With Local SEO, stationary retailers attract online customers to the store

Sometimes it has to be the store after all. Especially in the approaching Christmas season. For example, if you want to buy a high-quality running bike for your grandson, you'll probably want advice and maybe even be able to test it out with your grandson. And anyone who comes in with pain and a prescription from the doctor usually wants to go straight to a pharmacy.

When you need it fast

And even in online fashion retail, the store is often still the first choice - especially when things have to move fast, you're in a foreign city for a shopping spree, or the customer is looking for something specific, such as evening wear, special sizes, or a special label. But how do you manage to lure these customers specifically into your own store? Blue Summit, an expert in performance marketing and search engine optimization (SEO), shows how stationary retailers can use local SEO to gain more attention in their region and attract online customers to their store.

You want to be found

62 percent of German retailers blame Internet commerce for the continuing decline in foot traffic in their stationary stores. And even though this trend is probably irreversible, stationary retailers can certainly do something with the help of the Internet to get more customers into the store: Local SEO! "Especially for smaller retailers and niche providers who cannot rely on big brand awareness and usually only have one location, local findability is crucial to attract non-locals," explains Lena Seitz from the performance marketing agency Blue Summit Media GmbH. After all, despite many advantages, online shopping is not always suitable for meeting one's product needs. Customers who are then looking for a retailer that has the desired product in stock will usually use their smartphone to make the following search query to Google or another search engine: "Schulranzen in StadtXY" or "Apotheke in meiner Nähe". If you want to appear as far ahead as possible in the Google ranking for such queries, you should take a close look at the following tips:

List your business in all relevant directories

Even if you don't have your own website (yet), you can make yourself known through an entry in the company directory Google My Business  relatively quickly and easily findable online. The completeness of the data is very important: Name of the pharmacy, address, telephone, opening hours and, if available, a link to your own website. You can refer to your products and special features in a short introductory text or include public transport connections. Also photos and/or a logo help the user to find your business sympathetically. There are other company directories or special business directories in which you should register. But make sure to always use the same spelling of the master data!

Create your own website

Even if you prefer to attract potential customers to your store rather than to your website, an existing online presence always affects the Local Search results. The better the search engine rates the website, the higher the store will be listed in the local search results. Therefore, it is important to fill the website with such content that is really interesting for your target audience. Also, the structure of the texts should be such that readers and search engine can see at a "glance" what you sell in your store. In addition, it is important to use essential search terms (keywords) for your business in headlines and texts. For the search results pages themselves, you also need to come up with meaningful metadata (title and description): These entries appear directly on, for example, Google and are the first impression the potential customer gets of you. And while you're at it: Make sure that your website also works on mobile devices such as smartphones. After all, the vast majority of local searches take place via smartphones. Moreover, Google rates a website that is optimized for smartphones significantly better.

Become active on Facebook & Co.

A presence in social media channels such as Facebook or Instagram also have a positive influence on the Google Local Search ranking. These channels are also ideal for communicating unique selling points such as exclusive brands, newly arrived merchandise or promotions. A special service such as home delivery can also be presented and advertised very well via these channels. However, you should be aware that a good Facebook profile also takes time. News from your own store must be researched and formulated. Aesthetic photos of products or everyday business life as well as links to interesting articles make your social media profile relevant for your customers.

Use customer reviews for more discoverability

Customer reviews are also very important for local search results. Companies with a good rating are clicked on more often and visitors stay longer on the target page. The result is that Google classifies the target page with a higher relevance for the searcher and shows it further up in the ranking. In principle, all companies listed on Google My Business can be rated by Google users. It is true that ratings on the Internet are always a double-edged sword, since you have virtually no influence on their content. On the other hand, they are an effective means of attracting new customers, because recommendations from other satisfied customers carry more weight than many other advertising measures. Personal customer contact, which is particularly important for brick-and-mortar stores today, can be continued here online, for example by commenting on a negative review in a friendly and professional manner. In addition, they can also do well here themselves to get positive reviews: Simply ask your satisfied regular and new customers to write a review about your business. This not only increases the number of reviews, but also leads to better customer loyalty.