There’s no denying it: mobile search continues to skyrocket as the digital years march on. You know this is true because you do it yourself. How often do you whip out your phone on a daily (hourly?) basis to find exactly what you want immediately?

Check out these major local mobile search trends to keep them in mind for your business:

1. Searches Including “Near me,” “Closest,” and “Nearby” Are Paramount

Perhaps not surprisingly, upwards of 80% of “near me” searches—which have grown by leaps and bounds over the years—hail from smartphone users.

It’s therefore important to prioritize your presence on business directory websites that pop up first in response to these queries (such as Yelp), keeping in mind the make-or-break nature of corresponding consumer reviews and working to boost your scores, accordingly.

2. In-Store Visit Conversions Increase by 35% When Local Searches Are Performed on a Mobile Device

A large portion of mobile users who perform a local search anticipate visiting a retailer either that same day or soon thereafter. This makes it crucial for businesses to prioritize local SEO and unearth strategies to remain competitive within their territory. Dedicated platforms such as MOZ Local can help businesses perfect their local SEO efforts while offering software, tools, and dashboards that help make business listing management, monitoring, and analysis a breeze.

3. Online Reviews Are Critical for Future Success

Not only are online reviews already important for your organic search rank, but—as briefly mentioned earlier—it is crucial that the majority are positive as these inherently act as “social proof” for other searchers.

4.0 stars makes you look pretty attractive to searchers. 4.5 sets you apart from 99% of other businesses. 4.8 to 4.9? These ratings rank you among the best of the best. While it’s tempting to falsify or manipulate reviews, ignore the urge to do so. You’ll eventually get caught and slapped with a rankings penalty.

Here are 3 strategies you can use to score more positive reviews:

• Ask happy customers for a review. Send them a text containing a link to the best place to do so and make the process super easy.
• Respond to every single review you receive. When customers see you actively communicate and not miss a single review, they’ll be much more likely to post.
• Operate a good business. At the end of the day, this is what brings in heaps of good reviews. Take online reviews as seriously as you would any other part of your business by running an excellent outfit.

Do these things and you’ll place yourself in a prime position to dominate your local mobile search market both now and in the future.