How Hardware Stores Can Compete Online With Big-Box Retailers Using SEO

You’re there for your customers season after season — whether with advice about the best lumber for their DIY project or a fresh batch of mulch just in time for spring flowerbed planting.

Bringing a steady stream of customers through your doors can be a challenge, though. Competition from massive national brands and online retailers can quickly drown out your marketing efforts.

As a full-service digital marketing agency, SEO Design Chicago has over ten years of experience helping businesses of all sizes grow, especially small, family-owned stores and regional chains. One of the best strategies we’ve seen for boosting local visibility and bringing more customers to your store is SEO for retail stores. 

We’ll break down exactly how this works for hardware stores. 

Why Does SEO Matter for Hardware Stores?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a set of updates and strategies that make your store’s website easily found via online search. This matters for brick-and-mortar stores. According to Think with Google, 88% of local searches on smartphones result in a visit to a local physical store within the week. 

Online searches can be a massive source of foot traffic to your store. It’s all about implementing the right strategies that match your products, services, and location with searches that indicate a high intent to purchase.

The first step is on-page SEO.

On-Page SEO Services for Hardware Stores

On-page SEO refers to the process of optimizing everything on the website that you own and manage. This is the logical place to start when attracting more customers, since your website is directly under your control.

Just like your shelving and aisle layout matter when customers are searching for tools or wire, every element of your website works together to signal to search engines that you are offering the right selection of products, in the right place, and at the right time. 

When each piece of customer-facing content and all the background elements work together seamlessly, your rankings improve in local search results for high-intent terms like “hardware stores near me” or “interior paint.” 

Successful on-page SEO for tools, projects, and home improvement stores usually starts with some of these background elements on your site

• Conducting detailed keyword research and integration for your region and specialty
• Resizing images for faster load times
• Including alt text to improve accessibility and indexing 
• Adding schema markup
• Fixing web address errors 

Link-Building Services for Hardware Retailers

The next step to position your store as the best place for local home improvement projects is updating your link map. This is another under-the-hood update to your website that brings a big impact. 

Every site on the internet is connected through links. If your site has a lot of broken, duplicate, or suspicious links, it won’t rank very high in search engine results.

Since local reputation is so important for hardware store marketing, improving your link map can help you rank significantly higher. Some of the steps our team takes to improve your link map include:

• Outreach to relevant businesses for links
• Competitor analysis to identify link opportunities
• Removing broken and duplicate links
• Getting brand mentions from local outlets

WordPress SEO for Hardware Chains

Whether you run an independent store, a franchise, or a local chain, your website is the best tool you have for getting more customers to visit your store. When your website ranks highly for shopping-focused searches, customers are more likely to shop at your location instead of a competitor’s.

Getting your site in front of customers as a local authority means making the most out of its SEO features. If you have a WordPress site, that means making it easy for customers to look up your hours, location, inventory, and even your seasonal ads right from their smartphones. 

Our top recommendations for WordPress sites for hardware stores include:

• Choosing SEO plugins
• Performing security updates
• Testing for proper display on mobile devices 
• Including keywords in relevant URLs and pages
• Including service pages and online catalogs 

Shopify SEO for Specialty Hardware Retailers

As customers shift towards online shopping, they increasingly look for hybrid shopping experiences. In one study, 46% of customers reported confirming product inventory online before heading into a physical store to make a purchase. This makes sense — most people don’t want to waste their time driving to a store just to find that the one widget they need to finish their weekend project is out of stock!

Adding an e-commerce interface like Shopify is a great way to drive more sales to your in-person location and make sales online. Shopify requires some fine-tuning to make sure customers can find you, though. 

Some of the updates our team recommends for Shopify SEO include:

• Keyword-enhanced product titles and descriptions
• Interlinked “collections” for easy navigation
• Optimized URLs for better search engine indexing
• Setting up systems to encourage customer reviews 

SEO Website Optimization for Local Hardware Stores

If you’re not sure what your website needs to boost online traffic, then a one-time website optimization might be the best choice for your business. Our team can identify the most common issues that lead to searchers abandoning your website for a competitor, including:

• Slow load times
• Low online visibility
• Incomplete schema markup
• Missing titles and tags
• Low keyword volume 

Fixing this low-hanging fruit can boost traffic to your website and storefront relatively quickly, especially compared with traditional marketing efforts like circulars and TV ads. 

FAQs: SEO Strategies for Hardware Store Marketing

Investing in your website’s SEO yields long-term results. When customers quickly and easily find you from a search, they are more likely to visit your website and your store. When Google and other search engines receive signals that your store is a good match for customer search queries, it boosts your rankings even further — all without spending money on ads!

When you’re ready to discuss your business goals and budget, give us a call. In the meantime, check out some of the most popular questions our digital marketing experts receive about SEO for retail stores, especially niche retailers like hardware, landscaping, and home supply stores. 

How can SEO help hardware stores compete with big-box retailers online?

Big-box retailers boost their profiles with huge ad budgets. SEO is the most effective way for local stores to compete because it showcases your unique offerings, especially:

• Proximity to the searcher: Customers can try out tools in person or pick up bulky products like drywall or topsoil themselves. 
• Local relevance: Even if you run a franchised store, your website should emphasize your connection to the community.
• Expertise: If your salespeople can help customers pick out the right finishing nails, this is a huge selling point over impersonal megastores or e-commerce!

To get the most out of your SEO efforts, focus on integrating keywords related to high-intent searches related to product type and proximity. This communicates to motivated customers that you have exactly what they need right now and nearby. 

Why does “hardware store near me” matter so much for local SEO?

Most customers don’t spend their free time browsing hardware products online. Rather, they search for specific items when they need something to start or complete a project. 

When customers search for particular tools or supplies, they are generally driven by urgency and a need for convenience. They probably don’t want to spend the time driving across town or waiting for an online order to ship. If your store can rank highly for these urgency-motivated searches and “near me” indicators, it’s far more likely that customers will stop in at your store to find what they need. 

Plus, if they have a good experience locating what they need for this project, they are more likely to keep you in mind for next time! 

What role does hardware store marketing play alongside SEO?

Think of SEO as the cornerstone of your marketing strategy. A fully optimized website ensures that customers can always find you when searching for much-needed supplies near them. 

With this piece in place, you can expand into other marketing tactics. Sharing new products or seasonal deals can bring in quick sales, while SEO ensures long-term success. 

Can SEO strategies help customers find specific tools and products?

Optimizing your store’s website for specific project needs can be a great way to help customers find what they need. By including high-intent search phrases like “supplies for bathroom remodel,” you can create collections of product recommendations on your website that include all the tools and supplies needed to complete a job, making it easy and convenient for customers to find what they need. 

How is SEO for retail stores different for hardware businesses?

Customer behavior for hardware stores is a bit different from other retail. For one, people usually shop based on a particular project need. Someone replacing a broken tile might need to search for bathroom caulk and plumbers tape, for instance. This means that while a customer might not be searching for the precise product name “plumbers tape,” it’s a highly relevant item to offer to them.

Hardware stores also have strong seasonal cycles. Demand tends to spike during seasonal changes, and your SEO strategy should target specific keywords that customers are looking for. Spring sales will focus on lawn care and outdoor repairs, for example, while November will likely see strong demand for Christmas lights and ladders. 

Is your website bringing in foot traffic? Check now with a free SEO audit.