Store Visit Tracking: How to Use Google Ads to Attract Customers to Your Local Business

If you own a restaurant, retail store, or service business, you know that in-person visits matter a lot. But how can you optimize your advertising to focus on getting people in the door instead of just making online sales? The answer is store visit tracking.

What is Store Visit Tracking?

Store visit tracking helps businesses measure how many people visit their physical stores after seeing their ads. This is especially useful for local businesses where face-to-face interactions count much more than online sales.

How Does It Work?

When someone clicks on your ad or watches your video and then visits your store, Google Ads tracks that visit. Google uses GPS data to know when and where someone has been, but it only counts visits when people actually arrive at your store.

When Is a Visit Counted?

The visit is recorded based on when the ad was clicked, not when the person walked into the store. For example, if someone clicks your ad on Friday night but visits your store on Saturday morning, that visit will be attributed to Friday.

Eligibility for Store Visit Tracking

Google has not made clear what the requirements are for store visit tracking. There are no set rules for minimum spending, clicking, or number of locations required to be approved.

What You Control:

• A verified Google Business Profile
• A Google Ads account linked to your Business Profile
• Location assets enabled in your campaigns

What Google Controls:

• Status updates every 24 hours
• Anonymous data threshold requirements

Tips for Getting Started

1. Location Matters: Businesses in busy shopping areas do better with store visit tracking than those in quieter areas. More locations increase your chances of qualifying.
2. Targeting Setup: Use a tight radius around your store for your ads. If customers usually travel about 5 miles to visit you, set your ad targeting accordingly.
3. Location-Specific Pages: Create specific landing pages for each store location. Include:
   • Exact address with a Google Maps link
   • Opening hours
   • Phone number
   • Parking details
   • Current promotions
4. Improve Your Ads: Use dynamic location insertion to show users their local city in your ads. It makes your ads feel more personalized.
5. Highlight Unique Selling Points: Emphasize what makes your local business special, like personal service or immediate availability.

Participate in Performance Max Campaigns

Performance Max campaigns allow you to promote your business on Google Maps with a branded pin. When users search for a product or service, they will see your logo and details about your store, which can help attract more visitors.

Assigning Value to Store Visits

If you want Google’s algorithm to prioritize store visits, you need to assign a monetary value to them. To do this:

• Track how many visitors make a purchase.
• Calculate the average sale amount.
• Multiply the visit-to-purchase rate by the average sale to find out the value of a store visit.

Additional Metrics to Monitor

Keep in mind that store visit tracking only counts users who have location services turned on, which may mean the data is underreported. Also, consider looking at:

• Assisted conversions: Were any online sales influenced by store visits?
• Cross-channel behavior: Are people visiting your store and then buying online later?
• Brand search increases: Successful footfall efforts usually lead to more people searching your brand online.

Final Steps to Set Up

1. Verify Your Locations: Make sure all Google Business Profiles are accurate and optimized.
2. Connect Accounts: Link your Google Ads to your Business Profile.
3. Turn on Location Assets: Make sure location extensions are activated for all campaigns.
4. Use Tight Targeting: Focus on presence-only targeting with the right radius.
5. Create Local Landing Pages: Ensure each page contains detailed visit information.
6. Be Patient: It may take time to get approved for store visit tracking.

Remember, the goal is not just to get people to visit your store once but to create loyal customers who enjoy returning. Google Ads can help bring them in, but your great in-store experience will keep them coming back.