How Retailers Can Leverage Search Ads for Local Marketing

If it feels like your organic search traffic has taken a nosedive lately, you’re not alone. In 2025, online visibility is a tougher game. With AI-generated answers crowding search results and page layouts constantly changing, showing up organically is tougher than ever.

The upside? Shoppers are still searching — and they’re ready to buy. 83% of local consumers search online daily, and more than half plan to purchase within 72 hours of conducting a local search for a business, product, or service.

But in this new landscape, retailers can’t afford to rely on SEO alone anymore. To stay visible (and competitive), retailers need to pair SEO with local search ads. Here’s how they can help you show up, stand out, and bring more shoppers through your doors.

The Search Landscape in 2025

Local search has long been a sweet spot for retailers. It connects you with nearby shoppers who are actively looking for what you offer, often on their phones and often ready to buy. It’s targeted, high-intent, and primed for conversions.

But things are changing. AI overviews, zero-click results, and ever-evolving SERPs mean even top-ranking organic listings aren’t getting clicks, even as impressions go up. This shift means your old-school SEO playbook won’t cut it on its own anymore. If your store isn’t visible at the very top, chances are shoppers are choosing a competitor who is.

That’s why local search advertising isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s an essential part of a well-rounded strategy. Search ads let you “skip the line” and show up right when high-intent shoppers are actively looking for products or services you offer.

How Local Search Ads Work

When someone nearby searches for something you sell, local search ads make sure your store shows up, not buried on page two, but where people are actually looking. For instance, on Google, these ads can appear at the top of search results, in Google Maps, or above the local pack.

These aren’t broad, spray-and-pray campaigns, either. You can define the geography. Target a radius around your retail location, or narrow it down to specific regions, cities, or postal codes. That way, your budget goes toward people who can walk through your door and not someone across the country.

You can also schedule your ads to hit when foot traffic peaks, tailor them for mobile devices (because “near me” searches mostly happen on phones), and include handy calls to action like “Directions” or “Call.”

In short, local search ads help you show up where it counts, with info that turns nearby searchers into in-store customers.

Paid vs. Organic: Why Local SEO and Search Marketing Still Matter

Search ads can put your business front and center fast, but they’re even more effective when backed by a strong local search foundation.

Local SEO is all about organic visibility. It’s the behind-the-scenes work that helps your store show up in the right places without paying for every click. That means optimizing your website and landing pages for local keywords, tightening up on-page SEO, and making sure your Google Business Profile is complete

Local search marketing zooms out a bit. It includes SEO, but also covers your paid efforts, directory listings (like Yelp, Bing, and Apple Maps), and how you manage online reviews. Together, they shape not just where your business shows up, but how credible it looks when it does.

A good place to start is with your Google Business Profile. Your profile feeds into the “map pack” (that cluster of local listings that appears in Google Search), powers voice search results, and even informs AI-generated summaries. If it’s outdated or half-filled, you’re leaving opportunities on the table.

Accurate hours, updated photos, service details, and a steady stream of customer reviews all signal trust to both algorithms and people. A whopping 91% of consumers use reviews to evaluate local businesses, so definitely don’t cut corners here.

Other important tasks to keep on your radar include:

• Keeping your NAP (name, address, phone number) consistent across every listing
• Optimizing for unbranded searches (42% of users now search with generic terms, up from 35% in 2024)
• Creating content with local intent, such as neighborhood guides, local FAQs, or pages targeting nearby areas

Bottom line? Paid and organic aren’t separate strategies. They reinforce each other. And with 20+ years of experience, we’ve built proven marketing processes to make that synergy repeatable. It’s how we’ve become the only Agency + Brewery in the nation, and how we help our roster of clients stand out, too.

Ready to Show Up Where It Counts?

Local visibility isn’t getting easier, but smart search ads give you an edge. They put your store in front of nearby shoppers who are ready to buy, and when paired with a solid SEO foundation, they pack a serious punch. Just ask our luxury resort client, Dorado Beach Resort. Our paid search strategy drives 500+ ad conversions a month and keeps their bookings full.

Retail or resort, showing up when it counts makes all the difference. Want help bringing more shoppers through your doors? Let’s talk! We’d love to put our proven search marketing chops to work for you.