Where your competition is in North Dakota
The largest concentrations of locksmith businesses in our North Dakota data are in Fargo, Williston, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot and Dickinson. Competition for the map pack is heaviest there, and so is the reward: the same review count that dominates a small town is invisible in Fargo.
The map pack in North Dakota
In North Dakota, 33.3% of locksmith businesses have fewer than ten reviews. That is the good news if you have twenty: most of your local competitors are not trying. The bad news is that the three shops in the map pack for Williston searches are not in that group. They are near 182 reviews and they ask every customer.
The website gap in North Dakota
13.3% of North Dakota locksmith businesses list no website on their Google profile, fewer than the national 22.2%. Nationally, locksmith businesses with a website have a median of 67 reviews against 15 without. A five-page site with tap-to-call and a page per service is the cheapest gap to close.
Hours and after-hours calls
26.7% of North Dakota locksmith businesses list themselves as open 24 hours. If you take after-hours calls, say so in your profile hours, because Google shows "Closed" in red on a profile that says it is closed. If you do not, list real hours and let missed-call text-back cover the gap, so the caller gets a reply instead of dialing the next name.
How North Dakota compares
Of the 46 states in our data, North Dakota ranks 46th for the number of locksmith businesses, 40th for median review count, and 41st for the share with no website, so a website alone will not set you apart here. The review bar is lower than in most of the country, so a few months of asking every customer moves you up fast.
| State | Listed | Median reviews | No site |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | 15 | 41 | 13.3% |
| Illinois | 156 | 56 | 17.9% |
| Indiana | 107 | 41 | 23.4% |
| Iowa | 52 | 61.5 | 21.2% |
| Kansas | 41 | 35 | 24.4% |
| Michigan | 139 | 60 | 28.8% |
| Minnesota | 87 | 65 | 24.1% |
| Missouri | 102 | 52.5 | 17.6% |
| Nebraska | 46 | 75 | 15.2% |
What to do first in North Dakota
- Set a review velocity. One review per job day, asked at the door, moves a 41-review shop past the North Dakota 75th percentile (123) within a year. The guides have the scripts.
- Finish the Google profile: primary category, every service you offer, real job photos, and hours that match reality. It is free and it is where North Dakota customers decide.
- Turn on missed-call text-back. Run the calculator with your own numbers to see what unanswered calls cost.
- Then, and only then, spend on ads. Pointed at a profile with 41 reviews and no website, ads pay for your competitor's education. Pointed at a finished profile, they work.
The full national picture, with percentiles, ratings and hours, is in the benchmark report. The method is on the about page.