"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, but it is crucial that this step is in the right direction." - Lao Tzu
For a local business, the “right direction” is understanding the actual trade area and the competitors within it. This foundational step ensures that subsequent strategies and decisions are aligned with the business’s actual market conditions, leading to more informed and effective business strategies.
With the trade area representing more than 90% of the business's customer base, recognizing the competitors within the actual trade area is essential for devising accurate Local SEO marketing strategies aimed at surpassing them. This necessitates an understanding of their visibility on Google and the extent of the market share they are securing. Analyzing competitors' Google visibility within the trade area, including their Map Pack rankings, organic traffic, and overall online presence, empowers SEO professionals with insights into the competitors' tactics and unveils areas ripe for enhancement.
Insights from MRI Simmons National Study
A recent study conducted by MRI Simmons, the leading consumer behavior research company, provides valuable insights into consumer travel behavior for everyday purchases. The study found that:
93.2% of consumers typically travel 20 minutes or less for their everyday purchases.
87% of consumers typically travel 15 minutes or less for their everyday purchases.
97.2% of urban consumers travel 20 minutes or less for everyday purchases.
70.3% of rural consumers travel 20 minutes or more for everyday purchases.
Furthermore, discerning the market share competitors are acquiring within the trade area yields invaluable data for crafting targeted marketing to overcome the current leaders or maintaining dominance if already there. By precisely identifying competitors within the trade area, SEO professionals can formulate more accurate SEO and marketing plans, addressing the unique challenges and opportunities inherent in the local market.
It is common for a local SEO specialist to turn to GEO-Grid Mapping, a feature available in many Local SEO management software's like Bright Local, Local Viking, SEMrush and others, to pinpoint competitors. While these software's offer a glimpse of ranking information within a set area of the local business, a more effective strategy is to discern competitors based on the actual trade area of the business better defined by how long it takes a customer to actually drive to the location. Drive-time mapping far surpasses the limitations of arbitrary radius or city-defined data used in typical Geo-Grid maps.
While using GEO-Grid Mapping based on pre-set sizes of 5x7 to 13x13 and greater is the prevalent method for identifying competitors and local rankings, there is a new Google Management & Local SEO Software Platform called Aldus Local that does this accurately. First, it starts with the actual trade area defined by a patent-pending drive-time analysis of the local business. Defining the trade area correctly by drive-time Identifying competitors using data from their actual trade area creates a clearer picture of who to target and where to focus SEO and lead generation marketing in general.
Welcome to Aldus Local's Trade Area Mapping Solution:
Aldus Local's Trade Area Mapping Solution revolutionizes the way businesses understand their market by creating Geo-Grid Maps based on Drive-Time. This approach offers a significant advantage over traditional methods of creating a Geo-Grid. Here's why Aldus Local stands out:
Reflects Real-World Behavior:
Unlike other solutions that rely on simple radius mapping, Aldus Local understands that customers think in terms of drive time. This solution captures the real-world behavior of how people decide where to shop or seek services.
Accurate Identification of Competitors with Aldus Local's Drive-Time Analysis:
In the dynamic landscape of local business, understanding one's competition is paramount. Traditional methods, which rely on arbitrary set, distance between GPS points mapping, often paint an inaccurate picture of the competitive landscape. Simply picking are arbitrary grid size around a business location might can include competitors that are geographically close but are not genuine threats due to various factors like road networks, traffic conditions, and natural barriers. Conversely, it might exclude potential competitors that are slightly outside the radius but are easily accessible to the target customer base. In truth, focusing on competitors and potential customers who are most likely outside primary trading areas is neither cost effective or productive.
Aldus Local's Drive-Time Analysis addresses this challenge head-on. By focusing on the actual time it takes for customers to drive to a location, it offers a more realistic view of a business's trade area. This becomes critical in the identification of actual competitors for a local business.
Instead of casting a wide net and potentially misidentifying competitors based on mere proximity, Aldus Local's solution hones in on businesses that customers can realistically drive to within a given time frame.
For instance, a competitor located 10 miles away might seem far away on a radius map. However, if a major highway or direct road connects them to the customer base, making the drive quick and convenient, they pose a more significant competitive threat than another business located just 5 miles away but takes twice as long to reach due to congested roads.
Unlike other Local SEO tools, Aldus Local's Drive-Time Analysis ensures that businesses are equipped with precise, actionable insights. By identifying genuine competitors based on drive-time, businesses can strategize more effectively, allocate resources wisely, and tailor their offerings to outshine the competition in the eyes of their target audience.
Overcomes Geographic Barriers:
Natural and man-made barriers can distort a simple radius map. Aldus Local's Drive-Time analysis ensures that businesses get a true representation of their accessibility, taking into account rivers, mountains, highways, and more.
Precision in Customer Segmentation:
Aldus Local allows businesses to segment their customer base with unparalleled precision, enabling targeted marketing and tailored service offerings that resonate with the actual customer base.
Accurate Competitive Analysis:
With Aldus Local, businesses get a true picture of their competition. Unlike other solutions that might show non-competitors due to their radius-based approach, Aldus Local ensures that businesses see only those competitors that fall within their actual drive-time trade area.
Avoids Arbitrary Boundaries:
Aldus Local's solution transcends the limitations of arbitrary city or zip code boundaries, offering businesses a genuine understanding of their market reach.
Enhanced Location Intelligence:
With Aldus Local, businesses gain superior location intelligence, empowering them to make data-driven decisions about store locations, distribution, and marketing strategies.
Strategic Expansion Insights:
For businesses eyeing expansion, Aldus Local's Drive-Time analysis identifies market gaps, guiding them to choose new locations that cater to untapped customer bases.
In conclusion, while many Local SEO management softwares offer a broad, often misleading radius-based view, Aldus Local's Trade Area Mapping Solution provides businesses with a detailed, realistic, and actionable picture of their market. By focusing on Drive-Time, Aldus Local ensures businesses have the insights they need to outperform the competition and achieve better business outcomes.
With its unique AI tools, Aldus Local amplifies the relevance and prominence of businesses in their local trade areas, giving them a competitive edge online. From Aldus recommending what actions to take for better Local SEO, to the Trade Area Geo-Grid Mapping Tool, Aldus Local offers a suite of features that revolutionize local SEO. It provides a comprehensive understanding of trade areas, competitor landscapes, and even offers tools for profile management, keyword planning, and Google posting.
With Aldus Local, businesses are not just visible but dominant in their actual trade areas. So, gear up, start digging, and let the local SEO adventure begin with Aldus Local by your side!
For a more in-depth exploration of what Aldus Local can offer, visit alduslocal.com.
By John Bermel - Founder / Aldus Local