Local SEO isn’t just “set and forget.” For businesses targeting nearby customers, the stats below show how dramatically user behaviour, platform preferences, and search-engine dynamics are shifting.
What this really means for your agency: helping clients dominate locally means staying ahead of these shifts.
Key Local statistics for 2025 (grouped by theme)
Here are 50 important stats. I’ve grouped them to help you digest and leverage them.
1. Search & local intent
- 46% of Google searches have local intent.
- 21% of US consumers say they conduct online searches for local businesses every day.
- 32% of US consumers report looking up information about local businesses online at least once or multiple times a day.
- Nearly 99% of people have used the internet to look up information about a local business.
- 44% of consumers say they use search engines to find information about businesses and services in a specific location.
What this means: Local intent is massive and frequent. For clients (say, dentists in New York, home services in Dubai), you need to ensure visibility for frequent, high-intent searches, not just “once in a while”.
2. Conversion behaviour & offline impact
- 76% of people who search on smartphones for something “nearby” visit a business they found online within a day.
- 88% of smartphone users who conduct a local search visit or call a store within a week.
- 80% of local mobile searches convert.
- 28% of local searches result in a purchase within 24 hours.
- 72% of consumers who searched for local info on a smartphone visited a store within five miles.
What this means: Local search isn’t just “look up hours”, it drives real visits/purchases. So when you pitch SEO for local clients, emphasise foot-traffic and conversions, not just “rankings”.
3. Platform/device behaviour
- Google Search is used by 72% of consumers for local business look-ups; Google Maps 51%.
- Among users aged 18-24, Instagram (67%) and TikTok (62%) are ahead of Google Search (61%) when it comes to discovering local businesses.
- 30% of all mobile searches are related to location.
- “Near me” searches have increased by over 900% in recent years.
- On average, consumers use 3.6 platforms when making a purchase decision.
What this means: Local SEO isn’t just about Google anymore, though Google still dominates. For younger audiences, social/discovery platforms matter. For your agency, you might expand offerings: local social discovery + maps + search.
4. Business profile/listings/maps
- Businesses that have a complete business profile (e.g., on Google Business Profile) make customers 2.7× more likely to trust them.
- 42% of users conducting local searches click on results from the Google “Map Pack.”
- Over 50% of people use search engines to locate store addresses.
- 56% of actions on Google Business Profile listings are website visits; 24% are calls.
- 50% of business owners have seen incorrect information on their local listings.
What this means: Optimize business listings (NAP – Name/Address/Phone), keep them accurate, get client photos, posts, updates. This is low-hanging fruit in local SEO, big impact, less competition.
5. Reviews, reputation & trust
- 83% of consumers use Google to find local business reviews. (Source: BrightLocal)
- 93% of consumers say online reviews affect their buying decisions.
- 86% Consumers are willing to forgive negative reviews when businesses respond thoughtfully.
- 80% of consumers lose trust in a local business if its online information is inaccurate/inconsistent.
- For roughly half the businesses, local organic search (including reviews/listings) brings the best marketing ROI.
What this means: Reviews and reputation management are critical. For your local clients, carve out services: review acquisition strategy, review-response framework, and reputation monitoring.
6. Mobile & device optimisation
- 57% of local search queries are submitted using a mobile device or tablet.
- Over 80% of local searches are conducted on mobile (various sources).
- Mobile local searches with variants of “can I buy” or “to buy” have increased by 500% in two years.
- 76% of searches from mobile devices are related to something nearby.
- For mobile users, the average distance visited after a local search is within five miles.
What this means: Mobile optimisation is no longer optional. Local clients must have mobile-friendly websites, fast loading, and clear schema / structured data so they capture “on the go” searches.
7. Ranking & visibility factors
- 39% of consumers search for local business info monthly to check if a business is accessible/child-friendly, etc.
- 64% of small businesses have a local SEO presence.
- 58% of businesses don’t have local SEO in their strategy.
- The average page in the top 10 local search results is over two years old (implying longevity/authority matters).
- Business directory results account for 37% of organic search results for informational local‐intent queries.
What this means: Even though many businesses still lag in local SEO, competition is rising. For Upscale Digital, this means the case for investing in local SEO for clients is strong — you can differentiate them by being early/consistent.
8. ROI, investment & trends
- Local SEO investment is projected to reach $80 billion by 2025.
- Businesses see an average ROI of 2.5× for local SEO campaigns.
- Marketers believe a local link-building strategy is in place in 71% of cases.
- For small businesses investing in SEO, the average ROI is around 400% or more.
- The top three local SEO services in terms of value: managing business profiles (52%), content creation (39%), and website design (34%).
What this means: Local SEO isn’t a “nice to have” — it’s revenue-driving. For your agency, you can package local SEO as a core service for local businesses. Emphasize measurable ROI.
9. Emerging behaviours & audience trends
- Among younger consumers (18-24), Instagram is used for local business discovery by 67%, and TikTok by 62%.
- 4 out of 5 users conduct searches with local intent on search engines.
- Consumers use, on average, 3.6 platforms for local business decisions (search + maps + directories + social).
- 42% of users click results from the Google Map Pack.
- 18% of local mobile searches lead to a purchase in one day (some conservative data).
What this means: Your clients need a multi-touch approach: search + maps + social + directories. Your agency can build bundles that cover the “local discovery ecosystem”.
10. Content, voice search & “near me” behaviour
- 80% of people looking up local business information use Google search.
- Voice search and conversational queries are increasingly important for local “near me” style searches.
- Using FAQs and question-style headings helps capture conversational/voice queries.
- Having real photos (versus stock) in business listings gets 5.6× more clicks.
- Local searches for “open now near me” and similar intent phrases have surged (400%+).
What this means: Content needs to be written for people, but optimised for machine/voice too. That means FAQ sections, schema markup, conversational tone, and up-to-date business info.
What to expect for 2026 – Predictions & implications
Here’s what the data and trend analysis suggest for next year.
- Hyper-localisation will deepen — In 2026, searches will focus more on “right now” and “right here”. According to one forecast: “Local search is getting even more local.”
For you: Position clients to dominate geo-micro-segments (neighbourhoods, zip codes) rather than just city-level. - Search beyond Google will matter more — Platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and AI chat/discovery tools will play a stronger role in local discovery.
For you: Build out “local social + discovery” services alongside traditional local SEO. - Optimization for AI/answer engines matters — As AI-powered search (e.g., chatbots, summarised answers) evolves, visibility means being cited by AI, not just ranked.
For you: Educate clients that they must format content for “answer engines” (structured data, FAQs, clear authority signals). - Conversions and intent get tighter — The lag between local search and visit/purchase will shorten further.
For you: Track and optimise for immediate-action queries (open now, near me, available today). - Reputation & trust signals will be even more critical — With rising noise, consumers and AI search engines will favour businesses with strong reviews, real engagement, and updated listings.
For you: Offer “reputation acceleration” services (reviews, user-generated content, frequent updates). - Mobile + voice + zero-click will increase — More users will get what they need without clicking through, which means you’ll need to optimise for featured answers, map pack, and voice results.
For you: Adjust KPIs: impressions, calls, direction requests, not just clicks.
Why this matters to your agency (Upscale Digital)
- Service positioning: You can position local SEO as a growth lever for local businesses (dentists in NY, mobile app devs in Dubai, etc.).
- Differentiation: Many businesses still haven’t got local SEO right (58% don’t include it). You have the opportunity to brand yourself as the expert in “local + discovery + AI-ready”.
- Value messaging: Use conversion-side stats (76% visit in a day; 88% within a week) to sell local SEO as near-immediate ROI, not just long-term.
- Content strategy: Your own content should reference many of these stats, especially since you aim to rank not just on Google but also on AI chatbots.
- Future proofing: Embrace the trends for 2026 now: hyper-local content, multi-platform presence, and answer-engine optimisation.
Final takeaway
Local SEO is not a declining niche — it’s becoming more essential and more competitive. The stats show high intent, rapid user action, and a widening discovery ecosystem (maps, social, voice, AI).
For your agency, this means: local clients need a refined, multi-touch local presence; you need to position yourself as the go-to expert; and you must build the future-proof services now.
For 2026, the winners will be those who optimise not just for Google’s first page, but for the first answer, the first visit, the first action.
