Why a Website Beats Facebook for Restaurants and Tourism in Spain

Spain’s towns and cities are buzzing with local life and also host millions of tourists each year. In 2024, Spain saw a record 94 million international visitors (reuters.com) – that’s a lot of people potentially looking up places to eat, shop, stay, and explore! Meanwhile, locals in Spain also rely on their phones and laptops to discover new businesses or services nearby. In fact, 98% of consumers now use the internet to find local business information (seoleverage.com), whether it’s a Barcelona resident searching for a “hardware store open now” or a tourist searching “best paella in Valencia”. If your business isn’t showing up in those searches, you’re missing out on customers.

Local SEO helps ensure your business appears front-and-center when people search for services you offer in your area. This isn’t just about regular Google search results – it’s also about showing up in Google Maps, the local “3-pack” map listings, and even voice searches (like when someone asks Siri for “nearest café”). Given that Google is the dominant search engine in Spain (ranktracker.com), optimizing for Google’s local results (including your Google Business Profile listing) is crucial. This means when someone types in “[your type of business] near me” or “[service] in [town name]”, they are more likely to see your business at the top. And that directly translates into more people walking through your door or calling for bookings.

Consider this: one study found that 28% of local searches result in a purchase within 24 hours (seoleverage.com). That means when people search for something local (“Italian restaurant open now”, “bike rental in Alicante”), they often take quick action. In fact, over half of local searchers visit a business within 48 hours of searching (reviewtrackers.com). They find what they need and then go get it. If your website or listing is optimized with SEO, you stand a much better chance of being that lucky business they choose to visit. It’s clear that local SEO is not just a marketing buzzword – it’s an essential part of connecting with customers in today’s digital age.