When Audiences Search ‘Shows Near Me,’ Will They Find You? A Local SEO Guide for Theaters

People are looking for live experiences — one recent survey showed that in-person experiences were the most popular kind of entertainment spending, with almost half of the people surveyed spending money on theater, concerts, dance, or other events. 

So how do you promote your live events and make sure that audiences see them in time to actually attend, instead of just spending another night at home with their favorite streaming service? 

Local SEO strategies can help your organization rank higher in search results for live events in your area, attracting local customers. By specifically targeting these searches, you can generate an ongoing source of ticket sales while boosting your overall reputation as a go-to local entertainment destination.

How Local Search Helps You Compete

It’s no secret that today’s audiences can use their smartphones, TVs, connected home devices, and computers to keep them entertained. But there’s just something about a live event that can’t be replaced by a screen. You can leverage people’s immersion in the digital world to promote your “IRL” events and bring in a steady stream of ticket holders.

Local SEO is a cost-effective way to promote ongoing or seasonal offerings by matching your venue’s shows or events to high-interest local searches. 

When you optimize your theater, club, venue, or even touring group for high-intent searches, it’s easier to attract local customers searching for terms like:

• Move theater in CITY_NAME
• Movie showtimes for a specific title 
• Things to do tonight near me 
• Events this weekend in CITY_NAME
• Family-friendly local events for DATE 
• Date night idea near me
• Movie listings for local cinemas  

Do you see how all of these search terms reveal that the searchers are actively interested in attending an event? Showing up in a prominent space in these local search rankings makes it far more likely that these motivated searchers will actually buy a ticket. 

Here are some of the key local SEO tools to get your venue to the top of search results and get ticket holders into seats! 

Google Business Optimization for Performing Arts

When it comes to improving local visibility, we always recommend starting with your Google Business Profile.

Formerly known as Google My Business, GBP functions as your “official” listing as far as Google is concerned. Optimizing your GBP for high-intent keywords and geographically specific information is the quickest and most affordable way to boost your local search rankings.

Some of the strategies for GBP optimization are the same for most kinds of local businesses:

• Include local keywords
• Update your name, address, and phone number (NAP) so it’s easy for people to contact you 
• Make sure your description is clear and to the point
• Add reviews (between 20–40 is ideal) 
• Add a link to your website 
• Include photos 

For movie theaters and other venues that want to boost ticket sales, there are a few more things you can do to encourage people to buy an online ticket right from your GBP page:

• Add a conversion-focused button like “Buy movie tickets” or “check ticket price” 
• Include genre-specific search terms — think comedy club, live music, classic movies, etc.
• Include information on specific offerings, like matinee deals or season pass discounts

Your Google Business Profile is specific to your organization and should be a cornerstone of your marketing strategy. Even better, Google hosts this listing for free, so you don’t need to pay a subscription fee to have your theater or venue advertised there.

If you are ready for a professional GBP optimization that brings local audiences directly to your events, give us a call.

Bing Places for Theaters

Much like Google Business Profile, Bing offers a free listing for businesses that you should definitely take advantage of. Not only does Bing tend to cater to a more affluent demographic with more disposable income to spend on entertainment, but Bing users tend to stay on that search engine — meaning you’ll miss out on this valuable source of traffic if you don’t advertise here! 

The process for optimizing your Bing Places profile is similar to Google’s. One of the most effective strategies for local theaters trying to rank higher in search engine results is to list their theater in as many places as possible, while ensuring that the information they provide is consistent and accurate.

Inconsistent or outdated information confuses patrons and search engines! When updating your theater’s profile on Bing Places, Google Business Profile, or any other online listing like the BBB or Chamber of Commerce, make sure that all details are identical across each platform, including:

• Theater name: Are you listed as “Melbourne Theater” in one place and “Melbourne Children’s Theater” in another? Search engines will treat this as two different places, and it will hurt your rankings!
• Hours of operation: If these change seasonally, they need to be updated on each listing so they match.
• Contact information: Your phone number, email address, and other contact information should appear identical across platforms.
• Ticket prices: Again, if these change seasonally, make sure they are updated uniformly.
• Location: Even small details like spelling out “road” or “avenue” in one listing and abbreviating it to “rd” or “ave” in another can trip up search engines and hurt your rankings!

If you want a meticulous, professional team to go through your online listings with a fine-toothed comb, SEO Design Chicago is the solution for you. Give us a call to learn more about our personalized, custom-quoted digital marketing plans. 

Google Local Service Ads for Artistic Directors

Once all of your free online listings are updated, you can pay to promote upcoming events or movie shows with Google Local Service Ads.

Google LSAs are an effective way to advertise a specific event to a targeted geographic area. LSAs are displayed above organic search results for predetermined keywords in a particular service area, with a small blue “ad” label.

For example, a search for “movie times for Avatar 5 near me” could trigger your ad if the searcher is in your predetermined geographic area. Say, within 20 miles of your theater. Your account is only charged when a qualified lead clicks on the ad. Making it a great choice for large and small budgets alike.

If you need an immediate boost to your online visibility to drive ticket sales for a particular event, give our ad experts a call to find out how affordable local service ads can be. 

FAQs: Build Your Local Audience With Effective SEO

Running a movie theatre or other venue is all about ensuring a consistent stream of ticket sales. With effective search engine optimization strategies, you can ensure that when people search for something to do in your locality, your venue or group shows up. 

It’s not just about search engine rankings — true SEO success is about matching the right audience to the right offerings. Whether you run a college music group, a traveling theater troupe, or a family movie theater, your ideal audience is out there. Improving your local search visibility just makes it that much easier for them to find you. Whenever they’re looking for a fun night out.

Here are some of the most common questions our experts get about driving local search traffic to theaters and performances. Take a look, and then schedule your complimentary local SEO audit to find out how well you’re bringing local audiences to your venue! 

How does local SEO help theaters increase attendance?

Local SEO helps drive local traffic and ticket sales by boosting your ranking for geographic-specific searches. This means people are more likely to find your venue when they search for its name (“the X Theater”) or for events and shows near them (“theater in Chicago” or “downtown theater”). 

Local SEO helps marginal ticket sales as well by helping last-minute searchers find your events. Search terms like “things to do this weekend in Chicago,” “movies showing near me,” or “live music tonight” all indicate last-minute ticket buyers in your locality. If they find your event first, they are more likely to buy a ticket. 

Do theaters and performance venues need a Google Business Profile?

Absolutely! Google Business Profiles are hosted for free by Google and don’t require an ongoing subscription fee. Optimizing your local listing makes it more likely that your theater or performance venue will show up on Google Maps and voice searches.

To increase the likelihood that your GBP will be highly featured, you should optimize every element, including:

• Photos of the venue and past events
• Reviews from patrons (20–40 is ideal) 
• Listings for upcoming events
• Street address and directions for in-person attendance
• Links for purchasing tickets or checking showtimes 

Can theaters rank for multiple neighborhoods or cities?

Yes, location-based strategies can present specific events or offerings to predetermined subsets of your audience based on their geographic location. This is a useful approach for multi-venue locations.

Even travelling or touring groups can use this strategy. For example, optimizing a website and local listings for an upcoming multi-city tour can ensure that your show ranks locally in time for people to buy tickets. 

How important are reviews for theater local SEO?

Reviews are a highly influential factor in local search rankings. Search engines like Google prioritize venues with many positive reviews. This indicates that customers will have a positive experience when they visit in person. 

Not only do reviews help your search rankings, but they can help real people make the decision to buy a ticket. Most people read reviews before visiting a physical location. They will want to check that the theater offers the kind of experience they are looking for. Including everything from cleanliness and staff friendliness to the quality of the show. 

What helps theaters appear in “events near me” or “things to do tonight” searches?

There are a number of steps a theater can take to help its website appear in the results for these high-converting searches:

• Ensure that Google Business Profile, Bing Places, and other online listing sites are updated and consistent
• Create structured, easy-to-understand event listings so that shows happening soon are promoted to searchers
• Design local landing pages so that searchers in particular cities or service areas see your upcoming events page

Is your online presence filling seats? Request a free local SEO audit to check now!