you\u2019d like to speak with a member of the BrightLocal team about its findings, please contact\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:content@brightlocal.com\">content@brightlocal.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0<a href=\"#comments\">leave a comment below<\/a>. Publishers are welcome to use charts and data, crediting BrightLocal and linking to this report\u2019s URL.<\/p>\n<p>For more information on local citations, see:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/learn\/local-citations\/introduction-to-citations\/what-are-local-citations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">What Are Local SEO Citations and Why Are They Important for Local Search Success?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/resources\/top-citation-sites\/general\/top-50\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Top 50 Local Citation Sites<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/resources\/local-citation-sites-with-nofollow-dofollow-links\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Citation Sites With DoFollow &amp; NoFollow Links<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/resources\/top-citation-sites\/industry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Top Business Listings for Every Industry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/research\/seo-citations-study\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">SEO Citations Study: How Many Citations Do You Need to Compete?<\/a>\u00a0[Interactive industry report]<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/research\/expert-local-citation-survey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Expert Local Citation Survey<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Why are local citations important?<\/h2>\n<p>The consistency of contact details online is important for two main reasons:\u00a0<strong>local SEO<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>customer experience<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>1. Local SEO<br \/>\nIn local SEO, citations are online references to a business\u2019s name, address, and phone number (NAP). Google and other search engines take these into consideration when assessing the local authority of business websites. Inconsistencies and errors have the potential to harm your local SEO rankings, so it\u2019s vital to focus on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/learn\/local-citations\/nap-data-accuracy\/nap-consistency\/\">NAP consistency<\/a>\u00a0across all online listing sites.<\/p>\n<p>2. Customer experience<br \/>\nIncorrect contact details online can confuse or deter potential customers before they even make contact with a business. With so many businesses to choose from, it\u2019s important that it\u2019s as straightforward as possible for customers to call or find a business near them. If they can\u2019t get hold of a business with ease, there\u2019s always another supplier waiting in the wings.<\/p>\n<h4>Thanks for reading the Local Citations Trust Report.<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Findings 93% of consumers say they are frustrated by incorrect information in online directories 80% of consumers lose trust in local businesses if they see incorrect or inconsistent contact&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1477,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-seo"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1458"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1458\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1506,"href":"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1458\/revisions\/1506"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webxo.io\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}