Local SEO for eCommerce: How To Rank Locally When You’re an Online-Only Business

Local search engine optimization (SEO) is a must-have for businesses that want to reach customers in a specific geographic location. There’s a misconception that it’s typically associated with certain businesses: brick-and-mortar retail stores, hotels, law firms and home service providers with local service areas.

This is why many businesses often miss out on the opportunities to leverage local SEO eCommerce strategies. For instance, an online business may find that most of their sales come from a specific location. This makes boosting your online presence in those areas a strategic solution.

eCommerce businesses can tap into local search results, even without a physical location. Whether you want to rank higher in “near me” searches or dominate results in specific cities, understanding how to do SEO for eCommerce websites can help you connect with your target audience right where they are.

Included in this blog:

• What Is Local SEO?
• Local SEO for eCommerce Sites
• Why Do You Need Local SEO for eCommerce Sites?
• How To DO Local SEO for eCommerce Websites

What Is Local SEO?

If search engine optimization (SEO) is all about getting to the top of search results, local SEO takes it a step further and ensures your website is optimized for a specific location. With local SEO, your business can appear on local searches or Google’s Local Pack and Google Maps – which feature results whenever a user makes a location-based search.

For example, if you’re a chiropractor, someone searching for “chiropractor” may not necessarily be your target audience. The search intent is quite vague: They might be searching for what a chiropractor is or the career prospects of being a chiropractor.

However, if someone in your area searches for “chiropractor near me” or “chiropractor in <your city>,” the intent is more clear: they’re looking for a service in your specific area. With local SEO strategies, you can improve your chances of appearing in their search results.

Local SEO for eCommerce Sites

Traditionally, local SEO was associated with brick-and-mortar businesses and service providers with specific service areas. However, this isn’t a hard rule. In fact, online-only businesses can also take advantage of local SEO strategies.

Local SEO for eCommerce websites isn’t just about showing up on a map. It’s about strategically appearing in location-based search results to improve visibility and traffic from users in a particular area. With the right strategies, you can make your online business more competitive to the customers you want to reach.

Why Do You Need Local SEO for eCommerce Sites?

If you’re running an online-only business, you might think broad SEO is all you need. After all, your customers can technically shop from anywhere.

However, solely focusing on generic keywords could mean missing out on the opportunity for users to make location-specific searches that you can address, especially when they’re in a location where your products are in high demand.

By expanding your local eCommerce marketing efforts to location-based searches, you can benefit through:

• Target High-Value Markets: Even if you’re an online-only business, you may notice that some areas tend to generate more sales than others. By targeting cities or regions where you already see traction or the potential for growth, you can pinpoint your SEO efforts to that location, instead of casting a wide net in areas that generate fewer sales.

• Build Trust and Recognition: People trust local businesses. Even if your store is 100% online, a localized presence can make your brand feel more approachable and relevant. Local SEO for eCommerce product pages can help you appear in searches like “best <product> in <location>” or “<product> near me.”

• Stay Competitive: Other eCommerce businesses already benefit from specialized SEO solutions, such as Shopify SEO and eCommerce local SEO strategies. If you don’t do the same, you risk falling behind in search rankings, leaving valuable local traffic to your competitors.

• Capture Mobile and “Near Me” Searches: Users searching for “near me” queries have a high purchasing intent. Even if you don’t have a physical storefront, local SEO for eCommerce product pages can optimize your site to show up for intent-driven queries.

• Adapt to Changing Search Algorithms: Search engines focus on delivering personalized, local results. Ignoring local SEO for eCommerce product pages could mean losing visibility, even if your products perfectly match the searcher’s intent.

How To Do Local SEO for eCommerce Websites

The key to implementing local SEO for eCommerce businesses is thinking like a local brand while optimizing for search. Even without a physical address, you can use smart tactics to capture local traffic and boost your rankings.

1. Optimize for Local Keywords

The foundation of local SEO for eCommerce sites is using the right keywords — more specifically, keywords that have geographic location. While it’s good to compete for general, non-location-specific keywords, add search terms that include specific locations. Use these keywords in product descriptions, meta tags, headers, location pages, and blog content.

Optimizing for local keywords makes search engines more likely to show you in relevant location-specific searches.

For example, if you optimize for “soy candles in Austin,” you’re more likely to appear for someone in Austin searching “soy candles” or “soy candles near me,” on top of those searching for exactly “soy candles in Austin.”

2. Create Location-Specific Landing Pages

Instead of trying to rank for specific locations on your main product pages, create location-specific landing pages. This is an effective way to rank for geo-related searches, as each page would be tailored to a specific city or area. Aside from local keywords, add region-specific offers and customer testimonials.

In addition to ranking for local SEO for eCommerce products, location-specific pages can help give users a more personalized experience. Users trust local businesses, so landing pages tailored to their location can help improve trust and drive them to purchase.

3. Leverage Your Google Business Profile

You might think creating a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is only limited to brick-and-mortar stores. However, online businesses can benefit, too. While you can’t list a physical storefront on Google Maps, you can still create a service-area-based profile. This helps boost your visibility in Google’s Local Pack and Maps results.

When creating your profile, be sure to:

• Choose Your Service Areas Strategically: Even without a physical location, you can set service areas where your products are available or where you want to focus your marketing efforts. Regularly review and update these service areas to match your business growth and demand.

• Add Detailed Business Descriptions and Categories: Use every field available to provide a clear and detailed business description. Mention your key products and target locations naturally. The more accurately you define your business, the better Google can match your profile to relevant searches.

• Keep Your Contact Information Consistent: Consistency is crucial for local SEO for eCommerce products. Ensure your business name, phone number, and website URL are the same across your website and social media profiles. Inconsistent information can confuse customers and search engines, reducing your chances of appearing in search results.

4. Encourage Customer Reviews

Social proof, like online reviews, plays a big role in local search rankings. It reassures users that your business is reliable and that customers in their area have had a positive experience with your business and product. These reviews can impact local search results. Some ways to leverage customer reviews:

• Follow Up with Every Purchase: Track your shipments and, after a customer has received their product and had enough time to try it out, send a follow-up email asking for feedback.

• Provide Review Links: The easier it is for customers to leave a review, the more likely they are to do it. Provide links to your review platforms in your email or on your website’s platform.

• Incentivize Carefully: Most review platforms have policies against businesses offering direct compensation for leaving positive reviews. You can’t offer discounts or free items for leaving positive reviews.

• Respond to Customer Reviews: Negative and neutral reviews can benefit your business, depending on how you respond. Acknowledging both positive and negative feedback shows that you value customer feedback.

5. Build Local Backlinks

Backlinks are links from other websites that redirect their users to your website. They are a powerful ranking factor in eCommerce SEO — especially when you get backlinks from credible sources — because they signal to search engines that other websites vouch for your credibility and industry authority.

For local SEO, focus on getting links from credible, location-specific sources. This tells search engines that your business is relevant to specific regions. The more high-quality local backlinks you have, the more authority your site gains in those areas. Some effective ways to build local backlinks include:

• Partner with Local Influencers and Bloggers: Collaborate with influencers and bloggers who are popular in your target locations. For example, if you sell fitness gear and want to improve your visibility in New York City, you can reach out to a fitness trainer in NYC with a large following to post photos on their social media, tag your profile, and use hashtags like #FitnessGearNYC.

• Get Featured in Regional Publications: Reach out to local newspapers, magazines or online publications in the area. Being featured in these outlets often includes a link to your website, which can significantly boost your local SEO for eCommerce products.

• Sponsor Local Events or Nonprofits: Sponsoring local events or charities is a great way to build community goodwill and earn backlinks from event websites. Even if the event is virtual, it’s still a strong local signal.

• Join Local Business Directories: Local directories are excellent sources of trusted backlinks. These listings not only boost your credibility but also improve your local search rankings.

• Collaborate with Local Businesses: Partner with other businesses in your target areas. For example, if you sell fitness gear, collaborate with local gyms or wellness studios to create cross-promotions with mutual backlinks. This strengthens your local presence while introducing you to new audiences.

6. Optimize for Mobile and Voice Search

Optimizing for local SEO requires optimizing for both mobile and voice search. Mobile users tend to look for local results, while voice search users tend to use conversational keywords such as “Where can I buy cat food?” which have a location-specific intent.

By optimizing your online presence for mobile and voice search, you can capture this traffic to your advantage.

Maximize Your eCommerce Website’s Reach with Thrive Internet Marketing Agency

Just because your business is online doesn’t mean you shouldn’t compete with local search results. By implementing the right local SEO strategies, you can capture local traffic and build a loyal customer base in specific regions.

Want to stand out and boost your eCommerce website’s visibility? Get in touch with Thrive to discuss how we can help you create a winning local SEO strategy in key locations.

Local SEO and eCommerce Frequent Asked Questions