When looking for a new location, most companies look at population, purchasing power, rents and competitors. That is right, but one source is often forgotten: your own website. Someone who searches your store locator for a town where you have no store is telling you quite clearly that there is interest there.
What data a store locator provides
A store locator sees what visitors type in and what they do next. Typical figures are:
- Searches by town or postcode: where are your customers searching?
- Searches with no result nearby: where are they searching in vain?
- Distance to the nearest location: how far would someone have to travel?
- Actions per location: directions, calls, clicks to the website (insights from the Pro plan)
My Store Locator stores these values as daily counters, without cookies and without IP addresses. So you see trends and places, but no individual people.
From searches without results to a location shortlist
The most valuable figure is the search without a result. In My Store Locator it is called "demand without location" (on the Business plan) and shows how far the nearest location is from the place searched for. Here is how to work with it:
- Choose a time period. Look at at least three months. Single days fluctuate a lot.
- Group places. Combine searches for districts, neighbouring towns or postcodes into regions.
- Weigh the distance. A gap of 60 kilometres is different from one of 8 kilometres in a big city.
- Compare with other data. Search data shows interest, not sales. Put the top regions next to your usual criteria such as purchasing power, rent levels and competition.
- Draw up a shortlist. Three to five regions that do well on all criteria are a good starting point for a closer look.
Note: Search data depends on how many people visit your website. With a few hundred visits a month, it is an indication, not a statistic. The better known your brand, the more meaningful it becomes.
Especially useful for franchise systems
Franchisors already talk to prospects who want to open a location. Search data helps in two ways:
- In talks with partners: "There have been regular searches in your region over the last few months, and the nearest outlet is 40 kilometres away" is a concrete argument.
- In territory planning: you see whether a territory can be split or whether existing partners already cover their region well.
Common mistakes
- Looking only at the top searches. Your big-city stores always show up at the top. The interesting places are the ones people search for in vain.
- Looking once and forgetting. Check the figures once a quarter, and you will spot changes.
- Confusing online searches with walk-in customers. People who search online are often planning a specific visit. For walk-in customers you also need classic location data.
What you see on which plan
| Figure | Plan |
|---|---|
| Basic statistics (views, searches) | from the Free plan |
| Insights and top searches | from the Pro plan |
| Demand without location, with distance | Business |
You will find the current plans and prices on the pricing page.
Try it with your own locations.
Create an account, import your locations, embed the map. The Free plan stays free - and you can test Pro for 14 days.
Start your store locator for free and collect your first search data. The sooner your map is online, the more data you will have when the next location decision comes up.
FAQ
When does search data become meaningful?
That depends on your visitor numbers. As a rule of thumb, only look at a region once people have searched for it repeatedly over several months.
Can I see who searched?
No. Only aggregated counters per day are stored, with no IP addresses and no cookies.
Can I export the data?
You can export your location data as CSV at any time. If you want to analyse the statistics in your own tools, talk to us on the Business plan.
Does this replace a location analysis?
No. Search data adds to data on purchasing power, rents and competition. It shows where customers are already looking for you, which is one criterion among several.