Local SEO for Brick-and-Mortar Businesses in the E-commerce Age

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Last Updated on Oktober 3, 2024

Can Local Businesses Survive the E-Commerce Boom? Here’s How You Can Thrive

Ordering groceries from our bed. Updating our wardrobe at the bus stop. We don’t even need to reach for our credit card. With the ease and savings afforded by e-commerce shopping, our lives are becoming easier, while the challenges faced by brick-and-mortar businesses are only increasing.

Shopping online used to be a luxury. However, purchases of even household basics during the COVID years added to the number of online shoppers, almost doubling e-commerce retail sales between 2019 and 2024.

As local businesses add online shopping options to their websites, another threat looms – a growing number of them are ageing. Run by owners entering retirement with no interested buyer for their shop many will close.

Inflation, speed of technological change, and competition for labour are all taking their toll on small, local businesses. What is a mom & pop shop to do?

„In 2023, global retail e-commerce sales reached an estimated 5.8 trillion U.S. dollars. Projections indicate a 39 percent growth in this figure over the coming years, with expectations to surpass eight trillion dollars by 2027.“ Statista

How SEO Supercharges Your Brick-and-Mortar Business

SEO Gets Your Website in Front of People.

Search Engine Optimisation takes a website built by people and makes it easily consumable for search engines.

If you offer the solution to someone’s problem, but they have not heard of you, SEO gets your name in front of them.

Let’s look at some of the ways you can empower your local business to adapt, connect with your community, and thrive in today’s competitive e-commerce business landscape.

SEO is more than keywords – it’s about getting found, and getting personal.

Community Engagement: Online Marketing is just marketing, online. It’s another tool in your Swiss Army knife.

  • + Building strong networks within the local community sets your business apart.
  • + Collaborate with other businesses through associations and shared resources. 
  • + Learning from each other, sharing best practices, and collectively addressing challenges can foster a supportive environment.
  • + Do this offline, people talk about you. Do this online, people talk about your online – and search engines listen!

Online Presence: Having an online presence is paramount in today’s digitally connected landscape. You don’t need your own website, but you need to be found. How else will people buy anything from you?

A website supports your On-Page SEO. Other websites support your Off-Page SEO.

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The Power of Local SEO

Local SEO can significantly benefit small, local businesses by improving online visibility, attracting nearby customers, and enhancing their reputation within the community. Local SEO is free. Most online marketing tools are free. You just need to invest the time.

Google says that local search results are based on “relevance, distance and prominence”.

  • + Relevance: How well a listing matches the searcher’s intent.
  • + Distance: Google matches searchers with verified businesses nearby.
  • + Prominence: How well known your business is.

„Below is a summary of 271 Google API Docs and 461 attributes that we have identified as relevant to Local SEO. We identified various terms that implied “local,” then crawled them with ScreamingFrog V. 20 connected to ChatGPT and had it summarize each document.“ May 2024 Google API Leak

Local SEO According To The Leaked Google API Documents

How is Local SEO Different to Organic SEO?

Organic SEO usually has a national or global audience in mind. The focus of Local SEO is usually concentrated on the limited geographic market around a company’s respective location.

Local SEO is often referred to as „shopping seo“, „mobile seo“, and „voice search seo“. Why? Because we are probably walking, driving, or otherwise on the go in our local setting. We also may be talking with a digital assistant like Siri or Alexa.

Think about how you would ask a neighbor or a friend where they purchased something. How would you ask them for advice about plants, a haircut, or the best place to have something repaired? You’ll find yourselves using local, conversational terms.

“Your garden looks great! Where did you get the flowers?”

“Thanks! I bought most of them at Annie’s Nursery. I couldn’t resist adding some color to my garden. The prices were quite reasonable too.”

“Well, it’s a lovely mix. Were there a lot of flowers available at Annie’s?”

“Absolutely! They keep a good stock of seasonal flowers. They also have great advice on planting and care.”

“Nice! I might have to visit Annie’s on the weekend.”

How to Optimise Your Website for Voice Search

What to Do: Local SEO Actionable Tips

  • + Target question and other long-tail keywords.
  • + Use colloquial language in your content.
  • + Prioritize local SEO needs.
  • + Optimize for mobile devices. (Mobile=Local)
  • + Optimize your website for fast (mobile devices) loading. (After three seconds, half of mobile visitors leave the website. 3 seconds.)
  • + Use rich snippets / schema markup. (SERPs with images and other information – price, time, reviews. Included with all SEO and store plugins).
  • + Try to capture Google Featured Snippets and People Also Ask too.
    • + Best chances for Google Featured Snippets
    • + You don’t necessarily have to use a schema.
    • + Target queries based on questions.
    • + Organize the structure of your pages with headings and paragraph tags.
    • + For non-question based keywords, take a definition style approach.
    • + Add steps to solve a problem or answer a question where appropriate.
    • + Content should be between 54 and 58 words long. (60%)

Local SEO and eCommerce Work Together

Even in today’s online shopping environment, a local, brick-and-mortar businesses can still thrive. Even restaurants, prone to being preyed upon by delivery apps, can see improved results if they have a smart SEO strategy.

Using eCommerce to Supercharge Your Bricks and Mortar Business

‚Le Gourmet‘ Case Study

‘Le Gourmet’, a small, owner-managed restaurant in Munich, was dissatisfied with its low online presence and the resulting low visitor numbers.

The restaurant wanted to position itself better in the search results for local search queries in order to attract new customers and expand its business.

Problem: Main reason for low online traffic: lack of local SEO

The main reason for the low online traffic was the lack of optimisation for local search queries (Local SEO). The restaurant had not created a complete Google Business listing and its website was not optimised for local keywords. As a result, the restaurant did not appear in local search results when potential customers searched for a restaurant in Munich.

Solution: Create Google Business listing, optimise website for local keywords, create locally relevant content

We are commissioned to optimise the Google My Business listing of ‘Le Gourmet’ and to optimise the website for local keywords. We carry out the following measures:

Creating a complete Google Business listing: the listing was fully created with detailed information about the restaurant, including phone number, address, opening hours, photos and reviews.

Optimisation of the website for local keywords: The website was optimised for relevant local keywords that potential customers would be likely to type into search engines, e.g. ‘restaurant Munich’ or ‘Italian restaurant Munich’.

Creation and distribution of locally relevant content: The restaurant regularly published locally relevant content, such as blog posts about local events or recipes with seasonal ingredients. This content was distributed on the website and on social media to strengthen the restaurant’s local presence.

Results: +20% website visits, +15% online reservations, +10% sales

The local SEO measures of ‘Le Gourmet’ had a positive impact. Over the course of several months, the restaurant achieved the following results:

  • + Increase in website visits: website visits increased by 20%, which was due to improved visibility in local search results.
  • + Increase in the number of online reservations: The number of online reservations increased by 15%, indicating that customers could now find the restaurant more easily online.
  • + Increase in sales: The restaurant’s sales increased by 10%, which was due to an increase in the number of visitors and the number of online reservations.

The local SEO measures helped ‘Le Gourmet’ to improve its online presence and attract more customers. The restaurant was able to increase its visibility in local search results, generate more website visitors and online reservations, and increase its turnover.

Think Local to Act Global

You may be a small fish in a big pond, but you can also use that to your advantage. Your local business is an extension of who you are. No-one does what you do. That’s your hook.

„Think global, act local” is a powerful approach when it comes to Local SEO. It emphasizes the importance of tailoring your SEO strategy to the local community while keeping broader, global best practices in mind.

Here’s a summary of how you can apply this concept to Local SEO:

  1. Understand Your Local Audience: Use local keywords and phrases that resonate with them.
  2. Optimize for Local Searches: Ensure your business is listed accurately on maps and local directories. Utilize tools like Google Business Profile to enhance your visibility in local search results.
  3. Create Locally Relevant Content: Share content that addresses local issues, events, or interests.
  4. Maintain Consistency Across Platforms: Your business information should be consistent across all platforms, including your website, social media, and local listings.
  5. Encourage Reviews and Engage with the Community: Positive reviews can boost your local search rankings. Engage with your customers and encourage them to leave feedback.
  6. Monitor Your Performance: Use analytics to track your local SEO performance and make data-driven decisions to improve.

By focusing on these areas, you can effectively optimize your local SEO efforts.  Remember, local SEO is crucial because a significant number of searches are location-related, and a large percentage of those searches lead to store visits and purchases.

Local SEO is about being present where your local customers are looking for you!

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Thanks to CardMapr.nl for the article image! https://unsplash.com/@cardmapr