More and more consumers are turning to their smartphones and mobile devices to help them find nearby businesses and make purchases. In fact, 50% of people who make local searches on a smartphone visit a store within a day, according to a report from Google.

The report, which broke down consumers’ local search behavior, also found that 34% of tablet and desktop searchers will visit a business within a day of searching, and 18% of people conducting local searches on a smartphone will make a purchase within a day.

So how can your business take advantage of the local-search trend? Search engine optimizationholds the key.

“Local searchers are often looking for products and services that they need relatively quickly compared to nonlocal searchers,” said Russell Wallace, CEO of small business online marketing company 29 Prime. “[This] means that your business must have not just a general online presence, but priority positioning in the local sphere.”

While online shopping may be more convenient, Google’s report showed that one in three consumers would make their purchases in-store instead of online if they knew they were close to the store, could get the product faster or could buy it for a better price.

“Consumers still recognize advantages to shopping in-store as opposed to online,” Wallace said. “In order for potential customers to know that you even offer such values, however, they first have to know your business is an option by seeing its information in their search results. That’s where SEO comes in and makes sure that consumers know that your local business provides benefits that matter to them.”

And customers don’t just conduct local searches before they buy. According to the report, 66% of consumers searching on a tablet or computer search locally to find inspiration for future purchases, 83% conduct active research on products and services, 64% search to make a purchase, and 40% search even after they’ve made a purchase. This means that customers take advantage of local search throughout their entire buying process.

“Online local searching undeniably plays a big role in assisting the consumer’s decision-making process, leading them to buy products and choose one business over another,” Wallace said. “It’s not only smart to lead the pack when it comes to SEO for local searches, it’s a modern-day requirement for business growth.”