How a Great Town Website Boosts Local Shops, Events, and Services

We all need a boost right now

Let's be honest — it's been a tough few years for market towns. The pandemic hit high streets hard. The cost of living crisis has squeezed household budgets. Online shopping continues to pull spend away from independent retailers. And many towns are still waiting for the "levelling up" they were promised.

But here's the thing: people want to visit market towns. Domestic tourism is booming. Staycations have become a permanent feature, not just a pandemic trend. People are actively looking for charming towns to explore, local shops to browse, and community events to attend.

The towns that make it easy for visitors to find them are the ones that benefit. And in 2025, "making it easy" means having a great website.

Events: the beating heart of every market town

Nothing brings visitors to a town like a good event. Food festivals, Christmas markets, heritage open days, summer fairs, live music — these are the things that get people in their cars and spending money in your high street.

But here's the problem: most town events are invisible online.

They're buried in a Facebook post from three weeks ago. They're on a PDF poster pinned to the noticeboard outside the town hall. They're mentioned in the parish newsletter that goes to 200 people. Meanwhile, the 10,000 potential visitors within driving distance have no idea they're happening.

A good town website changes that completely. With AI-powered event listings — the kind we build at TownStack — events are automatically discovered, categorised, and published. Our AI scans local sources, Facebook Events, and community groups to find events and post them to your website without anyone lifting a finger.

The result? More people find out about events. More people attend. More money flows into local businesses. Event organisers see better turnout and are encouraged to put on more events. It's a virtuous cycle.

Shops and services: helping visitors find what they need

Picture this: a couple is visiting your town for the day. They've parked up, had a wander down the high street, and now they want to find somewhere for lunch. What do they do?

They pull out their phone and Google "restaurants in [your town]". If your town website has a well-maintained business directory, your local restaurants appear with photos, menus, opening hours, and reviews. The couple picks somewhere, has a lovely lunch, and probably pops into a few shops afterwards.

Now picture the alternative: they Google your town and find nothing useful. They default to a chain restaurant on the bypass. They never make it to the independent shops. They leave having spent virtually nothing in the town centre.

A searchable directory of local businesses isn't just a nice feature — it's economic infrastructure. It connects visitors with local spend opportunities at the exact moment they're looking to spend money.

What a good directory includes

• Photos and descriptions that show each business at its best
• Opening hours that are actually accurate (our system lets business owners update their own listings)
• Categories and search so visitors can filter by what they're looking for
• Maps integration so they can find their way there
• Contact details for booking or enquiries

Heritage trails: turning history into footfall

Every market town has stories. Medieval churches, Civil War battles, famous residents, ancient market crosses, hidden alleyways with centuries of history. This heritage is often your town's greatest asset — and it's completely underutilised.

Interactive heritage trails turn your town's history into a reason to visit and a reason to stay longer. Instead of a quick wander and a coffee, visitors follow a trail that takes them past shops, through squares, and along streets they'd never have found on their own.

Longer visits mean more spending. A heritage trail that takes 90 minutes means the visitor needs lunch. It means they pass shops they wouldn't have seen. It means they discover the hidden gem of a café in the back street.

We've seen this first-hand in Shaftesbury. The heritage trail we built takes visitors on a journey through a thousand years of history, and it deliberately routes them past local businesses. The feedback from shop owners has been brilliant.

The multiplier effect

Here's what's really exciting about a good town website: the benefits compound.

More events listed → more visitors → more spend in local shops → happier business owners → more businesses joining the directory → more reasons for visitors to come → even more visitors.

It's not just about having a website. It's about creating a digital ecosystem that supports your entire town. The website becomes the hub that connects visitors with everything your town has to offer.

Real numbers, real impact

Since launching the Visit Shaftesbury website:

• The town ranks on page 1 of Google for dozens of tourism searches
• Local events see better attendance thanks to online visibility
• Business owners report visitors mentioning the website
• The heritage trail has become a genuine attraction in its own right
• The AI events system publishes an average of 20+ events per month automatically

These aren't vanity metrics. They represent real people visiting a real town and spending real money in local businesses.

What your town could look like

Imagine your town's website six months from now:

• A beautiful homepage showcasing what makes your town special
• An events page that's always up to date, powered by AI
• A business directory where visitors can find every shop, restaurant, and service
• Interactive heritage trails that bring your town's history to life
• Accommodation listings that help visitors plan overnight stays
• All of it optimised for search so new visitors find you every day

That's not a fantasy. It's what we build at TownStack, and we've done it four times already.

Getting started

The best time to build your town's website was five years ago. The second best time is now.

Every week without a proper online presence is a week of missed visitors, missed events attendance, and missed spend in local businesses. With funding options available and technology that makes it affordable, there's really no reason to wait.

Your town deserves to be found. Your shops deserve more customers. Your events deserve bigger audiences. And your community deserves the boost that comes from a thriving high street.

Ready to put your town on the map? Book a free consultation and let's talk about what's possible. Or check out our funding guide to explore how your town can pay for it.