How Local SEO Boosts Revenue for Brick-and-Mortar Businesses
For brick-and-mortar businesses today, having an online presence and visibility in local search results is just as important as your in-store experience. Studies show that 50% of consumers who conduct local online searches visit the physical business within a day.
That's why optimizing your local SEO is so critical for driving new customer traffic and increasing profits. Ranking higher in local Pack listings on Google can significantly impact your bottom line.
In this article, we'll explore exactly how improving your local SEO boosts revenue and growth for physical businesses.
Increased Web Visibility
The more people in your geographic area that find your website through local SEO, the greater your revenue opportunity. By ranking well for your business name, keywords and industry terms in local results, you increase visibility with nearby customers actively searching for companies like yours.
Appearing on page 1 for "pizza Chicago" sees a lot more impressions and clicks than being on page 3. Greater visibility equals greater traffic potential.
Boosted Walk-In Traffic
According to Joy Hawkins, over 34% of searches on Google have local intent. When you show up prominently in the Pack with your address, phone, photos and reviews, it's more likely to result in foot traffic to your physical location.
Even if customers don't click to your website, they can easily get directions or dial your number directly from the Pack listing. More impressions in local results means more potential for driving in-store visits.
Enhanced Credibility & Trust
In addition to your name, address and photos, your Pack listing includes objective third-party credibility signals like prominent reviews and star ratings. Positive sentiment builds trust and gives customers more confidence to visit your business.
72% of consumers say positive reviews make them trust a local business more. SEO that surfaces great reviews in the Pack listing improves local perception.
Increased Calls & Conversions
Not everyone who finds you via local search wants to visit the physical location right away. Including your phone number and calls-to-action like "Order Online" in Pack listings makes it easy for customers to convert directly from the SERP.
According to Moz, close to 50% of searches on mobile result in calls to the business. Local SEO enables calls while searchers are still engaged. The more calls and site conversions driven, the more your revenue grows.
Expanded Customer Base
By optimizing for a wider array of relevant local keywords and strengthening your local business citations, you widen your reach to customers you might be missing. Someone searching for "Mexican food Cleveland" expects different results than "salsa classes Cleveland".
The right SEO shows you to more types of local searchers, beyond just your core offerings. A larger qualified audience to connect with means more potential customers and income.
Improved Cost Per Acquisition
As local pack impressions and clicks increase thanks to strong SEO, your cost per acquisition from local search naturally goes down. Higher visibility at little added overhead cost improves your ROI.
Plus, customers who find you via SEO convert better and have higher lifetime value than more expensive paid search leads. Increased organic lead volume at lower CPA is a revenue win.
Consistency & Reliability
With local SEO, you aren't as reliant on expensive and inconsistent paid ads to drive visits and calls. Organic search provides a more consistent stream of traffic you can depend on month after month as you build sustainable rankings.
Steady SEO growth and performance gives local business owners greater revenue reliability over time without ongoing advertising costs.
The data shows a clear link between local SEO visibility and higher profits. By showing up prominently for relevant searches in your geo-targeted area, you turn more nearby searchers into regular, high-value customers.