Blog / Planning
How customers choose a local business online (and what your website has to do)
Think about the last time you needed a dentist, a gym, a salon or a place to eat in an area you did not know well. You probably searched on your phone, looked at a few results, checked the reviews, glanced at the website, and picked one. Your customers do the same, and they do it fast.
What the research says
BrightLocal's 2026 US consumer surveys found:
- 72% of people look at three or fewer businesses before choosing.
- 75% decide in under 30 minutes.
- 97% read reviews when choosing a local business.
Source: BrightLocal, US consumer surveys 2026.
Taken together, that gives you a short window and a small shortlist. Your job is to make the shortlist, then make the choice easy.
The path most customers take
- Search. They look for a service plus a place, usually on a phone.
- Scan. They look at the top few results and the reviews on your listing.
- Check. They open your website to confirm you are real, open, nearby and suitable.
- Act. They call, book or send a message, or they go back and try the next one.
Your reviews get you onto the shortlist. Your website decides whether you win it.
Five things your website needs at step 3
On the top of the page, without scrolling:
- What you do and where, in plain words.
- Proof, such as real reviews and photos of your actual place and people.
- The essentials: hours, address, phone number and a map.
- Prices or a clear "from" price, so no one has to ask just to find out if you are in range.
- One clear next step: a booking button, a call button or a short enquiry form.
If any of these is missing, the visitor does the work for you, or leaves.
Make your reviews work harder
Reviews on Google are only half the story. Bring the best ones onto your own site, near the button that books. Ask every happy customer for a review at the moment they are happiest, with a direct link so it takes ten seconds. Reply to every review, including the bad ones, calmly and briefly.
One caution: never write or buy reviews. Use real ones, with the customer's permission.
What this means for your site
A website is not a brochure. For a local business it is the page that settles a decision a stranger is making in a few minutes. The sites that win are clear, fast on a phone, honest about prices, and make the next step obvious.
Want to see how yours measures up? Our free report checks your site against exactly these points and tells you what to fix first.
