Invisible on Lord Street? Why Local SEO is Your New Shop Window

Walk down Lord Street on a busy Saturday afternoon. Look at the people—the tourists, the day-trippers, the locals. What are they doing?

Twenty years ago, they would have been looking at shop windows, scanning menus displayed on easels, or looking for “Open” signs. Today, they are looking down. They are looking at their screens.

In 2026, the “Shop Window” is no longer made of glass. It is a 6-inch digital list called the Google Map Pack.

At Churchtown Media, we often hear local business owners say, “I have a great location; footfall isn’t a problem.” But here is the hard truth: If you aren’t ranking in the top 3 results for a “near me” search, you are invisible to over 50% of the people walking right past your door.

This is the concept of Digital Footfall, and for Southport businesses preparing for the MLEC boom, it is the single most important metric you need to master.

The Death of “Just Walking By”

Consumer behavior has shifted permanently. The modern customer—especially the 500,000 new visitors expected with the Marine Lake Events Centre development—does not browse aimlessly. They search with intent.

They don’t search for “Coffee shops in Southport” before they leave home. They wait until they are standing on the Promenade, hungry and tired, and search for “Coffee near me.”

Google’s data shows a 900% explosion in “near me” searches over the last few years. These searches are high-intent. These people aren’t researching; they are wallet-in-hand, ready to buy right now.

If your business pops up? You get the sale. If your competitor pops up? They get the sale. It is that binary.

The Google “3-Pack”: The Only VIP List That Matters

When someone searches locally, Google ignores the standard website links. Instead, it shows a map with three featured businesses. We call this the “Map Pack” or the “3-Pack.”

Being #1 on the map is worth ten times more than being #1 in standard search results. But how does Google decide who gets those three spots? It isn’t random, and it isn’t just about who is closest.

Google uses three specific metrics to judge you:

1. Relevance

Does Google actually know what you do? If you are an “Italian Restaurant,” but your website just says “Family Dining,” you might be missing out. Your Local SEO strategy must explicitly tell Google what services you offer so it can match you to the user’s search.

2. Distance

This is the only factor you can’t control. Google will prioritize businesses physically close to the searcher. However, “Distance” is less important than you think. A highly optimized business 2 miles away can often outrank a poorly optimized business 200 meters away.

3. Prominence (The Secret Sauce)

This is where Churchtown Media helps you win. “Prominence” is Google’s way of asking: “Is this business trustworthy?” It determines this by looking at:

• Review Velocity: Are you getting fresh 5-star reviews regularly?
• Citations: Is your business listed on Yell, Facebook, Apple Maps, and Bing?
• Backlinks: Do other local websites link to you?

The “NAP” Trap: Why Most Southport Businesses Fail

The biggest reason local businesses fail to rank in the Map Pack is something incredibly simple: N.A.P. Consistency.

Name. Address. Phone Number.

To Google, data is everything. If your Facebook page says “The Bold Hotel,” but your website says “Bold Hotel Bar & Grill,” and your Yell listing says “Bold Hotel Southport,” Google gets confused. It creates a “trust gap.”

When Google’s algorithm sees conflicting data, it assumes the information might be outdated. To play it safe, it drops your ranking and promotes a competitor whose data is 100% consistent across the web.

Fixing your NAP consistency is the lowest-hanging fruit in Local SEO, yet 80% of businesses get it wrong.

How to Capture the New Wave of Visitors

As we discussed in our Southport Business Growth pillar, the town is changing. The visitors coming for conferences and events at the MLEC won’t have “local knowledge.” They won’t know that the best sandwich shop is hidden down a side street off Lord Street.

They will trust their phones.

If you want those customers, you need to treat your Google Business Profile with the same care you treat your physical shop front.

• Update your photos: Show the vibe, not just the logo.
• Seed questions: Use the Q&A section to answer common queries like “Do you have parking?” or “Are you dog friendly?”
• Get reviews: Don’t just hope for them; build a system to ask for them.

Is Your Business Invisible?

You don’t need to guess. You can test this right now.

1. Open an Incognito/Private tab on your browser (this stops Google from using your history to bias the results).
2. Search for your core service + “Southport” (e.g., “Plumber Southport” or “Cafe Southport”).
3. Look at the Map Pack.

Are you in the top 3? If you are, congratulations—keep doing what you’re doing. If you aren’t, you are losing money to the businesses that are.

At Churchtown Media, we believe in Radical Transparency. We don’t hide our methods. If you want to dominate the local map, we can audit your digital footprint and show you exactly why Google is favoring your competitors.

Contact us today for a free Local Visibility Audit, and let’s get you back on the map.