Retail stores are extremely competitive and if you don’t stay on top of your digital marketing, it’s likely your competitors will rise above you. To help your retail business thrive, we have our Orlando SEO Expert, Jennifer Waczewski here for a Q&A. She’s ready to share some tips and tricks for dominating the retail industry!
Q: Can you tell me the benefits a retail store would garner if they implemented SEO as part of their digital marketing mix?
A: They could reach not only more of their local market, but go beyond, and reach customers they never thought they could. This type of increased visibility is only a positive thing. It will lead to more sales down the line and more brand awareness.
How does SEO turn into revenue?
Locally, once more people begin to see you pop up on their mobile or desktop search and once your website appears in front of their face consistently, they will be clicking on your website. When you show up in search engines, A) more people will become aware of your store B) people can quickly and conveniently know how to find your store and C) consumers find what they are looking for with your website and can purchase. The beauty behind SEO is that you’re targeting a very specific need for your clients or customers in the specific area where they live. If you sell red shoes, a good Orlando SEO Expert will find a keyword for that product and optimize your website with that keyword so that any time any person is looking for red shoes in your area, you would pop up right away. THAT is where the power lies, and where the revenue lies. It essentially makes your website a conversion tool, not just a billboard lost in the abyss of the internet.
What would happen if a retail business chose not to do SEO, but their competitor does?
Assuming the retail stores are selling the same thing…If one business decides not to do SEO and their competitor does, they are going to see that their competitor everywhere online, while they will not be found anywhere. They will suffer because there will be a lot less traffic to their store as the population would have gone to them, however, instead they are going to the competitor who IS investing in SEO. The same thing happens with pizzerias all the time. When you think pizza, you may think Papa Johns. There could be the most amazing pizza place next door but because Papa Johns is EVERYWHERE, the vast majority of the population will choose them. They do a good job of staying top of mind and being at the top of search results.
What are some things a retail business owner can do to help with your SEO efforts?
- Provide more content. I need every page of the website to be full of detail so that no matter where a viewer is from, or how little they know, all their questions are answered by reading a specific page.
- They can reach out to their client base and actively ask them to check out the website. Promote your website! The more people seeing it the better.
- Photos- send me photos! I can never have enough. Close up shots of the product, far away shots of the store, I even want shots of the owner and the staff!
- Video- Not enough people give me video…I can optimize video if I have it. Video is more effective than any other medium. Combining video with the blogs I write will double results.
- Know your goals. “Jennifer, my goal is to sell more of X product to Y target market. Specific product goals give SEO efforts even more focus, which will lead to better results.
- Please tell me your designations- awards, certificates, honors, placements in media, etc. I need to know! I’m blogging about your business, so the more I know the better!
What kind of a website should a retail business have?
An extremely visually appealing one, that makes it so easy to purchase it’s almost stupid. It should extremely easy to purchase via the website, and easy to navigate.
Overall, what are some other tips you would give a retail business owner?
As an Orlando SEO Expert, take my advice! You need SEO. If you plan to make money, you need SEO. Trust me, it’s worth the investment. Also, don’t be afraid to combine different marketing strategies. Be fearless, take risks…there is no such thing as bad marketing (some may beg to differ) but some marketing is better than none! Last but not least, embrace technology!
