Let’s be honest. Most growth conversations start a little too late.
If you run a business in a local market, maybe a dental practice, a hotel or a multi-location brand, you have probably been told to focus on conversion rates, channel mix and cost per acquisition.
Those metrics matter. But they only tell you what happened after someone found you.
The bigger question is this 👇
Were you even in the running to begin with?
Before a patient books, a guest reserves or a customer calls, a quieter decision has already been made. Whether your business showed up at all.
🔍 Search results are curated
📍 Maps decide who gets priority
📂 Directories filter options
🤖 AI tools summarize and recommend for people
By the time someone takes action, the shortlist is already set.
That is why Online Share of Attention is quickly becoming the growth metric local businesses cannot ignore.
Local Discovery Has Changed
Local discovery used to feel simple. A list of nearby options. Scroll, compare, choose.
That is no longer how it works.
Today, platforms decide:
• Which dental practices appear first
• Which hotels look trustworthy
• Which locations never get surfaced
This affects dental practices, hotels, auto services, med spas, vets, optometrists and any business that depends on being chosen locally.
If your business is not earning attention in those early moments, the ones before awareness, nothing later in the funnel can fully make up for it.
You can improve your website. You can refine your offers.
But you cannot convert customers who never saw you.
The Invisible Funnel for Local Businesses
There is a part of the funnel most local dashboards completely miss.
It is the moment before awareness.
This invisible layer explains why:
• Two similar practices in the same area perform very differently
• A hotel sees demand soften without a clear reason
• Marketing starts feeling less effective even when spend increases
This is not about vanity metrics.
Online Share of Attention is a prerequisite for local growth.
No attention. No clicks. No bookings. No calls.
Why This Matters Right Now ⏱️
Local discovery is becoming more automated and more AI driven.
Fewer options are shown
Recommendations happen faster
And the gap between being visible and being invisible keeps widening
The local businesses that understand their Online Share of Attention early are the ones that make better decisions sooner. They see issues before revenue drops and opportunities before competitors do.
That is exactly why DMscore exists. To make Online Share of Attention measurable across local markets, regardless of industry.
Start upstream 🚀
Growth follows.
Your Q1 Check-In 👋
If you are planning growth this year, start with a simple question.
How much Online Share of Attention does your business actually have in your local market?
Q1 is the perfect time to find out. Before performance dips. Before competitors pull ahead.
Take a look at your score 👉 https://bit.ly/LearnAboutDMscore
Then decide what to do next with clarity.
