Does location matter?

If you were to buy/rent land does location matter with traffic?
Like being near a Linden road or maybe water. Is that any diffrent than being boxed in by other buildings if you are going to advertise and get you name out.
I guess what I'm asking is if everyone uses search andTPs into shops does it really matter where your building is to you?

Does not matter unless you are renting in mall/mall like spaces.

Personally i would say not.

i use the search option frequently to find what i'm looking for (as do most other people i imagine) although i try to avoid high traffic areas, as i find such places to be either too laggy and/or crowded with bots.

As you can imagine, i have ended up in some weird & wonderfull places, and at varying heights.

Jimbo



disclaimer: i am not saying that all high traffic areas use bots.

What else is on a sim might impact lag, and you could get spillover from more popular shops, sure. So it's a shop and not a residence?

Also an aesthetically pleasing sim is important, I think.

I personally prefer mainland water sims near oceans.

Ditto to that.

The only thing I would add, that DOES matter is choosing an area with low lag. If you want people coming to your shop, hassle free, and returning.....you don't want to be in a busy area where it takes 10 minutes just to walk thru the door of your shop! There's 2 such places that I DO shop at......but it's one of the most annoying experiences because they're great shops.......but often times I'll go with the intention of buying, and just leave because the lag is so bad.

Yes and no, if you're in a nice sim with other attractions you may get passing foot traffic. However the bulk of your customers are going to come from your own promotion for your parcel.

I would say that for most businesses, location doesn't matter (except for lag, as pointed out by others). For a residence, location DOES matter, at least for me. I like to live by the water, preferably lots of open, unblockable water. Being by the water, even in a virtual world, does something good for my spirit.

It depends on what you want the land for.

From your question, you seem to be assuming it is for running a business on. Well, proximity to a road or a river or great scenery probably doesn't matter, but being in a low lag area is certainly a benefit. Being in a high lag area or a sim that is usually so full no new avatars can enetr is the kiss of death.

Being located near places that use your sort of content makes a HUGE difference. For example, try selling Furry avatars in an area mostly populated by Gorean sims and residences. Now try selling the same Furry avatars in a well-trafficed mall in a popular furry sim. Or try selling BDSM gear in a Mormon-themed sim (if there is such a thing). Now try doing it next door to a popular BDSM-themed Capture Roleplay maze or a BDSM-themed community area.

If your store is on its own parcel, and the rest of the sim is random whatever, your only buisness will come from those who find you via your advertising. If your business is near someplace that has a use for your type of merchandise, or is in or near a busy shopping area, you WILL get a certain amount of walk-in traffic, from people who were shopping or playing nearby, and happened to see your shop.

For a residence or a public attraction that is more than a room full of vending machines, location is EVERYTHING.

For a biz: I just get the cheapest land on sale. I search land by the size I want, sort by price and look at the top one, maybe the second or third. I've moved one store several times this way. It's always been good enough for me.
It's all in your keyword advertising on your parcel which makes you visible. 180L per week. 3 classies and include parcel search.

its all about marketing for a biz...not location. your success will come from your work in that area and anyone who wanders by is just icing.

Pffftttttt! Right next time I'm inworld you're getting a spanking.

Location shouldn't matter if you do your marketing effectively.

Having said that i prefer nice low lag sims on Mainland for my commercial activities.
I have 1 and bit sims blocked inbetween 2 LL railroads and protected lakes....visually its quite appealing.
I have another commercial plot in the snow region of the old Continent. It happens to be next to a Linden road and River Gauge.....you do get a bit of extra traffic from those that like to explore.....but they're not necessarily going to turn into your customers. You might get the odd 1 or 2 that might buy something.

Lots of people go for walks still on the mainland. So being next to a road matters if you want to start a buisness. Although other marketing tools might work more, never underestimate that some people "just pass you". Also as Ceera pointed out, being near something popular that is related to your shop matters.

For residensial, go for low low low traffic (if you can find it: abandoned pacels that put out nice things or set on autoreturn before they left, then you struck gold).

Low lag, good store design, ease of movement inside your business will get me to come in to take a look. I'm amazed at how many creators don't name/title their prims, if things are being slow to rez or textures are staying blurry? It helps if I put my cursor on your logo sign, LM giver, subscribomatic, join group sign, and I get something other than 'Object'.

And please, please don't go overboard with 'glow'. That can drive customers out and annoy your neighbors. Whatever colors you decorate with, be sure to test how they look through the whole day cycle. 'Bright' your logo/name sign instead of using 'glow'.

Keywords are so important. Make it easy for customers to find you. Ask your friends for suggestions and update your keywords as your business grows/changes.

Do you promote your business on your Profile? Not just in Picks List or Classifieds. Do you say anything about your store on your '2nd Life' page? And don't forget to state somewhere how you prefer to be contacted. I always look for that if I have a question, request, or problem.