Growing a Business
How to bring your brick-and-mortar store online
Published
1 year agoon

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It’s hard to keep relevant when you run an offline retail business.
Having an online store isn’t the exception, it’s the expectation, and when websites and commerce aren’t a part of a business strategy, it becomes increasingly difficult to remain resilient.
For instance, a recent IBM Retail Index report found the pandemic accelerated the shift toward ecommerce by roughly five years.
Meanwhile, in-store Black Friday sales dropped off a whopping 28% between 2021 and 2020 while online sales surged by 21% in the same period.
To adapt, many offline business owners find themselves launching online stores for the first time.
Others are making it easy for customers to order online and do curbside pickup.
And the savviest are experimenting with omnichannel selling, using their website to manage sales on Facebook, Instagram, and the other places their customers already spend their time.
If you haven’t done so already, the evidence is clear that it’s time to bring your brick-and-mortar store online.
In this post, we’ll walk you through everything you need to have a successful transition to selling online.
Table of contents
1. Research your ecommerce strategy
There are a variety of websites and tools you can use to understand consumer online shopping habits. Some sites that provide these insights for free through their blogs include eMarketer, McKinsey, PWC, Comscore, Pew Research, Nielsen IQ, and Think With Google Research Tools.
Take some time to research:
- How do your target customers prefer to shop online?
- When are they most likely to shop?
- Which channels are they most likely to use to discover your site?
For example, your target customers may prefer using a mobile device versus their desktop. Others might prefer to contact your store online through text messages rather than email.
Knowing this will help you to choose the right ecommerce platform to build and host your website, and create customer experiences that meet or exceed expectations.
Install a web analytics tool to learn as you go
Moving beyond third party research, using a website analytics tool will show you how people actually interact with your site:
- How your customers shop on your website after you launch
- What are your most popular product pages
- How they find your site through channels like search, social media, and blogs or traditional media sites
Google Analytics is free and is a popular option for many small business online retailers. To get started, watch this video which highlights some primary uses and benefits.
Ask your existing customers for help
If you already have a social media presence to promote your physical stores, you can also reach out through that channel to ask what your customers are looking for in an online store.
Their comments on various social channels can also give you insights into which products are the most popular and which ones they’d be likely to buy from you online.
Additionally, you can post an online survey on your social channels to find out what they might want in an ecommerce solution. Tools SurveyMonkey or Google Forms are an excellent place to start.
If you already have a customer email database in place, you can also send the survey out through that channel. It’s helpful to offer an incentive to get people to answer your questions, such as a gift card giveaway contest or a coupon code to use once your new site is live.
Research competitive ecommerce sites
Finally, take a look at your top competitors’ ecommerce websites and social media channels to see how they are targeting customers through savvy copywriting, design, and photography.
Make a list of the strengths and weaknesses of each site so that you can iterate on what works well for them and improve on what doesn’t.
2. Choose a reliable ecommerce website builder and hosting service
Once you’ve researched your market, the next step is to invest in the design, build, and launch of your ecommerce storefront.
Select and purchase a domain name
Likely, you’ll want a domain name that is an exact match to your business.
If the domain name you want is already taken or is too expensive, try for an abbreviated version of the name, or a different extension, such as .shop or .store for general ecommerce, or get more specific with .jewelry, .clothing and .coffee.
The price to purchase a domain name typically ranges from $2 to $20. However, there can be hidden costs. Refer to our domain name guide for more details on what to expect.
You can play around with different domain name options via this search box:
INSERT DOMAIN SEARCH BAR HERE
After you’ve selected a memorable URL, you’ll need to find a reliable website hosting service.
Many services — like GoDaddy’s online store — offer tools to build your own website for free.
Some things to look for in an ecommerce platform:
Accessibility: Your website hosting and design service provider should offer affordable (free or for a monthly fee), and easy-to-use templates. That’s for both an intuitive front-end design for customers and a back-end dashboard for managing orders and inventory.
They should also offer a variety of payment solutions and, preferably, a flat fee for service charges.
Customizability: Since it can get expensive to hire a graphic designer and website developer, the design templates offered by your service provider should be easily customizable and intuitive for anyone without a coding or design background.
Mobile-optimized: According to Oberlo, “nearly three out of every four dollars spent online today happen through a mobile device.” That’s why it’s critical that you select a mobile-optimized design theme and template for your new online store.
Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant: Since credit card fraud and security breaches are a constant threat to ecommerce businesses, it’s crucial to find a service provider, like GoDaddy Payments and Online Store Builder, that comes with PCI compliance built into its ecommerce solution.
The business must also follow proper technical and operational standards, monitored by the PCI Security Standards Council, to secure and protect the data provided by credit cardholders which are transmitted through card processing transactions.
Secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate: SSL is a security protocol that creates an encrypted link between a web server and a web browser. When customers see a tiny lock icon beside your domain name URL in their web browser, they’ll rest assured that their online transactions and information are both private and secure.
Keep in mind that a robust, templated ecommerce store building solution should be available in one quick install, and should include:
- An affordable website template/theme
- Product pages
- Shopping cart
- An encrypted payment processing solution
- Secure hosting for your site
3. Select an enticing store theme and template
Once you’ve selected your URL and platform, you’ll need a theme to suit your online store’s functionality and branding needs.
GoDaddy Online Store Builder offers multiple solutions to accommodate a variety of businesses — from selling goods and services to allowing customers to book appointments online.
If you’re on a tight budget, start with a free theme or basic paid package (starting at $14.99/month) and re-evaluate your needs over time.
If you already have a managed WordPress website, you can also integrate WooCommerce themes and extensions to build an ecommerce storefront for your brick-and-mortar store that processes transactions using GoDaddy Payments.
Once your visual design is sorted, invest heavily in product descriptions and photography to appeal to as many of your visitor’s senses as possible.
If you’re creating copy and taking photographs yourself, here are Just be sure you have the time to learn how to do it properly by watching videos or reading blogs on popular ecommerce sites.
4. Carefully select the products you want to sell online
While you already sell products in-store, you’ll need to decide which products to sell online. Between shipping, packaging, and a number of other factors, the margins on selling your products online can be very different than what you’re used to.
In those cases, you might want to take customer payments online but offer curbside pick-up, instead. You can also offer bundled solutions like the example below.
Other product and shipping considerations
When putting together your online product sales plan, ask yourself the following questions:
- Will you feasibly be able to package your products yourself, or will you need to employ someone to help you with it? If so, then budget that cost into your shipping fees.
- How are you going to store and track your inventory? You’ll need inventory-tracking software — ideally built into your ecommerce hosting and design solution. You can also use your stock room if you already have a physical storefront. Otherwise, you’ll need some sort of product storage solution.
- How, when, and why are you adding new products to your website? Be strategic about adding the right items and consider seasonal sales items and discounts.
5. Choose your online sales channels
For example, you might want to sell and ship products exclusively online. On the other hand, you might want to offer customers the option of buying your products online and then coming to your store for curbside pickup.
In fact, “85% of shoppers have increased curbside pickup” since the pandemic started. And many of them want that pickup process to be completely contactless.
You can also offer contactless payment and other online shopping solutions in-store for customer convenience and safety.
Of course, the reverse can also be true where you can also have “online exclusive” products which can be used to encourage your in-store customers to shop online.
Select ecommerce payment providers
There are many options to choose from when selling online. The most common way is to sell your products via an online store or to add ecommerce functionality to your WordPress blog using WooCommerce.
In either case, you need a domain name and checkout page where customers can complete their transaction via their credit or debit card or using their preferred third-party payment provider like PayPal, Apple Pay, or GoDaddy Payments.
Many small businesses prefer to use a third-party payment provider. That’s because it minimizes your security risks by storing customer credit card data through an encrypted service via the payment provider and not on your site.
GoDaddy Payments lets small businesses sell via all major credit card and debit card providers, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. It comes with advanced online encryption while maintaining the strictest payment card industry (PCI) compliance standards.
Likewise, your payment product questions and issues are managed 24/7 by GoDaddy’s customer support team.
GoDaddy Payments also offers the lowest fees (2.3% + 30¢ per online transaction) compared to other leading providers, and the money arrives in your account by the next business day. As a bonus, there are no long-term contracts, monthly minimums, or surprise fees to worry about.
It’s easy to set up your account in minutes, and you can manage all of your orders, inventory, customer reviews, and email in one place using the GoDaddy Online Store dashboard.
6. Consider your online payment solutions
If you don’t have the time, money, or resources to launch an ecommerce store right now, you can still sell online to customers using other sales channels.
GoDaddy Payments recently launched a variety of online sales solutions for small businesses.
Sell anywhere with shareable pay links
If you do most of your business with customers via text messages, email, social media or over the phone, you can process transactions using a customizable GoDaddy Payments Online Pay Link. Simply add your store branding and the cost of the transaction, then easily create and share a pay link with customers in minutes.
You can even transform a pay link into a scannable QR code with one click. Then post it or let customers print it anywhere to scan and pay in person quickly.
Via your GoDaddy Payments dashboard, select Pay Links and enter the price, description, and image for your payment request. Then, send your newly created payment link to your customer (through your preferred sales channel), and it’ll take them to a secure checkout page to complete their purchase.
After your customer completes the transaction, you’ll get paid by the next business day.
Related: GoDaddy Payments — Now available with Online Pay Links and Virtual Terminal
Turn your phone or computer into a virtual terminal
The new GoDaddy Payments Virtual Terminal allows you to accept credit card payments right from your computer, tablet, or smartphone.
It’s a simple, secure way to get paid when your customers aren’t standing in front of you (e.g., collecting credit card info over the phone). And you don’t need any extra hardware like a card reader to complete the transaction.
Simply log in to your GoDaddy account and open Virtual Terminal on your Payments dashboard. Then, take your customer’s credit card info, type it into Virtual Terminal, and confirm the charge. Again, you’ll receive your payment by the next business day.
Get a point-of-sale (POS) system for contactless payments
The global pandemic has also influenced a dramatic shift away from in-person cash payments to contactless payments. As a result, small businesses should look for innovative point-of-sale (POS) systems that allow them to evolve with their customers’ in-store payment preferences.
GoDaddy’s POS system offers a variety of payment hardware solutions, including contactless payments, with the lowest transactional fees (2.3% + 0¢) per in-person transaction.
It allows you to quickly and easily take credit and debit card payments, plus contactless payments with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Then you can track it all in your GoDaddy dashboard.
Additionally, you can connect GoDaddy’s POS with your GoDaddy Online Store to help unify and expand your selling and enable customers to buy online, pick up in-store, or book online and pay in-person.
You’ll also benefit from the following hardware solutions:
Dual screens: GoDaddy’s dual-screen POS makes checkout a breeze. Plus, the all-in-one terminal includes a built-in payment processor, scanner, printer, and security.
Tap, dip or swipe payments: You can use the included charging dock to go hands-free. One single battery charge keeps your sales going longer, and you can connect your Card Reader to your GoDaddy Mobile App to start taking quick and easy payments.
Peace of mind: Every GoDaddy POS checkout is PCI secure, and every device comes with a one-year limited warranty and thirty-day refund.
7. Market your new ecommerce site online and in-store
Once you’re ready to take your brick-and-mortar store online, it’s time to let your customers know about it.
There are several ways you can do this affordably — all of which will require an investment of your time at a minimum.
Encourage customer ratings and reviews
Consumers have always trusted opinions and product recommendations from their peers over advertising or PR messaging.
That’s why you should encourage your ecommerce customers to provide ratings and reviews on your product pages and learn how to appropriately respond to all online reviews — both positive and negative.
To use positive reviews and ratings as a promotional tool for your ecommerce business, refer to our comprehensive guide, which includes some helpful case studies.
Boost your social media activity and presence
Whether or not you already have a social media presence, it’s crucial to start boosting your online social activity and brand profile to drive traffic back to your new ecommerce website.
Creating and sharing valuable social media content is both an art and a science. Luckily we have created lots of content with tips and advice to help you do it properly.
You can start by watching the video below to learn how to think like a digital marketer to reach, engage, and convert customers on social media:
Next, read through our time-saving social media tips for business owners, and learn about other best practices to expand your reach and grow your business.
Build an email marketing database
Email is a highly targeted and effective way to increase ecommerce traffic and sales to your new ecommerce website. Start by gathering customer email addresses both in-store and online once you launch your site (if you haven’t done so already).
To incentivize customers, consider offering a 10% to 20% discount on their first order in exchange for their email opt-in to your newsletter. Then you can contact those customers whenever you’re doing a seasonal promotion or new product launch.
It’s equally important to set up an email report in analytics to help you track how your email campaigns perform in driving new sales transactions and site visits. To learn how, refer to our beginner’s guide to starting an email list.
GoDaddy Online Store Builder comes with built-in email marketing functionality. Have a look at this walkthrough to get started.
Use search engine optimization (SEO)
SEO is a highly effective yet often time-consuming traffic-driving strategy for your new ecommerce store. More than 80% of consumers frequently search online before they purchase a product or service. Likewise, “SEO drives ten times more traffic to a site than organic social media.”
Your best bet is to start small by creating engaging and educational content through a blog or through online videos, and work on building links back to your website through other websites.
To ensure your new ecommerce site appears in search engine results, read our SEO beginner’s guide or watch this video.
Advertise online
Once you’ve begun to build up your site traffic and are more aware of the most popular and highest-rated products on your site, you might want to invest in paid advertising.
Take a look at your website analytics to see which sites drive the most organic traffic to your online store. Then invest in advertising with those sites to drive even more targeted traffic back to your top product pages.
Watch this video for tips on how to get started with paid online ad spending.
Promote your ecommerce site in-store
Be sure that customers who frequently visit or pass by your brick-and-mortar store know about their new online shopping options.
Promote your new domain name on your retail storefront window or awning, shopping bags, receipts and anywhere else that they might see it when they shop in person.
Prioritize customer service
A happy customer is always your best word of mouth marketing tool. If you can’t hire someone to help you with online customer service, then set aside time each day to answer customer emails and phone inquiries, update order statuses, and enter their shipping details.
Before you take your brick-and-mortar store online, ask yourself:
- How will you send shipping confirmations to customers?
- Who will handle phone and email inquiries, how, and when?
- Do you need a separate business phone line?
- How and when should you answer social media questions and comments?
You can save some time by developing and posting an FAQ section on your website, and creating templated email responses to your most common customer inquiries.
It’s time to bring your brick-and-mortar store online
Ecommerce sales are soaring, and customers have accelerated their online shopping habits and preferences because of the global pandemic. As a result, brick-and-mortar stores must re-think their sales strategies.
Even if your retail store sales are solid, it’s time to offer online and contactless payment solutions to satisfy your customers’ evolving shopping needs.
With the right online and in-person sales strategy, using a PCI-compliant provider like GoDaddy Payments, you can rest assured that your customers’ privacy and security are in good hands.
For even more ecommerce tips and strategies, read our post: “How to start an online store.”
Growing a Business
Brand Authenticity: How Small Businesses Can Build Trust and Loyalty
Published
1 week agoon
May 31, 2023
In today’s competitive business landscape, small businesses need to establish a strong brand identity to stand out and connect with their target audience. One crucial element that can make or break a brand is authenticity.
In this article, we will explore why brand authenticity matters for small businesses and how it can help build trust and loyalty among customers.
Brand is Everything
Branding is the process of shaping and defining a small business’s identity. It encompasses more than just a logo or a tagline; it extends to the values, mission, and overall personality of the business. A strong brand serves as the foundation upon which all marketing efforts are built.
Through branding, a small business can establish a unique and recognizable identity that sets it apart from competitors. It communicates the business’s essence and promises to customers, creating a perception and expectation of what they can expect from the brand.
A well-crafted brand strategy helps small businesses differentiate themselves in a crowded market, attract their target audience, and build a loyal customer base. It provides a cohesive framework for all marketing and communication activities, ensuring consistency in messaging, visual identity, and customer experience.
Effective branding goes beyond aesthetics; it delves into the emotional connection between the brand and its customers. It evokes feelings, creates memories, and builds trust. Small businesses that invest in building a strong brand reap the benefits of increased brand recognition, customer loyalty, and long-term success.
Why Being Authentic Matters
In a world inundated with marketing messages, consumers have become more discerning about the brands they choose to support. Authenticity plays a significant role in this decision-making process. Customers are drawn to brands that are genuine, transparent, and true to their values.
When a small business demonstrates authenticity, it fosters a sense of trust and credibility, setting it apart from those that merely follow passing trends or adopt a contrived persona.

How Brand Builds Trust and Loyalty
Building trust and loyalty is crucial for small businesses, and brand authenticity serves as a powerful catalyst in this process. By consistently embodying their values, being transparent, forging emotional connections, and telling compelling stories, authentic brands establish a strong foundation of trust and loyalty with their customers.
Let’s explore some key aspects of how brand authenticity contributes to building trust and loyalty:
1. Consistency
Authentic brands are consistent in their messaging and actions. They deliver a consistent experience across all touchpoints, from their website and social media presence to their customer service interactions. This consistency builds trust, as customers know what to expect and can rely on the brand to deliver on its promises.
2. Transparency
Authentic brands are transparent about their processes, ingredients, sourcing, or any other relevant information. They openly communicate with their customers, addressing concerns and being honest about challenges they may face. This transparency builds trust and demonstrates the brand’s commitment to ethical practices.
3. Emotional Connection
Authentic brands connect with customers on an emotional level. They tap into shared values and beliefs, creating a sense of belonging and resonance. By understanding their target audience and communicating in a genuine manner, small businesses can forge deep connections that foster customer loyalty and advocacy.
4. Storytelling
Authentic brands tell compelling stories that resonate with their audience. They share the journey, values, and purpose behind their business, giving customers a reason to engage and connect. These stories create an emotional bond and help customers relate to the brand on a personal level.
Takeaway
In today’s business landscape, brand authenticity is a powerful asset for small businesses. By staying true to their values, consistently delivering on promises, being transparent, and connecting on an emotional level, small businesses can build trust and loyalty among their customer base.
Remember, authenticity is not a one-time effort but an ongoing commitment that should permeate all aspects of the business.
Small businesses that prioritize brand authenticity will differentiate themselves in the market, cultivate a loyal customer base, and ultimately thrive in an increasingly competitive environment.
By understanding the importance of authenticity and implementing strategies to foster it, small businesses can build a brand that resonates with customers and drives long-term success.
Your brand is your identity. Be authentic, be true, and watch your business flourish.
Conclusion
In conclusion, brand authenticity is a critical factor in building trust and loyalty for small businesses. It goes beyond superficial marketing tactics and taps into the core values, consistency, transparency, emotional connection, and storytelling. By prioritizing authenticity and integrating it into all aspects of their operations, small businesses can create a powerful brand that resonates with customers, fosters trust, and drives long-term success.
If small businesses embrace their authenticity, they will stand out in a crowded marketplace and forge deep connections with their target audience, ultimately reaping the rewards of customer loyalty and advocacy.
Google Ads
Boost Your Local Business: Discover the Power of Google Ads Location Targeting and Local Extensions
Discover how to boost your local business with Google Ads! Master location targeting & local extensions for success.
Published
2 weeks agoon
May 29, 2023By
Liana Ling
Opinions expressed by SmallBiz contributors are their own.
Discover the power of location targeting and local extensions in Google Ads to promote your local business and connect with customers in your community! In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore how to effectively utilize Google Ads for local business promotion, drive foot traffic, generate leads, and boost sales.
Let’s dive into the world of local advertising and unlock the potential of your local business!
Table of Contents
- Introduction: The Importance of Local Advertising in Google Ads
- Location Targeting: Reaching the Right Audience in Your Community
- Local Extensions: Enhancing Your Ads with Local Business Information
- Creating Compelling Local Ads: Tips and Best Practices
- Leveraging Google My Business for Local Ads Integration
- Measuring the Success of Local Advertising: Key Metrics and Analysis
- Conclusion: Achieving Local Advertising Excellence with Google Ads
Welcome to the world of local advertising, where your business becomes a beacon of opportunity in your community! As a local business owner, you know that your community is the lifeblood of your success. It’s where your loyal customers reside, where word-of-mouth spreads like wildfire, and where your business can thrive and prosper.
But what if I told you that there’s a way to amplify your local presence and connect with even more customers in your area? That’s right! With Google Ads, you can harness the power of local advertising to drive foot traffic, generate leads, and boost sales like never before.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the magic of location targeting and local extensions in Google Ads. We’ll uncover the secrets to creating compelling local ads that resonate with your audience and inspire action. So, buckle up and get ready for a thrilling adventure that will elevate your local business to new heights!
Location Targeting: Reaching the Right Audience in Your Community
Imagine casting a net that captures the attention of your ideal customers right in your community! With location targeting in Google Ads, you can do just that. Location targeting allows you to define the geographic areas where you want your ads to appear, ensuring that your ads reach the right audience at the right time.
Whether you’re targeting a specific city, neighborhood, or radius around your business, location targeting is your key to unlocking local advertising success. But how do you set up and optimize location targeting for maximum impact? Let’s explore!
Define Your Target Areas: Start by defining the geographic areas you want to target. Consider factors such as your business location, service areas, and where your potential customers reside. Be strategic in selecting areas that align with your business goals and customer demographics.
Customize Location Settings: In Google Ads, you can customize your location settings to target specific areas, exclude certain locations, and even adjust bids based on location. For example, you can increase bids for areas with high foot traffic or for locations where your competitors operate.
Leverage Location Extensions: Enhance your location targeting efforts by using location extensions. These extensions display your business address, phone number, and directions, making it easy for customers to find and visit your store.
Monitor and Optimize Performance: Keep a close eye on the performance of your location-targeted campaigns. Analyze key metrics such as click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and cost per acquisition (CPA) for different locations. Use these insights to optimize your campaigns and improve ROI.
Local Extensions: Enhancing Your Ads with Local Business Information
Transform your ads into a treasure map that leads customers straight to your doorstep! Local extensions in Google Ads are like signposts that guide customers to your business, providing them with essential information and a seamless path to action.
Local extensions display your business address, phone number, and a map marker, along with a link to your business details page on Google Maps. Whether customers are searching for directions, store hours, or contact information, local extensions provide the answers they seek.
When setting up and optimizing local extensions, consider these best practices:
Verify Your Business Information: Ensure that your business information is accurate and up-to-date. Verify your business address, phone number, and hours of operation to provide customers with reliable information.
Integrate with Google My Business: Link your Google Ads account with your Google My Business account to seamlessly integrate your business information into your ads. This integration enhances the accuracy and consistency of your local extensions.
Track and Measure Performance: Monitor the performance of your local extensions using metrics such as clicks-to-call, clicks-to-directions, and store visit conversions. Use these insights to assess the impact of local extensions on your campaign performance and customer engagement.
Creating Compelling Local Ads: Tips and Best Practices
Craft local ads that resonate with your community and inspire action! Creating compelling local ads is an art form that requires creativity, precision, and a deep understanding of your audience. It’s about capturing the essence of your local business and conveying your unique value proposition.
When crafting local ads, keep these tips and best practices in mind:
Highlight Local Relevance: Emphasize your local presence and connection to the community. Use location-specific keywords, mention local landmarks, and highlight community involvement to resonate with your audience.
Showcase Special Offers and Promotions: Entice customers with special offers, discounts, and promotions that are exclusive to your local area. Create a sense of urgency with limited-time deals and seasonal offers.
Include a Strong Call-to-Action (CTA): Inspire customers to take action with a clear and compelling CTA. Whether it’s “Visit Our Store Today,” “Call for a Free Consultation,” or “Book an Appointment Online,” guide customers towards the desired outcome.
Personalize and Segment Your Ads: Tailor your ads to different segments of your local audience based on factors such as demographics, interests, and search behavior. Personalized ads create a deeper connection and drive higher engagement.
Leveraging Google My Business for Local Ads Integration
Unleash the full potential of local advertising by integrating Google My Business with Google Ads! Google My Business is a powerful tool that helps you manage your online presence, showcase your business information, and connect with customers across Google Search and Maps.
When you integrate Google My Business with Google Ads, you create a seamless and cohesive local advertising experience. Here’s how:
Sync Your Business Information: Link your Google My Business account with your Google Ads account to automatically sync your business information, including address, phone number, and hours of operation.
Enhance Local Extensions: By integrating with Google My Business, you can enhance your local extensions with additional information such as photos, customer reviews, and special attributes (e.g., “Free Wi-Fi,” “Outdoor Seating”). This enriched information provides customers with a more comprehensive view of your business.
Optimize for Local Search: Leverage the insights and data from your Google My Business account to optimize your local ads for relevant search queries. Understand what customers are searching for and tailor your ad copy and keywords accordingly.
Measure Store Visits and Conversions: With the integration of Google My Business and Google Ads, you can track store visit conversions and measure the impact of your local advertising efforts on in-store traffic and sales.
Measuring the Success of Local Advertising: Key Metrics and Analysis
Unlock the secrets to local advertising success with data-driven insights and analysis! Measuring the success of your local advertising campaigns is crucial for understanding what works, what doesn’t, and how to optimize for maximum impact.
When analyzing the performance of your local advertising campaigns, consider these key metrics and analysis strategies:
Click-Through Rate (CTR): CTR measures the percentage of users who click on your ad after seeing it. A high CTR indicates that your ad is resonating with your audience and effectively capturing their attention.
Conversion Rate: The conversion rate measures the percentage of users who take a desired action after clicking on your ad. This could include actions such as making a purchase, booking an appointment, or signing up for a newsletter.
Cost Per Acquisition (CPA): CPA measures the average cost of acquiring a customer or lead through your local advertising efforts. It’s important to optimize your campaigns to achieve a lower CPA and maximize ROI.
Store Visit Conversions: For brick-and-mortar businesses, store visit conversions track the number of users who visit your physical store after interacting with your local ads. This metric provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of your local advertising in driving foot traffic.
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): ROAS measures the return on investment for your local advertising campaigns. It’s calculated by dividing the revenue generated from your ads by the total ad spend. A positive ROAS indicates a profitable campaign.
When analyzing these metrics, it’s essential to consider the specific goals and objectives of your local advertising campaigns. Use data-driven insights to make informed decisions, optimize your campaigns, and achieve your desired outcomes.
Achieving Local Advertising Excellence with Google Ads
Congratulations! You’ve reached the end of this exhilarating journey through the world of local advertising in Google Ads! You’ve discovered the secrets to location targeting, local extensions, compelling ad creatives, and data-driven analysis. You’ve been inspired by real-world success stories and equipped with the tools and knowledge to achieve local advertising excellence.
As you forge ahead, remember that local advertising is a dynamic and ever-evolving landscape. Stay curious, embrace innovation, and continuously optimize your campaigns to adapt to changing trends and customer behavior. Keep your audience at the heart of your efforts, provide value at every touchpoint, and build lasting relationships with your community.
Running effective and profitable ads is crucial to the success of any local business. If you’re eager to dive deeper and expand your knowledge on how to maximize the potential of your ad campaigns, there’s an excellent opportunity awaiting you. Take advantage of AdSkills.com’s Free Academy, where you’ll discover valuable resources, expert advice, and innovative strategies designed to help you transform your advertising efforts. Don’t let this chance pass you by – visit AdSkills.com today and elevate your advertising game to new heights!
Liana Ling serves as the CEO of AdSkills.com and helms her own digital marketing agency. Having previously worked as an attorney, and possesses over a decade of experience as a digital marketing specialist focusing on the Info Product and coaching industry. Recognized as one of the top Facebook ad buyers worldwide, Ling uses her unique blend of legal knowledge and marketing expertise to help businesses optimize their digital strategies, thereby earning her a stellar reputation as a trusted advisor in this competitive field.

The days of calling up every name in the phonebook or handing out flyers on the street corner are over. Nowadays, for any business to grow, it must have a thriving online presence. With so many different companies competing for space in their niche and striving to win clicks, it can be challenging to see a way forward for your business.
Even so, your small company needs to incorporate Search Engine Optimization (SEO), from an agency like Peaks Digital Marketing, moving forward to develop your niche, pull more customers, and rank higher in organic searches. We’ll explain the core of SEO practices, how they work, and why they’re crucial to your business’s development, both in the short and long term.
What Is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization, abbreviated SEO, is a set of practices and techniques designed to get your website ranked higher in search engine results when searchers type in a keyword related to your niche.
Now, you shouldn’t think that SEO is only for computer experts, although there’s a fair amount of backdoor work that can improve SEO; instead, it’s a systematic approach to content production and web design to engage readers, provide authoritative data, and drive sales.
Essentially, the more helpful your content is to readers, as determined by dwell time, crawl indexing, authoritativeness, backlinks, and other metrics, the more prominently your webpage will be displayed when a user searches for a keyword in your niche.
How Does SEO Help My Business?
Improving Placement
One of the most obvious benefits of SEO is implicit in its primary purpose: getting you to the top of the search engine results page. Searchers rarely go past the first page of Google, and they are highly likely to select the first, second, or third option on the list compared to links provided further down. Google determines who gets to be the top dog through a series of bot-indexed evaluations. The closer you are to the top, the more likely you will draw visitors to your site. And, of course, visitors mean potential customers. If you’re using your website to drive sales, then it’s a little surprise that more web traffic translates to more revenue.
This positive feedback loop continues, too; more positive interactions with your site lend more credibility, which, in turn, bolsters your reputation in the eyes of the search engine.
Brand Awareness
One benefit of SEO marketing strategies is that they can really help you stand out in your niche. If you’re passionate about something that you want to share with the world, then you can quickly learn, through SEO research and marketing, what works and what doesn’t.
In other words, if your brand continues to rank at the top of the list in your niche, you can convert curious information-seekers on your niche topic to customers.
Of course, being on the top page of search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing builds trust and brand awareness.
When customers click on your top-rated website and see the wonderfully relevant and insightful information you provide, they are much more likely to trust you and recognize your brand.
Improving Customer Experience
One crucial aspect of SEO is web design. Google’s AI very much appreciates websites that are designed with user-friendliness in mind due to higher page views and a lower bounce rate. Surprisingly, customers also appreciate a well-thought-out website layout.
SEO uses in-depth marketing tools to deliver a fresh, user-friendly website that customers will appreciate, potentially leading to further sales.
Providing Helpful, Relevant Data
As a small business owner, you probably have lots of information and experience to share with the world in your niche. Once you decide where in the market you want to settle down, SEO can help you digitalize that information for a growing audience. Whether it’s through a blog on your website or via helpful how-to articles, the internet is a great place to share your knowledge.
Distilling your experience into a bite-sized format is helpful for readers who want to learn more about your products and share the same interests that you do. For example, growing an audience through a blog is also a great way to build your business in the long run.
Adapting to Market Change
The key marker of a business that will thrive is the ability to adapt to change. SEO can be part of your rapid force adjustment if you need to shift your market approach, product line, or media.
SEO can provide you with helpful analytics about which products consumers prefer, which topics are of the most interest to your viewers, and what your competition is doing that you aren’t. All of these factors can help you pivot when you need to and adapt to changes in the market that would otherwise lead to business stagnation.
Growing a Business
The flexibility to make changes, the opportunity to appear before a larger audience, and the ability to improve the customer experience—all of these SEO features have one commonality: progress. At its heart, SEO is about growing your business by increasing your exposure, building your brand, and equipping you with the right resources to improve your products.
SEO is a long-term strategy that can drive revenue with very little input. Most importantly, it generates a continuous stream of organic traffic. This traffic not only helps you gain more sales in the short term, but it can also build a base of repeat customers, who may then help spread your business by word of mouth.
The Bottom Line
Search Engine Optimization is essential for any business with an online presence and often serves as the distinguishing factor between enterprises competing for the same niche.
If you’re looking to rank higher in organic search results, generate more organic traffic, and grow your business in the long run by building a consumer base and providing helpful, relevant content, then it’s important to incorporate SEO strategies into your business model. Whether you’ve just started your business or are in an explosive growth phase, SEO is a necessity that can help your business tremendously.

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