Search Engines & Performance
05 / Local, Measurement & Privacy
Key question
What are the benefits, and how do you measure it fairly?
Being found isn't an end in itself. What really counts in the end are enquiries, bookings and happy customers. For small businesses, local search is often the most important channel, and measuring performance helps focus time where it actually delivers results, with full respect for data privacy.
Learning objective: You can manage a local business profile, track campaigns effectively using UTM links, and analyse results in a privacy-compliant way.
Local first.
5.1 / Getting found locally
The map is the new shop window.
For searches like “joinery near me”, a map showing three businesses appears at the top. Getting there comes down to looking after three things.
01
Company Profile
A well-maintained Google Business Profile with category, opening hours, photos and services.
02
Standardised information
Name, address and telephone number consistent everywhere: website, profile, directories like local.ch or search.ch.
03
Reviews
Genuine reviews that are actively requested, and friendly replies to each one.
Purchased or self-written reviews are unfair and may be deleted or penalised. Genuine reviews, including critical ones, appear more credible.
The same details everywhere.
5.2 / Tracking with UTM links
Where are the visits coming from?
UTM parameters are tags added to a link that show where a visit comes from: which source, via which medium, and from which campaign. This makes it possible to compare whether an Instagram Reel or the newsletter generates more enquiries.
Conversion is what matters: how many visits lead to an enquiry, a phone call, or a booking? A few clearly defined goals say more than a hundred metrics.
Few goals, clearly measured.
5.3 / Privacy-friendly measurement
Fair counting rather than collecting everything.
Swiss data protection law requires transparency: the privacy policy specifies which data is measured, how, and who it is shared with. For visitors from the EU, the GDPR also applies, which requires consent for many trackers.
Privacy-friendly tools such as Plausible, Matomo, or your website builder’s built-in analytics track visits without creating personal profiles and often without using cookies. For small businesses, this is usually more than enough. This does not constitute legal advice.
Fair counting rather than collecting everything.
Exercise
A measurement plan
Task: Create a simple three-month measurement plan for the joinery Holzwerk.
STEP 1
Set three goals, such as form submissions, phone calls, and appointment bookings.
STEP 2
Check the company profile and standardise the name, address, and telephone number across three directories.
STEP 3
Create UTM links for Instagram, newsletters, and flyers with QR codes in the tool.
STEP 4
Choose a privacy-friendly analytics tool and update your privacy policy.
Analysis: Which figure do you look at every month, and what do you do if it drops?