What kinds of businesses would benefit from local SEO?

Local SEO is specifically designed to help businesses with physical locations attract nearby customers. Brick-and-mortar stores, like restaurants, salons, or hardware shops, rely on local visibility in search results and map applications to drive foot traffic and local sales. Online-only stores and e-commerce sites, by definition, operate without a physical storefront, so local SEO strategies are not relevant to their business model. While pop-up shops have a physical presence, their temporary nature means they typically don't invest in long-term local SEO efforts, which require consistent optimization and a stable address.