As consumers’ behaviour is evolving, it is crucial for traditional retailers to ready themselves for the Information Age (computer, digital, new media era).
When your customers are changing, your retail business will struggle in the long run if you don’t embrace changes. The fact is, you can no longer do business the way you used to prior to the mass adoption of the Internet, the smartphones.
One of the important gateways on the Internet is Google search. In this article, we are going to take a good look at how retailers can approach different types of web searches.
First of all, you need to understand there are 3 types of searches:
- Informational Search e.g. “how to improve burping problem”
- Navigational Search e.g. “pharmacy near me”
- Transactional Search e.g. “gaviscon double action malaysia”
1. Informational Search
Search term example: “how to improve burping problem”
80% of the total search volume is informational searches driven by generic keywords. The purpose of such searches is TO KNOW, and this is the early stage of research prior to any purchase of products or services.
The best way to tackle this search intent is to leverage on SEO (Search Engine Optimization), you can consider developing content (be it articles or videos) to cover topics directly or indirectly related to the product or services you are selling.
Which strategy s the best?
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- Benefits both online & offline business
What does it take?
- Develop content (articles or videos)
- Can be quality or quantity, consistent schedule
- Focus on educational content
- Content with store or product CTAs
How long does it take?
- Estimated 6 to 12 months
Navigational Search
Search term example: “pharmacy near me”
Only 10% of the total search volume is navigational searches driven by a mixture of generic and transactional keywords. The purpose of such searches is TO FIND, usually during the mid or intermediate phase of product or services research.
The best way to be there for this search intent is to leverage on GMB (Google My Business), by setting up business locations for all your physical outlets.
Which strategy is the best?
- GMB (Google My Business)
- Benefits mostly offline business
What does it take?
- Set up or vet all stores listing
- Encourage customer’s review
- Optimize website store list for SEO
How long does it take?
- Estimated 3-6 months
Transactional Search
Search term example: “gaviscon double action malaysia”
Only 10% of the total search volume is transactional searches driven by a specific brand, product or service keywords. Whenever users are searching for such terms, usually they have already done their research and ready TO BUY.
The best way to answer this search intent is to leverage on SEM (Search Engine Marketing), via Google Ads be it text ad or Shopping ads.
Which strategy is the best?
- SEM (Search Engine Marketing)
- Benefits mostly online business
What does it take?
- Set up and optimize Google Ads
- Ad format can be text ad or Shopping ads
- Focus on selling products or services
How long does it take?
- Immediate
Conclusion: Sprint vs Marathon
This is not a checklist for retailers to choose which strategy to focus on. Unless you are an online retailer, GMB is not required if you don’t have any physical outlets.
As a traditional retailer, GMB is a must and you need to run both the SEO marathon and SEM sprint. There is no race you can opt-out of unless you want to lose to your competitors on Google search.
From our observations, many retailers here prefer to run the SEM sprint but neglect the SEO marathon altogether, as the finishing line cannot be seen immediately like paid search.
It is also important to know that SEO is not just about how many keywords you rank on the first page, it is about the consistent growth of your organic search traffic.
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