Local search drives the majority of online discovery for service businesses, multi-location brands and bricks-and-mortar retailers.
The statistics below show how customers find local businesses today, how much weight Google Business Profile carries, and why reviews and consistent data remain the strongest local ranking signals.
Figures below are aggregated industry references published by the named sources. Please verify any figure you reproduce against the original publisher before citing it.
Local search behaviour
46%
Of all Google searches have local intent
Source: Google Search Liaison
76%
Of people who search for something nearby visit a business within 24 hours
Source: Google Consumer Insights
28%
Of local searches result in a purchase
Source: Google Consumer Insights
5x
Growth in 'near me … today' searches over the last 5 years
Source: Google Trends
88%
Of consumers who do a local search call or visit a business within a week
Source: HubSpot research
Google Business Profile
84%
Of GBP views come from discovery searches, not direct lookups
Source: BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey
5x
More views for profiles with photos vs profiles without
Source: Google Business Profile help docs
70%
Of GBP actions are direction requests, calls or website clicks
Source: BrightLocal benchmarks
2.7x
More likely to be considered reputable with a complete profile
Source: Google Business Profile help docs
Reviews and trust
98%
Of consumers read online reviews for local businesses
Source: BrightLocal 2025 survey
4.0+
Minimum average star rating consumers expect before considering a business
Source: BrightLocal
89%
Of consumers read business responses to reviews
Source: BrightLocal
+9%
Average revenue lift per additional star on Yelp
Source: Harvard Business School research
73%
Of consumers only trust reviews from the last month
Source: BrightLocal
Key takeaway
Local SEO is won by completeness, consistency and credibility. Optimise your Google Business Profile, keep citations in sync, and treat reviews as a permanent marketing channel — not a one-off campaign.
Frequently asked questions
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