For customers to find your business online, ranking on Google is key. Because 49% of shoppers start their search for a product or service on Google.
Google not only dominates local business searches. It’s also the gateway for global exposure. Making your business discoverable by Google allows the search engine to direct both local and international customers to your site.
Considering that approximately 74% of in-store shoppers search online for store-related information before visiting, online visibility is vital for your business.
To boost online visibility, optimize your website for search engines—using relevant keywords and a mobile-friendly design—and maintain an accurate, up-to-date business listing.
This profile pops up when someone looks you up or searches for your products or services on Google Search or Google Maps. Bridging the gap between an online presence and your store’s physical location.
Why Is It Important for Businesses to Show Up on Google Maps?
Although consumers rely heavily on online organic searches to find local businesses, Google Maps has an added advantage because it addresses local search queries specifically.
Say you provide dry cleaning services. When someone searches for dry cleaning in their area on Google Maps, they’ll be able to see a listing with your address, hours of operation, and contact details. All pulled from the information you entered into your Google Business Profile.
While a general Google Search helps users discover your business online, Google Maps targets those searching in your immediate area and vicinity—effectively capturing local demand.
Essentially, showing up on Google Maps can significantly increase your business’s foot traffic and local sales.
Your business will be visible only if you set up your Google Business Profile correctly. If you’ve created one but still aren’t showing up on Google, there may be many reasons why.
Possible Reasons Why Your Business Isn’t Showing Up on Google
1. You Need to Claim an Existing Business Profile
Your business might not appear on Google Maps if you still need to claim your GBP listing.
An unclaimed listing means the business information is present on Google Maps but still needs to be verified or managed by the business owner.
Both claiming and verifying your business listing are essential for managing your online presence and ensuring the accuracy of your information.
To check and claim ownership of your business, follow some simple steps:
Step 1: Sign in to GBP
Log in to GBP on your desktop or the mobile app using your Google Account. Click the Google apps button next to your profile icon, and find “Business Profile Manager” in the top-right corner of the menu.
Step 2: Claim existing ownership of a verified Google Business Profile
If you own and have verified your business, Google will redirect you to the GBP dashboard. If not, move on to step three to claim your business.
Step 3: Access your business profile
Search for your business name and location on Google.com. If your profile appears on the right-hand side, click “Own this business?”
Step 4: Request for claim
A prompt will appear on the screen. Click “Manage now.”
If someone else has already claimed this business, you might see something like this:
Click “Request Access.” Google will then ask about your level of ownership.
Fill in the required fields, and tick the option to let the business owner see your details.
If you don’t select this option, you won’t be able to move forward. Once done, hit “Submit.”
You will then get a confirmation prompt. And a date of when you should get ownership of your business profile if the current owner doesn’t respond.
Click “Done” and wait until you get access to your GBP.
After you click “Manage now,” the app will prompt you to provide ownership information.
Depending on your business type and circumstances, you may get instant validation or receive a verification code.
If a verification code is required, you may receive it via regular mail, email, or text. Enter the code into your Google Business dashboard to complete verification.
Then, you’ll gain full ownership of your Google Business Profile.
2. Your Listing Is Not Verified on Google Maps
Google prioritizes verified businesses to ensure reliability and accuracy in its listings.
Verification can be a part of the initial setup process or it can be completed afterward for existing profiles.
To verify your existing Google Business Profile, follow these steps:
Effective website optimization plays a significant role in enhancing your business’s visibility in organic search results. Which positively influences how your business appears on both Google Maps and Search.
Google’s algorithms consider various factors on a website to determine its relevance and authority. Like relevant content, mobile-friendliness, and user experience. These factors contribute to how well your business ranks in organic search results.
A higher ranking in search results can lead to better visibility in local searches, including on Google Maps.
It’s a key step toward improving your online visibility, particularly if you’re a new business with a limited online presence.
Efforts to optimize both your website and Google Business Profile are interconnected, as both elements can contribute to your overall online visibility.
Here’s a quick optimization checklist for your website:
Homepage clarity: Make sure your homepage clearly explains your business and offerings
Regular updates: Keep your website updated with relevant information about your products and services
SEO: Follow SEO best practices sitewide, including using relevant keywords, meta tags, and mobile-friendly design
Consider Ruth’s Nutrition’s GBP as an example.
The business uses similar keywords across its profile and website to connect both platforms.
Pro tip
Regular updates and local SEO strategies can improve your search rankings and attract more customers.
4. Your Website Uses Too Few, Too Many, or the Wrong Keywords
Using too few keywords may lead to poor discoverability. Using irrelevant or incorrect keywords can attract the wrong audience. Or no audience at all.
Consider The Philadelphia Flower Market, which often appears in the top search results for the keyword “florist shop” for users located in that city.
The website content includes a variation of the specific search query, “flower shop.”
By including relevant keywords in its website content, The Philadelphia Flower Market aligns more closely with users’ search intent. And signals a relevant connection to search engines.
Meanwhile, the GBP listing uses the terms “florist,” “flowers,” and “market.”
For customers to find your business online, ranking on Google is key. Because 49% of shoppers start their search for a product or service on Google.
Google not only dominates local business searches. It’s also the gateway for global exposure. Making your business discoverable by Google allows the search engine to direct both local and international customers to your site.
Considering that approximately 74% of in-store shoppers search online for store-related information before visiting, online visibility is vital for your business.
To boost online visibility, optimize your website for search engines—using relevant keywords and a mobile-friendly design—and maintain an accurate, up-to-date business listing.
This profile pops up when someone looks you up or searches for your products or services on Google Search or Google Maps. Bridging the gap between an online presence and your store’s physical location.
Why Is It Important for Businesses to Show Up on Google Maps?
Although consumers rely heavily on online organic searches to find local businesses, Google Maps has an added advantage because it addresses local search queries specifically.
Say you provide dry cleaning services. When someone searches for dry cleaning in their area on Google Maps, they’ll be able to see a listing with your address, hours of operation, and contact details. All pulled from the information you entered into your Google Business Profile.
While a general Google Search helps users discover your business online, Google Maps targets those searching in your immediate area and vicinity—effectively capturing local demand.
Essentially, showing up on Google Maps can significantly increase your business’s foot traffic and local sales.
Your business will be visible only if you set up your Google Business Profile correctly. If you’ve created one but still aren’t showing up on Google, there may be many reasons why.
Possible Reasons Why Your Business Isn’t Showing Up on Google
1. You Need to Claim an Existing Business Profile
Your business might not appear on Google Maps if you still need to claim your GBP listing.
An unclaimed listing means the business information is present on Google Maps but still needs to be verified or managed by the business owner.
Both claiming and verifying your business listing are essential for managing your online presence and ensuring the accuracy of your information.
To check and claim ownership of your business, follow some simple steps:
Step 1: Sign in to GBP
Log in to GBP on your desktop or the mobile app using your Google Account. Click the Google apps button next to your profile icon, and find “Business Profile Manager” in the top-right corner of the menu.
Step 2: Claim existing ownership of a verified Google Business Profile
If you own and have verified your business, Google will redirect you to the GBP dashboard. If not, move on to step three to claim your business.
Step 3: Access your business profile
Search for your business name and location on Google.com. If your profile appears on the right-hand side, click “Own this business?”
Step 4: Request for claim
A prompt will appear on the screen. Click “Manage now.”
If someone else has already claimed this business, you might see something like this:
Click “Request Access.” Google will then ask about your level of ownership.
Fill in the required fields, and tick the option to let the business owner see your details.
If you don’t select this option, you won’t be able to move forward. Once done, hit “Submit.”
You will then get a confirmation prompt. And a date of when you should get ownership of your business profile if the current owner doesn’t respond.
Click “Done” and wait until you get access to your GBP.
After you click “Manage now,” the app will prompt you to provide ownership information.
Depending on your business type and circumstances, you may get instant validation or receive a verification code.
If a verification code is required, you may receive it via regular mail, email, or text. Enter the code into your Google Business dashboard to complete verification.
Then, you’ll gain full ownership of your Google Business Profile.
2. Your Listing Is Not Verified on Google Maps
Google prioritizes verified businesses to ensure reliability and accuracy in its listings.
Verification can be a part of the initial setup process or it can be completed afterward for existing profiles.
To verify your existing Google Business Profile, follow these steps:
Effective website optimization plays a significant role in enhancing your business’s visibility in organic search results. Which positively influences how your business appears on both Google Maps and Search.
Google’s algorithms consider various factors on a website to determine its relevance and authority. Like relevant content, mobile-friendliness, and user experience. These factors contribute to how well your business ranks in organic search results.
A higher ranking in search results can lead to better visibility in local searches, including on Google Maps.
It’s a key step toward improving your online visibility, particularly if you’re a new business with a limited online presence.
Efforts to optimize both your website and Google Business Profile are interconnected, as both elements can contribute to your overall online visibility.
Here’s a quick optimization checklist for your website:
Homepage clarity: Make sure your homepage clearly explains your business and offerings
Regular updates: Keep your website updated with relevant information about your products and services
SEO: Follow SEO best practices sitewide, including using relevant keywords, meta tags, and mobile-friendly design
Consider Ruth’s Nutrition’s GBP as an example.
The business uses similar keywords across its profile and website to connect both platforms.
Pro tip
Regular updates and local SEO strategies can improve your search rankings and attract more customers.
4. Your Website Uses Too Few, Too Many, or the Wrong Keywords
Using too few keywords may lead to poor discoverability. Using irrelevant or incorrect keywords can attract the wrong audience. Or no audience at all.
Consider The Philadelphia Flower Market, which often appears in the top search results for the keyword “florist shop” for users located in that city.
The website content includes a variation of the specific search query, “flower shop.”
By including relevant keywords in its website content, The Philadelphia Flower Market aligns more closely with users’ search intent. And signals a relevant connection to search engines.
Meanwhile, the GBP listing uses the terms “florist,” “flowers,” and “market.”
An ecommerce website is any site that facilitates the buying and selling of products and services.
Digital marketplaces, online retail stores, and auction sites are considered ecommerce sites because they enable consumers to buy goods.
Any business owner with a product or service to sell can benefit from an ecommerce site, including the following:
A small business trying to get local customers
A freelancer selling their services
A large corporation showcasing its products
Pro tip
Grow your online store with Semrush for Ecommerce, an all-in-one solution to optimize your store and promote your products.
What Is Ecommerce?
Ecommerce, which stands for “electronic commerce,” is the buying and selling of products and services over the internet. This includes all types of industries, such as retail, electronics, grocery, education, entertainment, delivery, and more.
According to Statista, revenue in the U.S. ecommerce market is predicted to grow 43.58% between 2024 and 2028. This increase in growth is forecasted to be worth $462.7 billion U.S. dollars.
How Does Ecommerce Work?
Ecommerce works in multiple ways: Merchants can create their own ecommerce site, set up an online store on an ecommerce platform like Shopify or Magento, or create a storefront on a marketplace like Amazon or eBay.
Regardless of the method, all stores must have secure payment gateways to facilitate payments and comply with Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards.
Here’s a look at the process:
Shoppers visit an online store or website and browse products using a variety of devices, such as smartphones, laptops, desktops, tablets, and smart TVs and watches.
Customers typically add the products they want to buy to a virtual shopping cart. The shopping cart keeps track of selected items, quantities, and total costs.
When customers are ready to purchase, they proceed to the checkout page. They provide shipping information, select a payment method, and review their order before finalizing the purchase.
The seller receives a notification of the order
The vendor then prepares the products for shipping to the customer
An excellent example of an ecommerce website is the eBay marketplace. Shoppers search for specific products using the search bar or relevant product categories on the main menu.
What Should an Ecommerce Site Do?
A great ecommerce site can do a variety of things, from helping you sell your products to providing an excellent user experience (UX) for customers.
Here’s a look at what ecommerce sites should have in order to successfully meet website owners’ (and users’) needs:
User-friendly interface: Ensure intuitive navigation and easy access to products and services
Secure payment gateway: Implement SSL certificates and PCI compliance for safe transactions
Product catalog: Organize products into categories with detailed descriptions and high-quality images
Shopping cart: Allow users to add, remove, and modify items before checkout
Mobile responsiveness: Optimize the site for seamless viewing and functionality across various devices
Search functionality: Enable users to quickly find specific products or categories
Customer reviews and ratings: Provide social proof and aid in decision-making for potential buyers
Order management system: Track orders, manage inventory, and process shipments efficiently
Customer support: Offer multiple channels for assistance, such as live chat, email, and phone support
Analytics and reporting: Monitor site performance, track user behavior, and gain insights for optimization
Legal compliance: Ensure adherence to data protection laws, terms of service, and privacy policies
SEO optimization: Optimize content and metadata to improve search engine rankings and visibility
Mobile optimization: Google recommends that content on mobile pages should load in under 3 seconds.
If business owners don’t have the budget or time to invest in creating a high-quality ecommerce site, established online marketplaces or online stores that provide these features can be a great alternative.
A B2C business is an online business that sells goods or services directly to individual consumers.
A B2C website example is Alfred, an online coffee shop that sells coffee products. Customers can buy coffee online from this site and even set up subscriptions at their preferred frequency.
Business-to-Business (B2B)
B2B ecommerce is when a business sells goods or services to another business over the internet.
B2B transactions are primarily between a wholesaler and a retailer, or a manufacturer and a wholesaler.
Alibaba is a B2B marketplace that sells clothes, machinery, and consumer electronics to business owners.
Business-to-Government (B2G)
B2G is an ecommerce model where a business sells products to the government (local, county, state, or federal).
Companies place bids to win government contracts.
For example, pharmaceutical and biotechnology giant Pfizer won a billion-dollar deal to supply the U.S. government with COVID-19 vaccines in 2022.
Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C)
C2C is a business model in which consumers sell goods or services to other consumers.
Online marketplaces provide a platform for consumers to interact and transact in a secure environment.
For instance, consumers can buy and sell baby care products, furniture, mobile phones, and more on Facebook Marketplace.
Consumer-to-Business (C2B)
The C2B model is when an individual sells physical products or services to a company.
For example, an independent freelance writer can advertise their services (write ebooks, blog posts, or social media content) to businesses on a site like Upwork. Businesses and individuals can then buy these services on the platform.
Consumer-to-Government (C2G)
C2G ecommerce refers to transactions between a consumer and various government entities.
In the C2G model, consumers interact with government agencies directly and gain access to government services through an online platform.
Buying and selling goods online has many benefits for both buyers and sellers.
Wider reach: Allows businesses to expand beyond their local area, reaching regional or global markets
Convenience: Offers flexibility and convenience, allowing consumers to shop anytime, anywhere
Low costs: Reduces the need for physical space, cutting down on rent, utility bills, and property taxes
Customer data: Provides access to valuable customer data, including purchase history and preferences, helping you choose products and improve the experience
Faster service: Speeds up the buying process with smart automation, rapid browsing, and quick ordering systems
Payment flexibility: Caters to customer preferences and enhances the shopping experience
Affordable marketing and advertising: More cost-effective than traditional advertising methods
Facilitates international trade: Breaks down geographical barriers, making it easier for businesses to enter international markets
The Challenges of Ecommerce Businesses
While ecommerce offers many benefits to business owners, it also comes with challenges.
Ensuring website security: With the increase in online transactions, maintaining a secure platform is vital. This challenge provides an opportunity to earn customers’ trust by implementing robust security measures.
Managing inventory: Keeping track of stock levels can be tricky, but it’s also an opportunity to streamline operations and reduce overheads
Attracting traffic: Creative marketing strategies, like email and content marketing, can help draw in potential customers.
Cart abandonment: 70.19% is the average shopping cart abandonment rate. Certain marketing tactics, like cart abandonment emails, can help recover these sales.
Retaining customers: Building a loyal customer base can be challenging, but it also means opportunities to engage with customers and create lasting relationships
Handling returns and refunds: Although managing returns can be complex, a smooth process can significantly enhance customer satisfaction
Dealing with competition: A competitive market pushes businesses to continually evolve and improve their offerings
Adapting to market changes: The ever-changing ecommerce landscape requires businesses to stay flexible and adaptable, fostering a culture of innovation and responsiveness.
How to Start a Successful Ecommerce Business
Starting an ecommerce business consists of a series of steps to set up your online store, source or create your products, and promote your website.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you launch your ecommerce venture.
1. Conduct Market Research
Before you can even think about products or selling, conduct market research on your business idea. Here’s how:
Identify Your Target Market and Niche
Find out who your ideal customers are using tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Audience Insights. These tools can help you discover the size, demographics, interests, and behaviors of your potential market and niche.
Pro tip
Create customized buyer personas with our free templates. Buyer personas help you understand your customers better and inform your marketing strategies and messaging.
The toolkit allows you to compare your website to competitors in key areas like traffic, keywords, pages, backlinks, and social media.
Find opportunities your competitors are missing using the Keyword Gap tool. To see which keywords your competitors are ranking for so you can outrank them.
2. Handle Legal Matters
Registering a business isn’t mandatory for all types of businesses, but it has many benefits that can help new entrepreneurs.
For example, registering a business can help you:
Open a business bank account and access financial services
Get funding from investors
Enjoy tax advantages and deductions
Protect your personal assets and limit your liability
Enhance your reputation and credibility with customers and suppliers
Comply with legal and regulatory requirements
Generally, sole proprietorships and partnerships do not need to register their business unless they want to use a trade name or a fictitious name for their business
On the other hand, corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs) must register their business in the state where they operate. These types of businesses have a separate legal entity from their owners and offer more protection and flexibility.
You can register your business online and learn more about the process on the official U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) website.
The cost of registering a business varies from state to state, but according to the SBA, it’s typically less than $300.
You’ll need the following information to register your business:
Business name
Business location
Ownership, management structure
Registered agent information
Number and value of shares (for a corporation)
The documents you’ll need vary according to your business type and state.
3. Buy a Domain Name
Buying a domain name is a crucial step in building your brand and business. It’s how your customers will find and remember you.
Some recommendations for choosing a domain name are:
Make it short, simple, and easy to spell and pronounce
Use keywords that relate to your niche and products
Avoid numbers, hyphens, and trademarked names
Choose a suitable extension, such as .com, .store, or .shop
Use a business name generator, like Namelix and Looka, to help you create a business name if you’re having trouble.
To buy a domain name, follow these steps:
Choose a domain name registrar, such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, or Google Domains. These are online services that sell and manage domain names.
Search for the availability of your desired domain name using the registrar’s website. Use tools like Domain Overview to check the domain authority and backlink profile of existing domains.
Select the domain name you want to buy and add it to your cart. Consider buying other extensions (.com, .net, .org, etc.) or variations of your domain name to protect your brand identity.
Review your order and choose a payment plan. Most registrars offer yearly or multi-year payment plans. You may also get discounts or free services, such as email hosting or SSL certificates, depending on the registrar and the plan you choose.
Complete the checkout process and confirm your purchase. You will need to provide your personal and payment information, as well as agree to the registrar’s terms and conditions.
Verify your domain ownership and update your DNS settings. You will receive an email from the registrar with instructions on how to verify your domain and point it to your web host.
4. Decide on Your Ecommerce Platform
An ecommerce platform is a software application that allows you to create, manage, and run your online store.
It provides the essential features and functionalities for your ecommerce website, such as a product catalog, shopping cart, checkout, payment processing, order management, and more.
There are many ecommerce platforms to choose from, depending on your budget, preferences, and technical skills.
Some of the most popular ones are:
Shopify: A hosted ecommerce platform that offers a user-friendly interface, a variety of themes and apps, and a free trial. Shopify is ideal for beginners and small to medium-sized businesses.
WooCommerce: A free, open-source ecommerce plugin for WordPress that lets you customize every aspect of your online store. WooCommerce is suitable for non-coders who use the WordPress interface. It offers more out-of-the-box themes, plugins, and allows you to have more control and flexibility over your ecommerce site.
Adobe Commerce: A powerful, self-hosted ecommerce platform that offers advanced features, scalability, and security. Adobe Commerce (previously Magento) is best for large enterprises and developers who need a high-performance ecommerce solution.
Deciding on the best ecommerce platform for your business depends on several factors.
Here’s what you should consider:
Budget: How much can you afford to spend on your ecommerce platform? Some platforms charge monthly fees. Others require upfront or ongoing costs for hosting, development, and maintenance.
Technical skills: How comfortable are you with coding and web development? Some platforms are more user-friendly and require little to no technical knowledge. Others are more complex and require some technical know-how.
Business needs: What are your goals and expectations for your ecommerce website? Some platforms offer more features and functionalities than others, such as inventory management, marketing tools, analytics, and integrations.
Design preferences: How do you want your ecommerce website to look and feel? Platforms like WooCommerce (on WordPress) offer more design options and customization than others, such as themes, templates, and plugins.
5. Source or Create Products
Will you source your products or make them yourself? The method you choose will significantly impact your initial costs and long-term business operations.
Consider the three primary sourcing methods:
Wholesalers: These are suppliers that sell products in bulk at discounted prices. The more you buy, the less expensive each item becomes. You can also have wholesalers package and ship your products, which can save time and money.
Manufacturers: Consider sourcing your products directly from manufacturers. This is like going straight to the source—bypassing any middle-person to get your products at the lowest possible cost.
Create your own: Create your own products by hand or outsource the creation to a manufacturer who can execute on your vision. This method offers total control over your product, allowing for uniqueness that can set your ecommerce store apart.
6. Add Products to Your Ecommerce Site
Once you have your ecommerce platform and product sourcing ready, add your products to your online store.
To optimize your product pages, pay attention to the following elements:
Product titles: Use clear, descriptive, and keyword-rich titles that accurately reflect what you sell. Avoid using generic or vague terms that could confuse customers or search engines. For example, instead of “Shoes,” use “Women’s Leather Ankle Boots.”
Product descriptions: Write compelling, informative, and unique product descriptions that highlight product benefits and features. Use bullet points, short paragraphs, and subheadings for easy-to-read and scan descriptions. Include relevant keywords that match your customers’ search intent, but avoid keyword stuffing or copying content.
A blog post is a piece of writing typically published on a website’s blog that presents information, opinions, experiences, or insights on a particular topic. Blog posts vary in length. And can include text, images, or videos, depending on the topic.
For instance, travel blogs are often rich in visuals. Showcasing the beauty or uniqueness of the places described.
Like this blog post from travel blog Nomadic Matt:
Business blog posts tend to be text-heavy. Focusing on data, expert interviews, industry news, statistics, and other helpful insights.
A blog, or weblog, is a regularly updated website (or page on a website) that features blog posts on various topics. The content is usually written in a conversational style, addressing the reader directly.
Note
Depending on your goals, you can set up a standalone blog or integrate it into your website (e.g., https://www.myshop.com/blog/). The first option is more suitable if you plan to use your blog as an online journal or diary rather than a business tool.
How Does Blogging Benefit Your Business?
Blogging has many potential benefits. Here, we look at the top advantages of creating blog posts for your business.
Builds Authority and Trust
Blogging can be a powerful tool if you’re looking to establish authority in your industry.
By consistently creating valuable and informative content, you can demonstrate expertise. And engage with your audience in meaningful ways.
Here’s how blogging helps build authority:
Showcases expertise: Blog posts that tackle industry issues, explain complex concepts, or provide how-to guides showcase your depth of knowledge. This helps position you as a thought leader in your industry.
Improves SEO: Well-crafted blog posts that incorporate relevant keywords can improve a website’s search engine rankings. Higher visibility in search results can lead to increased website traffic. And leads.
Builds trust: By providing valuable content without a hard sell, businesses can build trust with their audience
Gives You Full Control
With a blog, you have full control over the content you publish. Including the length, format, and topics you cover.
Blogging platforms like Medium and social media sites like Facebook can remove content at any time. And for any reason.
This may happen if what you write goes against their guidelines, someone (such as a competitor) reports your posts, or the platform goes out of business.
Builds Internal Links
Another advantage of blogging is that it lets you build internal links, which can improve website navigation. Internal links connect various pages of your website, guiding customers through relevant content and product pages.
A streamlined path makes it easier for customers to find and explore your products and other pages.
Let’s say you run an online store selling dietary supplements. You write about the benefits of protein on your blog. And link to product pages selling protein powder, protein bars, or other related products.
If your blog post is relevant and engaging, readers might click those links. And purchase the products you mentioned.
Improves Traffic and Visibility
Incorporating SEO best practices into your content may lead to higher rankings, resulting in more traffic and exposure.
For example, optimizing each blog post for specific keywords, such as “whey protein powder” or “vegan protein bars,” can help you get more targeted organic traffic. Keywords are search terms used by consumers to find information or products online.
Additionally, readers may share your blog posts on social media. Which can further boost website traffic and brand awareness.
Pro tip
Use Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool to find top-performing search terms. Our tool can help you identify high-volume, low-competition keywords related to the topic you want to cover.
Increases Backlinks
Blog posts are a great way to build backlinks for your website or blog. Backlinks are incoming links from one website to another, acting as votes of confidence that help signal your site’s authority to search engines.
High-quality backlinks can help boost your search engine rankings. And lead to more traffic.
The more traffic you get, the likelier your target audience is to discover your brand and products. Some may become paying customers. And help spread the word about your business.
Lets You Target Users in All Funnel Stages
Blogging lets you create content for each stage of the marketing funnel. Which can help you attract, convert, and retain customers.
Here’s a quick look at how to apply the marketing funnel to blog content:
Top of the funnel (ToFu): Create how-to posts, listicles, infographics, and other types of content for new audiences. These people are just discovering your blog, products, or services. The goal is to build awareness of the problem you can solve.
Middle of the funnel (MoFu): Produce longer, more in-depth content, such as ultimate guides, case studies, and comparison posts, for readers who are already familiar with your business. At this point, you’ll want to generate interest in your offerings.
Bottom of the funnel (BoFu): Go into detail about the products or services you promote on your blog with detailed reviews and product demos. Your readers are ready to take the desired action (e.g., book a consultation)—they just need an extra push.
There’s more than one way to format blog posts, depending on where your target audience is in the funnel. And your goals for the content.
With that in mind, let’s see some of the most common types of blog posts.
1. Listicles
Listicles are articles or blog posts organized in list format.
For example, a blog post titled “Top 10 Movies to Watch This Weekend” or “10 Must-Have Kitchen Appliances Every Home Needs” would be considered a listicle.
Use listicles to break complex topics into smaller, more manageable chunks. And share tips, strategies, products, or ideas.
For instance, Healthline uses this format to cover complex topics in a clear and engaging manner.
Below, you can see a listicle blog post about health and nutrition, broken down into 27 tips.
Each tip is numbered and covers one idea, such as “Don’t fear coffee” and “Eat fatty fish.”
The best way to get your site in front of people in your area is to use local SEO marketing.
Over 75% of consumers in the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom use Google when looking for business information.
Making it the most dominant search engine for local search in those (and many other) countries. By far.
And Google Maps searches for “shopping near me” have grown globally by more than 100% year over year.
Mobile searches for “store open near me” also grew by over 250% in a recent two-year period. And “where to buy” + “near me” keywords by more than 200%.
That’s hundreds of millions of searches every day.
How Local SEO Works
On top of Google’s usual ranking factors, its local search algorithms use three main factors to help find the best match:
Relevance (how closely related a Google Business Profile result is to the words a searcher uses in their query)
Distance (how far Google believes a user is from a business when they search)
Prominence (how important Google thinks a business is to its potential customers)
Then, Google displays two types of search results for local searches.
The “local pack” results (Google Maps and Business Profiles) and organic results.
Organic results are the “normal” blue link search results we’re all used to seeing on Google.
A local pack (or map pack) is a Google feature that shows the top local business listings and a map.
Like this:
For example, when you search for “nutritionist miami,” Google displays a local pack at the very top.
And the “regular” organic results underneath.
But Google doesn’t just display local results for queries that contain a city, state, or “near me” keyword.
If Google believes the intent of your search is local, it’ll display local results.
Even if your search isn’t explicitly local.
For example, if you were in Los Angeles and searched for “barber shops,” Google would still display a local pack for Los Angeles barber shops.
Like this:
How to Do Local SEO
Now it’s time to create a strategy so you can increase your local rankings and boost traffic. The following steps will help you get started.
Keyword research for local SEO is the process of finding keywords people use when searching for local products and services.
Ranking for these keywords drives highly targeted local traffic to your site and sends more customers your way.
To get started, you need a short list of keywords people can use to find your local business.
Here are a few different ways to start.
Research Your Competitors
Seeing what your competitors are doing is an easy way to start gathering ideas.
One of the best ways to do that is to use Semrush’s Organic Research tool.
Enter a competing site and click “Search.”
Like so:
Then, go to the “Positions” tab.
Click on “Advanced filters,” and exclude branded keywords (phrases that contain your competitor’s business name).
And click the “KD%” column to sort the table by keyword difficulty.
Like so:
Now you have a list of keywords you might want to target.
If your competitors are targeting these keywords, then they’re likely highly relevant to your business, too.
Check Local Keyword Volume Metrics
You’ll also want to get a sense of how difficult it is for your content to rank locally for keywords you choose to target.
Use the local volume metrics feature in the Keyword Overview tool to identify valuable keywords you’ll want to target in your content.
Enter your desired keyword into the search bar at the top of the page and hit “Search.”
Once the tool delivers the keyword results, click on the drop-down bar labeled “Select location.”
Type in your locale. This could be a state, county, province, city, or municipality. Go as narrow on the location as you wish.
You’ll get local data, as well as the comparative national data. So you can see how easy or difficult it is to rank for your keyword in your exact location.
Note: Some of these widgets show local data (volume, difficulty, SERP analysis, etc.), while others remain national-level (keyword variations, questions, related keywords).
If you’re a business operating at the local level, this is an essential feature to leverage as you’re building your targeted keyword list. Use the data to get an edge over competitors by optimizing your content for your specific area.
Use Google Autocomplete
Google autocomplete is a feature within Google Search that makes it faster to complete searches when you start to type.
Its purpose is to save users time by predicting what they’re going to search for.
For customers to find your business online, ranking on Google is key. Because 49% of shoppers start their search for a product or service on Google.
Google not only dominates local business searches. It’s also the gateway for global exposure. Making your business discoverable by Google allows the search engine to direct both local and international customers to your site.
Considering that approximately 74% of in-store shoppers search online for store-related information before visiting, online visibility is vital for your business.
To boost online visibility, optimize your website for search engines—using relevant keywords and a mobile-friendly design—and maintain an accurate, up-to-date business listing.
This profile pops up when someone looks you up or searches for your products or services on Google Search or Google Maps. Bridging the gap between an online presence and your store’s physical location.
Why Is It Important for Businesses to Show Up on Google Maps?
Although consumers rely heavily on online organic searches to find local businesses, Google Maps has an added advantage because it addresses local search queries specifically.
Say you provide dry cleaning services. When someone searches for dry cleaning in their area on Google Maps, they’ll be able to see a listing with your address, hours of operation, and contact details. All pulled from the information you entered into your Google Business Profile.
While a general Google Search helps users discover your business online, Google Maps targets those searching in your immediate area and vicinity—effectively capturing local demand.
Essentially, showing up on Google Maps can significantly increase your business’s foot traffic and local sales.
Your business will be visible only if you set up your Google Business Profile correctly. If you’ve created one but still aren’t showing up on Google, there may be many reasons why.
Possible Reasons Why Your Business Isn’t Showing Up on Google
1. You Need to Claim an Existing Business Profile
Your business might not appear on Google Maps if you still need to claim your GBP listing.
An unclaimed listing means the business information is present on Google Maps but still needs to be verified or managed by the business owner.
Both claiming and verifying your business listing are essential for managing your online presence and ensuring the accuracy of your information.
To check and claim ownership of your business, follow some simple steps:
Step 1: Sign in to GBP
Log in to GBP on your desktop or the mobile app using your Google Account. Click the Google apps button next to your profile icon, and find “Business Profile Manager” in the top-right corner of the menu.
Step 2: Claim existing ownership of a verified Google Business Profile
If you own and have verified your business, Google will redirect you to the GBP dashboard. If not, move on to step three to claim your business.
Step 3: Access your business profile
Search for your business name and location on Google.com. If your profile appears on the right-hand side, click “Own this business?”
Step 4: Request for claim
A prompt will appear on the screen. Click “Manage now.”
If someone else has already claimed this business, you might see something like this:
Click “Request Access.” Google will then ask about your level of ownership.
Fill in the required fields, and tick the option to let the business owner see your details.
If you don’t select this option, you won’t be able to move forward. Once done, hit “Submit.”
You will then get a confirmation prompt. And a date of when you should get ownership of your business profile if the current owner doesn’t respond.
Click “Done” and wait until you get access to your GBP.
After you click “Manage now,” the app will prompt you to provide ownership information.
Depending on your business type and circumstances, you may get instant validation or receive a verification code.
If a verification code is required, you may receive it via regular mail, email, or text. Enter the code into your Google Business dashboard to complete verification.
Then, you’ll gain full ownership of your Google Business Profile.
2. Your Listing Is Not Verified on Google Maps
Google prioritizes verified businesses to ensure reliability and accuracy in its listings.
Verification can be a part of the initial setup process or it can be completed afterward for existing profiles.
To verify your existing Google Business Profile, follow these steps:
Effective website optimization plays a significant role in enhancing your business’s visibility in organic search results. Which positively influences how your business appears on both Google Maps and Search.
Google’s algorithms consider various factors on a website to determine its relevance and authority. Like relevant content, mobile-friendliness, and user experience. These factors contribute to how well your business ranks in organic search results.
A higher ranking in search results can lead to better visibility in local searches, including on Google Maps.
It’s a key step toward improving your online visibility, particularly if you’re a new business with a limited online presence.
Efforts to optimize both your website and Google Business Profile are interconnected, as both elements can contribute to your overall online visibility.
Here’s a quick optimization checklist for your website:
Homepage clarity: Make sure your homepage clearly explains your business and offerings
Regular updates: Keep your website updated with relevant information about your products and services
SEO: Follow SEO best practices sitewide, including using relevant keywords, meta tags, and mobile-friendly design
Consider Ruth’s Nutrition’s GBP as an example.
The business uses similar keywords across its profile and website to connect both platforms.
Pro tip
Regular updates and local SEO strategies can improve your search rankings and attract more customers.
4. Your Website Uses Too Few, Too Many, or the Wrong Keywords
Using too few keywords may lead to poor discoverability. Using irrelevant or incorrect keywords can attract the wrong audience. Or no audience at all.
Consider The Philadelphia Flower Market, which often appears in the top search results for the keyword “florist shop” for users located in that city.
The website content includes a variation of the specific search query, “flower shop.”
By including relevant keywords in its website content, The Philadelphia Flower Market aligns more closely with users’ search intent. And signals a relevant connection to search engines.
Meanwhile, the GBP listing uses the terms “florist,” “flowers,” and “market.”
An ecommerce website is any site that facilitates the buying and selling of products and services.
Digital marketplaces, online retail stores, and auction sites are considered ecommerce sites because they enable consumers to buy goods.
Any business owner with a product or service to sell can benefit from an ecommerce site, including the following:
A small business trying to get local customers
A freelancer selling their services
A large corporation showcasing its products
Pro tip
Grow your online store with Semrush for Ecommerce, an all-in-one solution to optimize your store and promote your products.
What Is Ecommerce?
Ecommerce, which stands for “electronic commerce,” is the buying and selling of products and services over the internet. This includes all types of industries, such as retail, electronics, grocery, education, entertainment, delivery, and more.
According to Statista, revenue in the U.S. ecommerce market is predicted to grow 43.58% between 2024 and 2028. This increase in growth is forecasted to be worth $462.7 billion U.S. dollars.
How Does Ecommerce Work?
Ecommerce works in multiple ways: Merchants can create their own ecommerce site, set up an online store on an ecommerce platform like Shopify or Magento, or create a storefront on a marketplace like Amazon or eBay.
Regardless of the method, all stores must have secure payment gateways to facilitate payments and comply with Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards.
Here’s a look at the process:
Shoppers visit an online store or website and browse products using a variety of devices, such as smartphones, laptops, desktops, tablets, and smart TVs and watches.
Customers typically add the products they want to buy to a virtual shopping cart. The shopping cart keeps track of selected items, quantities, and total costs.
When customers are ready to purchase, they proceed to the checkout page. They provide shipping information, select a payment method, and review their order before finalizing the purchase.
The seller receives a notification of the order
The vendor then prepares the products for shipping to the customer
An excellent example of an ecommerce website is the eBay marketplace. Shoppers search for specific products using the search bar or relevant product categories on the main menu.
What Should an Ecommerce Site Do?
A great ecommerce site can do a variety of things, from helping you sell your products to providing an excellent user experience (UX) for customers.
Here’s a look at what ecommerce sites should have in order to successfully meet website owners’ (and users’) needs:
User-friendly interface: Ensure intuitive navigation and easy access to products and services
Secure payment gateway: Implement SSL certificates and PCI compliance for safe transactions
Product catalog: Organize products into categories with detailed descriptions and high-quality images
Shopping cart: Allow users to add, remove, and modify items before checkout
Mobile responsiveness: Optimize the site for seamless viewing and functionality across various devices
Search functionality: Enable users to quickly find specific products or categories
Customer reviews and ratings: Provide social proof and aid in decision-making for potential buyers
Order management system: Track orders, manage inventory, and process shipments efficiently
Customer support: Offer multiple channels for assistance, such as live chat, email, and phone support
Analytics and reporting: Monitor site performance, track user behavior, and gain insights for optimization
Legal compliance: Ensure adherence to data protection laws, terms of service, and privacy policies
SEO optimization: Optimize content and metadata to improve search engine rankings and visibility
Mobile optimization: Google recommends that content on mobile pages should load in under 3 seconds.
If business owners don’t have the budget or time to invest in creating a high-quality ecommerce site, established online marketplaces or online stores that provide these features can be a great alternative.
A B2C business is an online business that sells goods or services directly to individual consumers.
A B2C website example is Alfred, an online coffee shop that sells coffee products. Customers can buy coffee online from this site and even set up subscriptions at their preferred frequency.
Business-to-Business (B2B)
B2B ecommerce is when a business sells goods or services to another business over the internet.
B2B transactions are primarily between a wholesaler and a retailer, or a manufacturer and a wholesaler.
Alibaba is a B2B marketplace that sells clothes, machinery, and consumer electronics to business owners.
Business-to-Government (B2G)
B2G is an ecommerce model where a business sells products to the government (local, county, state, or federal).
Companies place bids to win government contracts.
For example, pharmaceutical and biotechnology giant Pfizer won a billion-dollar deal to supply the U.S. government with COVID-19 vaccines in 2022.
Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C)
C2C is a business model in which consumers sell goods or services to other consumers.
Online marketplaces provide a platform for consumers to interact and transact in a secure environment.
For instance, consumers can buy and sell baby care products, furniture, mobile phones, and more on Facebook Marketplace.
Consumer-to-Business (C2B)
The C2B model is when an individual sells physical products or services to a company.
For example, an independent freelance writer can advertise their services (write ebooks, blog posts, or social media content) to businesses on a site like Upwork. Businesses and individuals can then buy these services on the platform.
Consumer-to-Government (C2G)
C2G ecommerce refers to transactions between a consumer and various government entities.
In the C2G model, consumers interact with government agencies directly and gain access to government services through an online platform.
Buying and selling goods online has many benefits for both buyers and sellers.
Wider reach: Allows businesses to expand beyond their local area, reaching regional or global markets
Convenience: Offers flexibility and convenience, allowing consumers to shop anytime, anywhere
Low costs: Reduces the need for physical space, cutting down on rent, utility bills, and property taxes
Customer data: Provides access to valuable customer data, including purchase history and preferences, helping you choose products and improve the experience
Faster service: Speeds up the buying process with smart automation, rapid browsing, and quick ordering systems
Payment flexibility: Caters to customer preferences and enhances the shopping experience
Affordable marketing and advertising: More cost-effective than traditional advertising methods
Facilitates international trade: Breaks down geographical barriers, making it easier for businesses to enter international markets
The Challenges of Ecommerce Businesses
While ecommerce offers many benefits to business owners, it also comes with challenges.
Ensuring website security: With the increase in online transactions, maintaining a secure platform is vital. This challenge provides an opportunity to earn customers’ trust by implementing robust security measures.
Managing inventory: Keeping track of stock levels can be tricky, but it’s also an opportunity to streamline operations and reduce overheads
Attracting traffic: Creative marketing strategies, like email and content marketing, can help draw in potential customers.
Cart abandonment: 70.19% is the average shopping cart abandonment rate. Certain marketing tactics, like cart abandonment emails, can help recover these sales.
Retaining customers: Building a loyal customer base can be challenging, but it also means opportunities to engage with customers and create lasting relationships
Handling returns and refunds: Although managing returns can be complex, a smooth process can significantly enhance customer satisfaction
Dealing with competition: A competitive market pushes businesses to continually evolve and improve their offerings
Adapting to market changes: The ever-changing ecommerce landscape requires businesses to stay flexible and adaptable, fostering a culture of innovation and responsiveness.
How to Start a Successful Ecommerce Business
Starting an ecommerce business consists of a series of steps to set up your online store, source or create your products, and promote your website.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you launch your ecommerce venture.
1. Conduct Market Research
Before you can even think about products or selling, conduct market research on your business idea. Here’s how:
Identify Your Target Market and Niche
Find out who your ideal customers are using tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Audience Insights. These tools can help you discover the size, demographics, interests, and behaviors of your potential market and niche.
Pro tip
Create customized buyer personas with our free templates. Buyer personas help you understand your customers better and inform your marketing strategies and messaging.
The toolkit allows you to compare your website to competitors in key areas like traffic, keywords, pages, backlinks, and social media.
Find opportunities your competitors are missing using the Keyword Gap tool. To see which keywords your competitors are ranking for so you can outrank them.
2. Handle Legal Matters
Registering a business isn’t mandatory for all types of businesses, but it has many benefits that can help new entrepreneurs.
For example, registering a business can help you:
Open a business bank account and access financial services
Get funding from investors
Enjoy tax advantages and deductions
Protect your personal assets and limit your liability
Enhance your reputation and credibility with customers and suppliers
Comply with legal and regulatory requirements
Generally, sole proprietorships and partnerships do not need to register their business unless they want to use a trade name or a fictitious name for their business
On the other hand, corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs) must register their business in the state where they operate. These types of businesses have a separate legal entity from their owners and offer more protection and flexibility.
You can register your business online and learn more about the process on the official U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) website.
The cost of registering a business varies from state to state, but according to the SBA, it’s typically less than $300.
You’ll need the following information to register your business:
Business name
Business location
Ownership, management structure
Registered agent information
Number and value of shares (for a corporation)
The documents you’ll need vary according to your business type and state.
3. Buy a Domain Name
Buying a domain name is a crucial step in building your brand and business. It’s how your customers will find and remember you.
Some recommendations for choosing a domain name are:
Make it short, simple, and easy to spell and pronounce
Use keywords that relate to your niche and products
Avoid numbers, hyphens, and trademarked names
Choose a suitable extension, such as .com, .store, or .shop
Use a business name generator, like Namelix and Looka, to help you create a business name if you’re having trouble.
To buy a domain name, follow these steps:
Choose a domain name registrar, such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, or Google Domains. These are online services that sell and manage domain names.
Search for the availability of your desired domain name using the registrar’s website. Use tools like Domain Overview to check the domain authority and backlink profile of existing domains.
Select the domain name you want to buy and add it to your cart. Consider buying other extensions (.com, .net, .org, etc.) or variations of your domain name to protect your brand identity.
Review your order and choose a payment plan. Most registrars offer yearly or multi-year payment plans. You may also get discounts or free services, such as email hosting or SSL certificates, depending on the registrar and the plan you choose.
Complete the checkout process and confirm your purchase. You will need to provide your personal and payment information, as well as agree to the registrar’s terms and conditions.
Verify your domain ownership and update your DNS settings. You will receive an email from the registrar with instructions on how to verify your domain and point it to your web host.
4. Decide on Your Ecommerce Platform
An ecommerce platform is a software application that allows you to create, manage, and run your online store.
It provides the essential features and functionalities for your ecommerce website, such as a product catalog, shopping cart, checkout, payment processing, order management, and more.
There are many ecommerce platforms to choose from, depending on your budget, preferences, and technical skills.
Some of the most popular ones are:
Shopify: A hosted ecommerce platform that offers a user-friendly interface, a variety of themes and apps, and a free trial. Shopify is ideal for beginners and small to medium-sized businesses.
WooCommerce: A free, open-source ecommerce plugin for WordPress that lets you customize every aspect of your online store. WooCommerce is suitable for non-coders who use the WordPress interface. It offers more out-of-the-box themes, plugins, and allows you to have more control and flexibility over your ecommerce site.
Adobe Commerce: A powerful, self-hosted ecommerce platform that offers advanced features, scalability, and security. Adobe Commerce (previously Magento) is best for large enterprises and developers who need a high-performance ecommerce solution.
Deciding on the best ecommerce platform for your business depends on several factors.
Here’s what you should consider:
Budget: How much can you afford to spend on your ecommerce platform? Some platforms charge monthly fees. Others require upfront or ongoing costs for hosting, development, and maintenance.
Technical skills: How comfortable are you with coding and web development? Some platforms are more user-friendly and require little to no technical knowledge. Others are more complex and require some technical know-how.
Business needs: What are your goals and expectations for your ecommerce website? Some platforms offer more features and functionalities than others, such as inventory management, marketing tools, analytics, and integrations.
Design preferences: How do you want your ecommerce website to look and feel? Platforms like WooCommerce (on WordPress) offer more design options and customization than others, such as themes, templates, and plugins.
5. Source or Create Products
Will you source your products or make them yourself? The method you choose will significantly impact your initial costs and long-term business operations.
Consider the three primary sourcing methods:
Wholesalers: These are suppliers that sell products in bulk at discounted prices. The more you buy, the less expensive each item becomes. You can also have wholesalers package and ship your products, which can save time and money.
Manufacturers: Consider sourcing your products directly from manufacturers. This is like going straight to the source—bypassing any middle-person to get your products at the lowest possible cost.
Create your own: Create your own products by hand or outsource the creation to a manufacturer who can execute on your vision. This method offers total control over your product, allowing for uniqueness that can set your ecommerce store apart.
6. Add Products to Your Ecommerce Site
Once you have your ecommerce platform and product sourcing ready, add your products to your online store.
To optimize your product pages, pay attention to the following elements:
Product titles: Use clear, descriptive, and keyword-rich titles that accurately reflect what you sell. Avoid using generic or vague terms that could confuse customers or search engines. For example, instead of “Shoes,” use “Women’s Leather Ankle Boots.”
Product descriptions: Write compelling, informative, and unique product descriptions that highlight product benefits and features. Use bullet points, short paragraphs, and subheadings for easy-to-read and scan descriptions. Include relevant keywords that match your customers’ search intent, but avoid keyword stuffing or copying content.
A blog post is a piece of writing typically published on a website’s blog that presents information, opinions, experiences, or insights on a particular topic. Blog posts vary in length. And can include text, images, or videos, depending on the topic.
For instance, travel blogs are often rich in visuals. Showcasing the beauty or uniqueness of the places described.
Like this blog post from travel blog Nomadic Matt:
Business blog posts tend to be text-heavy. Focusing on data, expert interviews, industry news, statistics, and other helpful insights.
A blog, or weblog, is a regularly updated website (or page on a website) that features blog posts on various topics. The content is usually written in a conversational style, addressing the reader directly.
Note
Depending on your goals, you can set up a standalone blog or integrate it into your website (e.g., https://www.myshop.com/blog/). The first option is more suitable if you plan to use your blog as an online journal or diary rather than a business tool.
How Does Blogging Benefit Your Business?
Blogging has many potential benefits. Here, we look at the top advantages of creating blog posts for your business.
Builds Authority and Trust
Blogging can be a powerful tool if you’re looking to establish authority in your industry.
By consistently creating valuable and informative content, you can demonstrate expertise. And engage with your audience in meaningful ways.
Here’s how blogging helps build authority:
Showcases expertise: Blog posts that tackle industry issues, explain complex concepts, or provide how-to guides showcase your depth of knowledge. This helps position you as a thought leader in your industry.
Improves SEO: Well-crafted blog posts that incorporate relevant keywords can improve a website’s search engine rankings. Higher visibility in search results can lead to increased website traffic. And leads.
Builds trust: By providing valuable content without a hard sell, businesses can build trust with their audience
Gives You Full Control
With a blog, you have full control over the content you publish. Including the length, format, and topics you cover.
Blogging platforms like Medium and social media sites like Facebook can remove content at any time. And for any reason.
This may happen if what you write goes against their guidelines, someone (such as a competitor) reports your posts, or the platform goes out of business.
Builds Internal Links
Another advantage of blogging is that it lets you build internal links, which can improve website navigation. Internal links connect various pages of your website, guiding customers through relevant content and product pages.
A streamlined path makes it easier for customers to find and explore your products and other pages.
Let’s say you run an online store selling dietary supplements. You write about the benefits of protein on your blog. And link to product pages selling protein powder, protein bars, or other related products.
If your blog post is relevant and engaging, readers might click those links. And purchase the products you mentioned.
Improves Traffic and Visibility
Incorporating SEO best practices into your content may lead to higher rankings, resulting in more traffic and exposure.
For example, optimizing each blog post for specific keywords, such as “whey protein powder” or “vegan protein bars,” can help you get more targeted organic traffic. Keywords are search terms used by consumers to find information or products online.
Additionally, readers may share your blog posts on social media. Which can further boost website traffic and brand awareness.
Pro tip
Use Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool to find top-performing search terms. Our tool can help you identify high-volume, low-competition keywords related to the topic you want to cover.
Increases Backlinks
Blog posts are a great way to build backlinks for your website or blog. Backlinks are incoming links from one website to another, acting as votes of confidence that help signal your site’s authority to search engines.
High-quality backlinks can help boost your search engine rankings. And lead to more traffic.
The more traffic you get, the likelier your target audience is to discover your brand and products. Some may become paying customers. And help spread the word about your business.
Lets You Target Users in All Funnel Stages
Blogging lets you create content for each stage of the marketing funnel. Which can help you attract, convert, and retain customers.
Here’s a quick look at how to apply the marketing funnel to blog content:
Top of the funnel (ToFu): Create how-to posts, listicles, infographics, and other types of content for new audiences. These people are just discovering your blog, products, or services. The goal is to build awareness of the problem you can solve.
Middle of the funnel (MoFu): Produce longer, more in-depth content, such as ultimate guides, case studies, and comparison posts, for readers who are already familiar with your business. At this point, you’ll want to generate interest in your offerings.
Bottom of the funnel (BoFu): Go into detail about the products or services you promote on your blog with detailed reviews and product demos. Your readers are ready to take the desired action (e.g., book a consultation)—they just need an extra push.
There’s more than one way to format blog posts, depending on where your target audience is in the funnel. And your goals for the content.
With that in mind, let’s see some of the most common types of blog posts.
1. Listicles
Listicles are articles or blog posts organized in list format.
For example, a blog post titled “Top 10 Movies to Watch This Weekend” or “10 Must-Have Kitchen Appliances Every Home Needs” would be considered a listicle.
Use listicles to break complex topics into smaller, more manageable chunks. And share tips, strategies, products, or ideas.
For instance, Healthline uses this format to cover complex topics in a clear and engaging manner.
Below, you can see a listicle blog post about health and nutrition, broken down into 27 tips.
Each tip is numbered and covers one idea, such as “Don’t fear coffee” and “Eat fatty fish.”
The best way to get your site in front of people in your area is to use local SEO marketing.
Over 75% of consumers in the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom use Google when looking for business information.
Making it the most dominant search engine for local search in those (and many other) countries. By far.
And Google Maps searches for “shopping near me” have grown globally by more than 100% year over year.
Mobile searches for “store open near me” also grew by over 250% in a recent two-year period. And “where to buy” + “near me” keywords by more than 200%.
That’s hundreds of millions of searches every day.
How Local SEO Works
On top of Google’s usual ranking factors, its local search algorithms use three main factors to help find the best match:
Relevance (how closely related a Google Business Profile result is to the words a searcher uses in their query)
Distance (how far Google believes a user is from a business when they search)
Prominence (how important Google thinks a business is to its potential customers)
Then, Google displays two types of search results for local searches.
The “local pack” results (Google Maps and Business Profiles) and organic results.
Organic results are the “normal” blue link search results we’re all used to seeing on Google.
A local pack (or map pack) is a Google feature that shows the top local business listings and a map.
Like this:
For example, when you search for “nutritionist miami,” Google displays a local pack at the very top.
And the “regular” organic results underneath.
But Google doesn’t just display local results for queries that contain a city, state, or “near me” keyword.
If Google believes the intent of your search is local, it’ll display local results.
Even if your search isn’t explicitly local.
For example, if you were in Los Angeles and searched for “barber shops,” Google would still display a local pack for Los Angeles barber shops.
Like this:
How to Do Local SEO
Now it’s time to create a strategy so you can increase your local rankings and boost traffic. The following steps will help you get started.
Keyword research for local SEO is the process of finding keywords people use when searching for local products and services.
Ranking for these keywords drives highly targeted local traffic to your site and sends more customers your way.
To get started, you need a short list of keywords people can use to find your local business.
Here are a few different ways to start.
Research Your Competitors
Seeing what your competitors are doing is an easy way to start gathering ideas.
One of the best ways to do that is to use Semrush’s Organic Research tool.
Enter a competing site and click “Search.”
Like so:
Then, go to the “Positions” tab.
Click on “Advanced filters,” and exclude branded keywords (phrases that contain your competitor’s business name).
And click the “KD%” column to sort the table by keyword difficulty.
Like so:
Now you have a list of keywords you might want to target.
If your competitors are targeting these keywords, then they’re likely highly relevant to your business, too.
Check Local Keyword Volume Metrics
You’ll also want to get a sense of how difficult it is for your content to rank locally for keywords you choose to target.
Use the local volume metrics feature in the Keyword Overview tool to identify valuable keywords you’ll want to target in your content.
Enter your desired keyword into the search bar at the top of the page and hit “Search.”
Once the tool delivers the keyword results, click on the drop-down bar labeled “Select location.”
Type in your locale. This could be a state, county, province, city, or municipality. Go as narrow on the location as you wish.
You’ll get local data, as well as the comparative national data. So you can see how easy or difficult it is to rank for your keyword in your exact location.
Note: Some of these widgets show local data (volume, difficulty, SERP analysis, etc.), while others remain national-level (keyword variations, questions, related keywords).
If you’re a business operating at the local level, this is an essential feature to leverage as you’re building your targeted keyword list. Use the data to get an edge over competitors by optimizing your content for your specific area.
Use Google Autocomplete
Google autocomplete is a feature within Google Search that makes it faster to complete searches when you start to type.
Its purpose is to save users time by predicting what they’re going to search for.
For customers to find your business online, ranking on Google is key. Because 49% of shoppers start their search for a product or service on Google.
Google not only dominates local business searches. It’s also the gateway for global exposure. Making your business discoverable by Google allows the search engine to direct both local and international customers to your site.
Considering that approximately 74% of in-store shoppers search online for store-related information before visiting, online visibility is vital for your business.
To boost online visibility, optimize your website for search engines—using relevant keywords and a mobile-friendly design—and maintain an accurate, up-to-date business listing.
This profile pops up when someone looks you up or searches for your products or services on Google Search or Google Maps. Bridging the gap between an online presence and your store’s physical location.
Why Is It Important for Businesses to Show Up on Google Maps?
Although consumers rely heavily on online organic searches to find local businesses, Google Maps has an added advantage because it addresses local search queries specifically.
Say you provide dry cleaning services. When someone searches for dry cleaning in their area on Google Maps, they’ll be able to see a listing with your address, hours of operation, and contact details. All pulled from the information you entered into your Google Business Profile.
While a general Google Search helps users discover your business online, Google Maps targets those searching in your immediate area and vicinity—effectively capturing local demand.
Essentially, showing up on Google Maps can significantly increase your business’s foot traffic and local sales.
Your business will be visible only if you set up your Google Business Profile correctly. If you’ve created one but still aren’t showing up on Google, there may be many reasons why.
Possible Reasons Why Your Business Isn’t Showing Up on Google
1. You Need to Claim an Existing Business Profile
Your business might not appear on Google Maps if you still need to claim your GBP listing.
An unclaimed listing means the business information is present on Google Maps but still needs to be verified or managed by the business owner.
Both claiming and verifying your business listing are essential for managing your online presence and ensuring the accuracy of your information.
To check and claim ownership of your business, follow some simple steps:
Step 1: Sign in to GBP
Log in to GBP on your desktop or the mobile app using your Google Account. Click the Google apps button next to your profile icon, and find “Business Profile Manager” in the top-right corner of the menu.
Step 2: Claim existing ownership of a verified Google Business Profile
If you own and have verified your business, Google will redirect you to the GBP dashboard. If not, move on to step three to claim your business.
Step 3: Access your business profile
Search for your business name and location on Google.com. If your profile appears on the right-hand side, click “Own this business?”
Step 4: Request for claim
A prompt will appear on the screen. Click “Manage now.”
If someone else has already claimed this business, you might see something like this:
Click “Request Access.” Google will then ask about your level of ownership.
Fill in the required fields, and tick the option to let the business owner see your details.
If you don’t select this option, you won’t be able to move forward. Once done, hit “Submit.”
You will then get a confirmation prompt. And a date of when you should get ownership of your business profile if the current owner doesn’t respond.
Click “Done” and wait until you get access to your GBP.
After you click “Manage now,” the app will prompt you to provide ownership information.
Depending on your business type and circumstances, you may get instant validation or receive a verification code.
If a verification code is required, you may receive it via regular mail, email, or text. Enter the code into your Google Business dashboard to complete verification.
Then, you’ll gain full ownership of your Google Business Profile.
2. Your Listing Is Not Verified on Google Maps
Google prioritizes verified businesses to ensure reliability and accuracy in its listings.
Verification can be a part of the initial setup process or it can be completed afterward for existing profiles.
To verify your existing Google Business Profile, follow these steps:
Effective website optimization plays a significant role in enhancing your business’s visibility in organic search results. Which positively influences how your business appears on both Google Maps and Search.
Google’s algorithms consider various factors on a website to determine its relevance and authority. Like relevant content, mobile-friendliness, and user experience. These factors contribute to how well your business ranks in organic search results.
A higher ranking in search results can lead to better visibility in local searches, including on Google Maps.
It’s a key step toward improving your online visibility, particularly if you’re a new business with a limited online presence.
Efforts to optimize both your website and Google Business Profile are interconnected, as both elements can contribute to your overall online visibility.
Here’s a quick optimization checklist for your website:
Homepage clarity: Make sure your homepage clearly explains your business and offerings
Regular updates: Keep your website updated with relevant information about your products and services
SEO: Follow SEO best practices sitewide, including using relevant keywords, meta tags, and mobile-friendly design
Consider Ruth’s Nutrition’s GBP as an example.
The business uses similar keywords across its profile and website to connect both platforms.
Pro tip
Regular updates and local SEO strategies can improve your search rankings and attract more customers.
4. Your Website Uses Too Few, Too Many, or the Wrong Keywords
Using too few keywords may lead to poor discoverability. Using irrelevant or incorrect keywords can attract the wrong audience. Or no audience at all.
Consider The Philadelphia Flower Market, which often appears in the top search results for the keyword “florist shop” for users located in that city.
The website content includes a variation of the specific search query, “flower shop.”
By including relevant keywords in its website content, The Philadelphia Flower Market aligns more closely with users’ search intent. And signals a relevant connection to search engines.
Meanwhile, the GBP listing uses the terms “florist,” “flowers,” and “market.”
An ecommerce website is any site that facilitates the buying and selling of products and services.
Digital marketplaces, online retail stores, and auction sites are considered ecommerce sites because they enable consumers to buy goods.
Any business owner with a product or service to sell can benefit from an ecommerce site, including the following:
A small business trying to get local customers
A freelancer selling their services
A large corporation showcasing its products
Pro tip
Grow your online store with Semrush for Ecommerce, an all-in-one solution to optimize your store and promote your products.
What Is Ecommerce?
Ecommerce, which stands for “electronic commerce,” is the buying and selling of products and services over the internet. This includes all types of industries, such as retail, electronics, grocery, education, entertainment, delivery, and more.
According to Statista, revenue in the U.S. ecommerce market is predicted to grow 43.58% between 2024 and 2028. This increase in growth is forecasted to be worth $462.7 billion U.S. dollars.
How Does Ecommerce Work?
Ecommerce works in multiple ways: Merchants can create their own ecommerce site, set up an online store on an ecommerce platform like Shopify or Magento, or create a storefront on a marketplace like Amazon or eBay.
Regardless of the method, all stores must have secure payment gateways to facilitate payments and comply with Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards.
Here’s a look at the process:
Shoppers visit an online store or website and browse products using a variety of devices, such as smartphones, laptops, desktops, tablets, and smart TVs and watches.
Customers typically add the products they want to buy to a virtual shopping cart. The shopping cart keeps track of selected items, quantities, and total costs.
When customers are ready to purchase, they proceed to the checkout page. They provide shipping information, select a payment method, and review their order before finalizing the purchase.
The seller receives a notification of the order
The vendor then prepares the products for shipping to the customer
An excellent example of an ecommerce website is the eBay marketplace. Shoppers search for specific products using the search bar or relevant product categories on the main menu.
What Should an Ecommerce Site Do?
A great ecommerce site can do a variety of things, from helping you sell your products to providing an excellent user experience (UX) for customers.
Here’s a look at what ecommerce sites should have in order to successfully meet website owners’ (and users’) needs:
User-friendly interface: Ensure intuitive navigation and easy access to products and services
Secure payment gateway: Implement SSL certificates and PCI compliance for safe transactions
Product catalog: Organize products into categories with detailed descriptions and high-quality images
Shopping cart: Allow users to add, remove, and modify items before checkout
Mobile responsiveness: Optimize the site for seamless viewing and functionality across various devices
Search functionality: Enable users to quickly find specific products or categories
Customer reviews and ratings: Provide social proof and aid in decision-making for potential buyers
Order management system: Track orders, manage inventory, and process shipments efficiently
Customer support: Offer multiple channels for assistance, such as live chat, email, and phone support
Analytics and reporting: Monitor site performance, track user behavior, and gain insights for optimization
Legal compliance: Ensure adherence to data protection laws, terms of service, and privacy policies
SEO optimization: Optimize content and metadata to improve search engine rankings and visibility
Mobile optimization: Google recommends that content on mobile pages should load in under 3 seconds.
If business owners don’t have the budget or time to invest in creating a high-quality ecommerce site, established online marketplaces or online stores that provide these features can be a great alternative.
A B2C business is an online business that sells goods or services directly to individual consumers.
A B2C website example is Alfred, an online coffee shop that sells coffee products. Customers can buy coffee online from this site and even set up subscriptions at their preferred frequency.
Business-to-Business (B2B)
B2B ecommerce is when a business sells goods or services to another business over the internet.
B2B transactions are primarily between a wholesaler and a retailer, or a manufacturer and a wholesaler.
Alibaba is a B2B marketplace that sells clothes, machinery, and consumer electronics to business owners.
Business-to-Government (B2G)
B2G is an ecommerce model where a business sells products to the government (local, county, state, or federal).
Companies place bids to win government contracts.
For example, pharmaceutical and biotechnology giant Pfizer won a billion-dollar deal to supply the U.S. government with COVID-19 vaccines in 2022.
Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C)
C2C is a business model in which consumers sell goods or services to other consumers.
Online marketplaces provide a platform for consumers to interact and transact in a secure environment.
For instance, consumers can buy and sell baby care products, furniture, mobile phones, and more on Facebook Marketplace.
Consumer-to-Business (C2B)
The C2B model is when an individual sells physical products or services to a company.
For example, an independent freelance writer can advertise their services (write ebooks, blog posts, or social media content) to businesses on a site like Upwork. Businesses and individuals can then buy these services on the platform.
Consumer-to-Government (C2G)
C2G ecommerce refers to transactions between a consumer and various government entities.
In the C2G model, consumers interact with government agencies directly and gain access to government services through an online platform.
Buying and selling goods online has many benefits for both buyers and sellers.
Wider reach: Allows businesses to expand beyond their local area, reaching regional or global markets
Convenience: Offers flexibility and convenience, allowing consumers to shop anytime, anywhere
Low costs: Reduces the need for physical space, cutting down on rent, utility bills, and property taxes
Customer data: Provides access to valuable customer data, including purchase history and preferences, helping you choose products and improve the experience
Faster service: Speeds up the buying process with smart automation, rapid browsing, and quick ordering systems
Payment flexibility: Caters to customer preferences and enhances the shopping experience
Affordable marketing and advertising: More cost-effective than traditional advertising methods
Facilitates international trade: Breaks down geographical barriers, making it easier for businesses to enter international markets
The Challenges of Ecommerce Businesses
While ecommerce offers many benefits to business owners, it also comes with challenges.
Ensuring website security: With the increase in online transactions, maintaining a secure platform is vital. This challenge provides an opportunity to earn customers’ trust by implementing robust security measures.
Managing inventory: Keeping track of stock levels can be tricky, but it’s also an opportunity to streamline operations and reduce overheads
Attracting traffic: Creative marketing strategies, like email and content marketing, can help draw in potential customers.
Cart abandonment: 70.19% is the average shopping cart abandonment rate. Certain marketing tactics, like cart abandonment emails, can help recover these sales.
Retaining customers: Building a loyal customer base can be challenging, but it also means opportunities to engage with customers and create lasting relationships
Handling returns and refunds: Although managing returns can be complex, a smooth process can significantly enhance customer satisfaction
Dealing with competition: A competitive market pushes businesses to continually evolve and improve their offerings
Adapting to market changes: The ever-changing ecommerce landscape requires businesses to stay flexible and adaptable, fostering a culture of innovation and responsiveness.
How to Start a Successful Ecommerce Business
Starting an ecommerce business consists of a series of steps to set up your online store, source or create your products, and promote your website.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you launch your ecommerce venture.
1. Conduct Market Research
Before you can even think about products or selling, conduct market research on your business idea. Here’s how:
Identify Your Target Market and Niche
Find out who your ideal customers are using tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Audience Insights. These tools can help you discover the size, demographics, interests, and behaviors of your potential market and niche.
Pro tip
Create customized buyer personas with our free templates. Buyer personas help you understand your customers better and inform your marketing strategies and messaging.
The toolkit allows you to compare your website to competitors in key areas like traffic, keywords, pages, backlinks, and social media.
Find opportunities your competitors are missing using the Keyword Gap tool. To see which keywords your competitors are ranking for so you can outrank them.
2. Handle Legal Matters
Registering a business isn’t mandatory for all types of businesses, but it has many benefits that can help new entrepreneurs.
For example, registering a business can help you:
Open a business bank account and access financial services
Get funding from investors
Enjoy tax advantages and deductions
Protect your personal assets and limit your liability
Enhance your reputation and credibility with customers and suppliers
Comply with legal and regulatory requirements
Generally, sole proprietorships and partnerships do not need to register their business unless they want to use a trade name or a fictitious name for their business
On the other hand, corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs) must register their business in the state where they operate. These types of businesses have a separate legal entity from their owners and offer more protection and flexibility.
You can register your business online and learn more about the process on the official U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) website.
The cost of registering a business varies from state to state, but according to the SBA, it’s typically less than $300.
You’ll need the following information to register your business:
Business name
Business location
Ownership, management structure
Registered agent information
Number and value of shares (for a corporation)
The documents you’ll need vary according to your business type and state.
3. Buy a Domain Name
Buying a domain name is a crucial step in building your brand and business. It’s how your customers will find and remember you.
Some recommendations for choosing a domain name are:
Make it short, simple, and easy to spell and pronounce
Use keywords that relate to your niche and products
Avoid numbers, hyphens, and trademarked names
Choose a suitable extension, such as .com, .store, or .shop
Use a business name generator, like Namelix and Looka, to help you create a business name if you’re having trouble.
To buy a domain name, follow these steps:
Choose a domain name registrar, such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, or Google Domains. These are online services that sell and manage domain names.
Search for the availability of your desired domain name using the registrar’s website. Use tools like Domain Overview to check the domain authority and backlink profile of existing domains.
Select the domain name you want to buy and add it to your cart. Consider buying other extensions (.com, .net, .org, etc.) or variations of your domain name to protect your brand identity.
Review your order and choose a payment plan. Most registrars offer yearly or multi-year payment plans. You may also get discounts or free services, such as email hosting or SSL certificates, depending on the registrar and the plan you choose.
Complete the checkout process and confirm your purchase. You will need to provide your personal and payment information, as well as agree to the registrar’s terms and conditions.
Verify your domain ownership and update your DNS settings. You will receive an email from the registrar with instructions on how to verify your domain and point it to your web host.
4. Decide on Your Ecommerce Platform
An ecommerce platform is a software application that allows you to create, manage, and run your online store.
It provides the essential features and functionalities for your ecommerce website, such as a product catalog, shopping cart, checkout, payment processing, order management, and more.
There are many ecommerce platforms to choose from, depending on your budget, preferences, and technical skills.
Some of the most popular ones are:
Shopify: A hosted ecommerce platform that offers a user-friendly interface, a variety of themes and apps, and a free trial. Shopify is ideal for beginners and small to medium-sized businesses.
WooCommerce: A free, open-source ecommerce plugin for WordPress that lets you customize every aspect of your online store. WooCommerce is suitable for non-coders who use the WordPress interface. It offers more out-of-the-box themes, plugins, and allows you to have more control and flexibility over your ecommerce site.
Adobe Commerce: A powerful, self-hosted ecommerce platform that offers advanced features, scalability, and security. Adobe Commerce (previously Magento) is best for large enterprises and developers who need a high-performance ecommerce solution.
Deciding on the best ecommerce platform for your business depends on several factors.
Here’s what you should consider:
Budget: How much can you afford to spend on your ecommerce platform? Some platforms charge monthly fees. Others require upfront or ongoing costs for hosting, development, and maintenance.
Technical skills: How comfortable are you with coding and web development? Some platforms are more user-friendly and require little to no technical knowledge. Others are more complex and require some technical know-how.
Business needs: What are your goals and expectations for your ecommerce website? Some platforms offer more features and functionalities than others, such as inventory management, marketing tools, analytics, and integrations.
Design preferences: How do you want your ecommerce website to look and feel? Platforms like WooCommerce (on WordPress) offer more design options and customization than others, such as themes, templates, and plugins.
5. Source or Create Products
Will you source your products or make them yourself? The method you choose will significantly impact your initial costs and long-term business operations.
Consider the three primary sourcing methods:
Wholesalers: These are suppliers that sell products in bulk at discounted prices. The more you buy, the less expensive each item becomes. You can also have wholesalers package and ship your products, which can save time and money.
Manufacturers: Consider sourcing your products directly from manufacturers. This is like going straight to the source—bypassing any middle-person to get your products at the lowest possible cost.
Create your own: Create your own products by hand or outsource the creation to a manufacturer who can execute on your vision. This method offers total control over your product, allowing for uniqueness that can set your ecommerce store apart.
6. Add Products to Your Ecommerce Site
Once you have your ecommerce platform and product sourcing ready, add your products to your online store.
To optimize your product pages, pay attention to the following elements:
Product titles: Use clear, descriptive, and keyword-rich titles that accurately reflect what you sell. Avoid using generic or vague terms that could confuse customers or search engines. For example, instead of “Shoes,” use “Women’s Leather Ankle Boots.”
Product descriptions: Write compelling, informative, and unique product descriptions that highlight product benefits and features. Use bullet points, short paragraphs, and subheadings for easy-to-read and scan descriptions. Include relevant keywords that match your customers’ search intent, but avoid keyword stuffing or copying content.
A blog post is a piece of writing typically published on a website’s blog that presents information, opinions, experiences, or insights on a particular topic. Blog posts vary in length. And can include text, images, or videos, depending on the topic.
For instance, travel blogs are often rich in visuals. Showcasing the beauty or uniqueness of the places described.
Like this blog post from travel blog Nomadic Matt:
Business blog posts tend to be text-heavy. Focusing on data, expert interviews, industry news, statistics, and other helpful insights.
A blog, or weblog, is a regularly updated website (or page on a website) that features blog posts on various topics. The content is usually written in a conversational style, addressing the reader directly.
Note
Depending on your goals, you can set up a standalone blog or integrate it into your website (e.g., https://www.myshop.com/blog/). The first option is more suitable if you plan to use your blog as an online journal or diary rather than a business tool.
How Does Blogging Benefit Your Business?
Blogging has many potential benefits. Here, we look at the top advantages of creating blog posts for your business.
Builds Authority and Trust
Blogging can be a powerful tool if you’re looking to establish authority in your industry.
By consistently creating valuable and informative content, you can demonstrate expertise. And engage with your audience in meaningful ways.
Here’s how blogging helps build authority:
Showcases expertise: Blog posts that tackle industry issues, explain complex concepts, or provide how-to guides showcase your depth of knowledge. This helps position you as a thought leader in your industry.
Improves SEO: Well-crafted blog posts that incorporate relevant keywords can improve a website’s search engine rankings. Higher visibility in search results can lead to increased website traffic. And leads.
Builds trust: By providing valuable content without a hard sell, businesses can build trust with their audience
Gives You Full Control
With a blog, you have full control over the content you publish. Including the length, format, and topics you cover.
Blogging platforms like Medium and social media sites like Facebook can remove content at any time. And for any reason.
This may happen if what you write goes against their guidelines, someone (such as a competitor) reports your posts, or the platform goes out of business.
Builds Internal Links
Another advantage of blogging is that it lets you build internal links, which can improve website navigation. Internal links connect various pages of your website, guiding customers through relevant content and product pages.
A streamlined path makes it easier for customers to find and explore your products and other pages.
Let’s say you run an online store selling dietary supplements. You write about the benefits of protein on your blog. And link to product pages selling protein powder, protein bars, or other related products.
If your blog post is relevant and engaging, readers might click those links. And purchase the products you mentioned.
Improves Traffic and Visibility
Incorporating SEO best practices into your content may lead to higher rankings, resulting in more traffic and exposure.
For example, optimizing each blog post for specific keywords, such as “whey protein powder” or “vegan protein bars,” can help you get more targeted organic traffic. Keywords are search terms used by consumers to find information or products online.
Additionally, readers may share your blog posts on social media. Which can further boost website traffic and brand awareness.
Pro tip
Use Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool to find top-performing search terms. Our tool can help you identify high-volume, low-competition keywords related to the topic you want to cover.
Increases Backlinks
Blog posts are a great way to build backlinks for your website or blog. Backlinks are incoming links from one website to another, acting as votes of confidence that help signal your site’s authority to search engines.
High-quality backlinks can help boost your search engine rankings. And lead to more traffic.
The more traffic you get, the likelier your target audience is to discover your brand and products. Some may become paying customers. And help spread the word about your business.
Lets You Target Users in All Funnel Stages
Blogging lets you create content for each stage of the marketing funnel. Which can help you attract, convert, and retain customers.
Here’s a quick look at how to apply the marketing funnel to blog content:
Top of the funnel (ToFu): Create how-to posts, listicles, infographics, and other types of content for new audiences. These people are just discovering your blog, products, or services. The goal is to build awareness of the problem you can solve.
Middle of the funnel (MoFu): Produce longer, more in-depth content, such as ultimate guides, case studies, and comparison posts, for readers who are already familiar with your business. At this point, you’ll want to generate interest in your offerings.
Bottom of the funnel (BoFu): Go into detail about the products or services you promote on your blog with detailed reviews and product demos. Your readers are ready to take the desired action (e.g., book a consultation)—they just need an extra push.
There’s more than one way to format blog posts, depending on where your target audience is in the funnel. And your goals for the content.
With that in mind, let’s see some of the most common types of blog posts.
1. Listicles
Listicles are articles or blog posts organized in list format.
For example, a blog post titled “Top 10 Movies to Watch This Weekend” or “10 Must-Have Kitchen Appliances Every Home Needs” would be considered a listicle.
Use listicles to break complex topics into smaller, more manageable chunks. And share tips, strategies, products, or ideas.
For instance, Healthline uses this format to cover complex topics in a clear and engaging manner.
Below, you can see a listicle blog post about health and nutrition, broken down into 27 tips.
Each tip is numbered and covers one idea, such as “Don’t fear coffee” and “Eat fatty fish.”
