Data from 200,000 GBP listings reinforces an increase in consumer confidence in December
SAN DIEGO, Calif., January 19, 2021 — According to Rio SEO research, last month’s national search behavior revealed a significant increase in local search traffic and conversion metrics among restaurant, financial services, and healthcare listings, compared to November 2021.
Healthcare saw an 8% increase in total searches, an 18% increase in clicks to call, and 25% increase in clicks to the website compared to November. Additionally, sit-down restaurants saw a 23% increase in clicks to call, a 6% increase in total searches, and a 13% increase in clicks to website.
“Hospitals, pharmacies, and urgent cares around the nation are seeing extreme pressure, a dramatic increase in consumer questions, and a surge of customers”, said Ryan Weber, director of client success, Rio SEO. “Sharing relevant information regarding how your facility is operating, health and safety protocols in place, COVID-19 test availability, and special hours can lead to an increase in your conversions through calls, clicks, and searches.”
Americans were overwhelmed in the search for COVID tests days before Christmas, according to CNN Health. COVID-19 hospitalizations spiked since November and left people searching for answers, further supporting Rio SEO’s findings.
For sit-down restaurant brands, despite sales growth results that were 2.0 percentage points lower than the strongest week in November, the first week of December posted stronger sales growth than the monthly sales growth reported for August, September, and October, according to Black Box Intelligence. The future looks strong for other industries, as well.
Service businesses, financial services, sit-down restaurants, quick-service restaurants, retail, hotel, and healthcare organizations collectively saw YoY increases in local search behavior, including a:
- 44% average increase in total views
- 37% average increase in total searches
- 32% average increase in clicks for directions
“With the start of a new year, we anticipate consumers to be more active and engaging in 2022,” added Weber. “Despite the current forecast, professionals predict COVD-19 and price surges to decrease, which will, in turn, allow consumers to leverage products and services across all the verticals we study on a monthly basis.”
To see the full analysis, or to request a demo of Rio SEO’s comprehensive local marketing platform, visit RioSEO.com
About Rio SEO
Rio SEO is the leading local marketing platform for enterprise brands, agencies and retailers. Rio SEO’s Open Local Platform provides multi-location organizations with a comprehensive, seamlessly integrated suite of turnkey local marketing solutions and reputation management tools – Local Listings, Local Pages, Local Reviews, Local Ratings, Local Reporting, and Local Manager – proved to increase brand visibility across search engines, social networks, maps applications and more.
Founded in 2006, Rio SEO ranks among the largest global providers of local search automation solutions and patented SEO reporting tools, driving business from search to sale for corporate brands worldwide. Over 150 enterprise brands and retailers rely on their innovative technology and Rio SEO’s local marketing expertise to drive motivated, measurable online traffic to their local websites and into physical stores. Rio SEO currently serves Fortune 500 companies across a variety of industries, including retail, finance, insurance, hospitality, and more. For more information, visit rioseo.com or follow @rio_SEO on Twitter.
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