Boosting in-store traffic: SXO for offline brands | Organic

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In today’s digital age, a strong online presence is crucial for any business. In fact, 81% of retail shoppers conduct online research before buying, regardless of whether they sell products online. Your customers are researching purchases online, so you need to be there to be considered. This is why search experience optimisation (SXO) is vital for all brands, and not just e-commerce ones. Considering where and when customers enact their search journey is a vital first step. The pandemic increased adoption of online shopping among older consumers, but Boomers are returning to the high street. Over 40% of Boomers say they now “mostly or always” shop in-store. Younger shoppers, on the other hand, still favor online: 47.2% of Gen Z and 49.7% of Millennials “mostly or always” shop online. Customers are still very much wanting the in-store experience.

Online presence for offline-only brands

Many brands with physical brick-and-mortar stores have recognised the importance of having a website, even if they don’t engage in e-commerce. However, these businesses often struggle to convert their online efforts into tangible foot traffic to their physical stores. Here’s where SXO can help. By strategically utilising SEO techniques for websites as well as considering UX, brands can drive targeted online audiences to their website to view their products and provide information about the stores to increase the chances of those visitors becoming customers.

Maximising the potential of your store pages

For most eCommerce sites, the store pages can get left behind as the focus is on pushing traffic through their site to checkout. Whereas, for a store that only makes a profit from offline purchases, the store pages become a key part of the strategy.

Optimising each page for locally popular, related keywords can improve visibility so more customers are aware of the store in the location they are searching. Making sure these pages are technically sound and providing all the information a customer may need in an easy-to-digest way can help to turn those website visits into store visits. For our client B&M, our initial technical recommendations from January 2023 have been slowly rolled out across the site, and more recently, we have evaluated the page template layout for their store pages, and the suggested improvements have been implemented.

The power of no-click searches

Local SEO is a subset of search engine optimisation that focuses on optimising a brand’s online presence to attract local customers. Local SEO is an important part of the strategy for businesses with physical stores. By optimising their website and online listings for local keywords and phrases, brands can ensure that their store appears in relevant local search results.

This is particularly useful for consumers searching for products or services near their location. Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) provides crucial information such as store address, operating hours, contact details, and customer reviews – right in the SERP (search engine results page). This boosts the brand’s online visibility and helps potential customers find accurate information about their physical stores.

It’s important to remember that this may not result in click-throughs to the website, therefore, a “no-click search”. For businesses that make sales through physical stores, this is not a lost customer but a valuable part of the customer journey.

Creating high-converting content

Creating relevant and informative content on the website can significantly enhance a site’s SEO efforts. Brands can publish blog posts that are not necessarily sales-driven but are related to their industry.

For instance, B&M stock a huge range of products targeting the average family, so blogs like “Top 5 Ways to Make Your Bank Holiday Memorable This Year’ cater to a large section of their audience.

If a brand operates a fashion store, it could publish articles about the latest fashion trends, styling tips, or even local fashion events. People searching for information about these topics are more likely to stumble upon the brand’s website.

By establishing yourself as an authoritative source in your industry, you can capture the attention of potential customers, who might then be motivated to visit the physical store.

Initiate a mobile-friendly test to enhance SXO

UX and mobile optimisation are essential to SXO. Once you get people to your site it has to offer a smooth, compelling experience that helps customers do what they need to do to buy, and that holds true even for offline retailers. Incorporating seamless user experience and mobile optimisation into the brand’s website is crucial for effective SEO. 77% of shoppers use a mobile device to search for products Many users search for local information on their mobile devices while on the move.

Ensuring that the website is mobile responsive and loads quickly can significantly impact SEO efforts. This can lead to better online engagement and, subsequently, more foot traffic to the physical store.

Conclusion

In a world where online and offline experiences are becoming increasingly intertwined, brands with physical stores cannot afford to neglect their online presence. Through the strategic implementation of SEO techniques, brands can leverage their website to drive foot traffic to their physical stores.By working through these elements, you can successfully connect online efforts with increased in-store footfall. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, mastering the art of leveraging SEO for offline success can be the key to sustained growth and success for offline business models. We do believe SEO is powerful here at Organic, it’s even your best bet during a recession.