With so many people using ad blocking software, you can no longer rely on buying your way into local search results. But there is something you can do.
At the beginning of 2016, over 200 million people worldwide – including nearly 70 million Americans – used ad blocking software. And that number continues to go up.
Ad blocking software does exactly what it says … it block ads from showing up in a person’s web browser. Not only do these ad blockers work on media websites (like national and local news, business / consumer magazines, and blogging sites), but they also work on Google and even Facebook. Check out the screenshot at the top of this post showing how ad blocking removes all of the ads on a local search.
You can read more about how ad blocking software is impacting local businesses at StreetFightMag.
What You Should Do About Ad Blocking
Like it or not, ad blockers are now a part of the Internet reality. You can’t just rely on buying ads on Google or other sites to market your business online. The most important thing you can do is really optimize your business for local search. Again, notice the screenshot at the top of this post. Ad blocking software doesn’t block out local business results!
We’ve said it here before, but it’s worth pointing out again, that local search optimization does take a little bit of time and effort, but it doesn’t have to be a mystery or overwhelming. Be sure to download our Local Search Optimization checklist. It outlines all of the key steps that you need to take.
I do want to clarify that I still believe local advertising … especially on Google and Facebook. It can be very effective at getting new customers and driving repeat business. However, you don’t want to rely on advertising alone to market your business online.
