It's no secret that the Internet is becoming the leading research tool used by consumers. But did you know that it's also becoming a primary way consumers search for roofing professionals? New research from the Kelsey Group, a New Jersey-based consulting and research firm, shows that 70 percent of adults in the United States use the Internet as an information source when shopping locally for products and services, including residential roofing professionals.

Your customers are relying less on the traditional methods like print directories and newspapers to find you. Instead they are using Google. The Kelsey Group estimates that local online commercial searches will grow from approximately 10 percent of all online search activity today to 25 percent by 2009. Therefore, online marketing will become increasingly important for small businesses like yours as consumers increasingly turn to the Internet to find information about products and local service providers.