The Power of Supporting Other Local Businesses Online

Quick answer: Supporting local businesses online means leaving honest reviews, sharing their posts, tagging them when you visit, and recommending them by name when someone asks. These small actions cost nothing, but they help local shops show up higher on Google, earn trust with new customers, and keep more money circulating in your own community.

Most of us grew up knowing how to support a local business. You showed up. You paid cash at the counter. You told your cousin about the new barbecue place on the square.

That still matters. But here’s the deal. The front door of most businesses isn’t on Main Street anymore. It’s on a phone screen.

Before somebody in Bonham or Sherman ever walks into a shop, they’ve already searched it, read the reviews, and scrolled the Facebook page. If that business looks quiet online, a lot of folks assume it’s quiet in real life too. That’s not fair. But it’s true.

So the question isn’t whether you support local. You probably already do. The question is whether your support is showing up where new customers are actually looking.

Why Does Supporting Local Businesses Matter in the First Place?

Because the money stays home.

A widely cited study commissioned by American Express found that about 67 cents of every dollar spent at a small business stays in the local community. That money pays local wages. It funds local schools through taxes. It sponsors the Little League team and buys the ad in the football program.

And local businesses tend to hire other local businesses. When a shop owner needs an accountant, a printer, a sign maker, or a marketing partner, they often call someone down the road. One dollar turns into several transactions before it ever leaves the county.

When a small-town business closes, it’s not just one storefront going dark. It’s a ripple.

What Does “Supporting a Business Online” Actually Mean?

It means helping a business get found and trusted by people who don’t know them yet.

Your neighbors may already love the bakery on the corner. But the family that just moved to Paris, or the traveler passing through Commerce, has no idea it exists. They’re going to search “bakery near me” and pick from whatever shows up with the best reviews and the most recent activity.

Online support is how you vouch for a business to strangers. It’s word of mouth, just louder and longer lasting.

Why Online Reviews Matter More Than Most People Think

Reviews are no longer a nice extra. They are a gate customers walk through before they ever call or visit.

According to BrightLocal’s 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey:

• 97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, and 41% say they always read them before choosing.
• 47% of consumers will not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews.
• 74% of consumers only care about reviews written within the last three months.

Read that last one again. A glowing review from 2022 doesn’t carry much weight anymore. Customers want to know what the place is like now.

That means every fresh review you leave for a local business is doing real work. You’re not just being nice. You’re keeping them in the running.

How AI Search Is Changing the Way Local Businesses Get Found

There’s a newer piece to this puzzle, and it’s moving fast.

People aren’t only typing into Google anymore. More and more, they’re asking AI tools like ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, and voice assistants for recommendations. In that same BrightLocal survey, 45% of consumers said they used ChatGPT or other generative AI to find local businesses in 2026, up from 6% the year before.

Here’s why that matters to you. Those AI tools pull from what’s already out there on the web: reviews, social posts, business listings, local blog mentions, and how people talk about a business. A shop with a steady stream of reviews and real community conversation gives those tools something to work with. A shop with nothing gives them nothing.

When you mention a local business by name online, you’re helping it get recommended. By people. And now by machines too.

8 Simple Ways to Support Local Businesses Online (That Cost Nothing)

You don’t need a marketing budget to make a difference. You just need a few minutes and a phone.

1. Leave an honest Google review

This is the single most helpful thing you can do. Be specific. Instead of “Great place!” try “The catfish was fresh, the staff remembered my name, and the sweet tea was refilled before I asked.” Specific reviews help other customers, and they help search engines understand what the business does well.

2. Review them on Facebook too

Lots of folks in small towns check Facebook before Google. A recommendation there reaches people who trust your opinion because they actually know you.

3. Like, comment, and share their posts

Social platforms show posts to more people when those posts get early engagement. A comment like “We had the brisket Friday and it was AWESOME” does a lot more than a silent like. And a share puts that business in front of your whole friend list.

4. Tag them when you visit

Post a picture of your lunch, your new boots, or your finished project and tag the business. It’s free advertising, and it comes from a real customer, which is the most trusted kind there is.

5. Recommend them by name in community groups

When somebody posts “Anyone know a good plumber in Denison?” in a local Facebook group, that’s your moment. Name the business. Tag their page. Those threads get searched for years.

6. Check in and add photos to their Google listing

Customer photos make a Business Profile look active and real. A listing with recent photos from actual visitors builds trust quickly.

7. Sign up for their email or text list

When a local business sends a coupon or a weekend special, it’s because they need traffic. Being on their list means you hear about it first, and it gives them a direct line to loyal customers that no algorithm can take away.

8. Respond kindly when they share news

A new hire. An anniversary. A tough week after a storm. Business owners are people, and a quick “Proud of y’all” goes further than you’d think.

Isn’t It Weird for One Business to Promote Another?

Not at all. It’s one of the smartest things a local business can do.

Think about it. The coffee shop and the bookstore down the block aren’t really competitors. The hardware store and the landscaper send each other customers all the time. When local businesses share each other’s posts, tag each other in photos, and cross-promote events, everybody’s audience grows.

A town where businesses cheer each other on feels alive. People want to spend time there. And honestly? Customers notice. A business that’s generous toward its neighbors earns a reputation that no ad can buy.

If you own a business, try this for one month. Share one post a week from another local business you respect. Leave a review for a vendor you trust. Tag your neighbors. Watch what comes back around.

What This Looks Like in Northeast Texas

Our towns are small, and that’s a strength. In places like Bonham, Sherman, Denison, Paris, and Commerce, people still know their banker and their mechanic. Reputation travels fast.

The online world can work the same way if we let it. A few dozen honest reviews and a handful of shares can be the difference between a local restaurant that gets found by weekend travelers and one that gets passed by for a chain off the highway.

We don’t have to choose between small-town values and modern tools. We can use the modern tools to protect the small-town values.

The Bottom Line

Supporting local has always been about showing up for your neighbors. Today, showing up includes the review you leave, the post you share, and the name you drop when somebody asks for a recommendation.

It takes thirty seconds. It costs nothing. And it might be what keeps the lights on for the family business down the street.

So go leave a review today. Your town will be better for it.

Need help getting your business found online? Backroads Digital helps small-town businesses, restaurants, contractors, churches, and nonprofits across Northeast Texas build trust and visibility online, without the corporate runaround. From Google Business Profiles and local SEO to social media management, we’ll help you show up where your customers are looking. Not sure where to start? Try a free online presence review.

Give us a call at 903-300-6209, send us a message, or find us on Facebook or Instagram. We’d love to hear about your business.

You focus on running your business. We’ll help take care of the marketing.

Sources

• Gigafact: Does two-thirds of every dollar spent at a small business stay in a local community? (citing the 2018 American Express study)
• BrightLocal: Local Consumer Review Survey 2026