Though consumers navigate a fragmented and growing digital landscape, local and organic search remains a fundamental source of traffic and leads. According to a recent study conducted by BrightLocal, local and organic search delivers 40% of site traffic to local businesses.

The remaining 60% was attributed to direct traffic (10%), Google AdWords (10%), referral traffic (8%), email marketing (7%), mobile marketing (7%), Facebook (6%), Bing ads (5%), display ads (5%) and Twitter (4%).

The survey had 477 respondents who had worked to optimize more than 8,200 locations in the last 12 months. An experienced bunch, not only did they say local and organic search drove traffic, but both were rated 8 out of 10 in their ability to generate leads and deliver ROI.

As the data shows, ranking on search engines remains an important aspect of any SMBs' online strategy.