The thrift retail industry has experienced significant growth in recent years.
This creates an opportunity for more secondhand and thrift shops to succeed, but it also means more thrift stores pop up to capitalize on the demand. For your thrift store to remain relevant, it has to outshine the competition.
There are many ways to keep your thrift store current, including seeking the right donations, designing a great customer experience, and organizing your store properly. Another important strategy is to maximize your store’s digital footprint with search engine optimization (SEO).
In this blog, we’ll discuss the benefits of SEO for thrift stores and actions you can take to make your business more visible to potential customers.
Let’s get started.
SEO refers to the strategies and techniques used to improve a business’ visibility by helping it rank better in online search results — especially on Google. By taking practical steps to make your thrift store appear higher in Google searches, you can drive increased traffic to your website, boost awareness of your brand, and attract more customers in person.
Before diving deeper, it’s important to know the difference between on-page SEO and local SEO. On-page SEO is about formatting your website content in a way that search engines can easily interpret and recommend to users. Local SEO practices help your thrift store appear more prominently in regional searches, which is critical for brick-and-mortar stores.
Let’s look at how SEO efforts lead to stronger results for thrift stores.
SEO best practices help your store show up when people browse for thrift shops online. The higher you appear in search results, the more likely potential customers are to click on your site instead of a competitor’s — putting your business front and center when it matters.
Organic traffic describes users who find your thrift store’s website without clicking a paid ad. This kind of reach is free, and it often comes from people actively searching for what you offer. As a result, increasing organic traffic through SEO draws in motivated customers while saving you money on advertising costs.
Related Read: Zero-Budget Marketing: 8 Tips & Free Tools To Market Your Thrift Store
Using keywords that match what your ideal customers are typing into search engines ensures your thrift store gets noticed by the people who matter most. For example, terms like “thrift stores near me,” “local secondhand shops,” or “discount clothing stores” help you rank higher for relevant searches. This targeted approach connects you with shoppers who’re looking for your business and ready to make a purchase.
With the benefits of SEO in mind, it’s time to explore strategies to boost your website’s visibility.
The first step to SEO is identifying keywords with high search volume that are relevant to your business. Start with broad terms, then narrow down to more targeted phrases. While general keywords attract a larger audience, specific keywords are less competitive and easier to rank for — so try using both.
Here are some examples of keywords to help you get started:
Pro Tip: Keywords that include the name of your city can improve your local SEO.
There are many online programs that help you find relevant keywords and measure their search volume. Seek out these keywords and intentionally include them throughout your web pages. Use them in headings, meta descriptions, and image alt text. If you list products online, be sure to integrate these words and phrases in product descriptions.
The more you can naturally reference these words and phrases without overusing them, the more search engines recognize them, increasing your chances of ranking well in search results.
It’s very common for people to search for businesses on their phones, so optimizing your website for mobile is essential to attract online traffic. Design your site to fit to mobile screens and make it easy for users to navigate between pages on any device.
A mobile-friendly website also helps you show up higher in search results. Google uses a mobile-first search ranking system, and sites that are mobile-friendly generally outrank those that aren’t. By designing your website for seamless mobile browsing, you make it easy for search engines to access your information and recommend it to others.
Related Read: Digital Transformation for Thrift Stores: 6 Steps To Modernize Your Business
Creating written content for your website is a great way to use high-volume search keywords. This can include text on your homepage, product descriptions, or sections about your business’ history or mission. You can also publish long-form content like blogs and articles.
Blogs and articles need to have information that’s valuable to your audience. You might post a blog that helps customers navigate secondhand shopping or offers tips on the best times to buy seasonal items at thrift stores. Using SEO keywords helps drive more traffic to these blogs, directing more potential customers to your site.
A backlink is when another website links to your site. Earning backlinks from reputable websites — like local business directories or relevant blogs — can improve your search engine rankings. When your site is linked on related websites, it also boosts brand awareness and increases referral traffic.
Related Read: Thrift Store Community Partnerships: 5 Tips To Strengthen Local Connections
Regularly checking your SEO performance is a key step toward improving your results. Many businesses overlook this, so when you analyze your progress and plan accordingly, you stay ahead of competitors who aren’t monitoring their SEO.
Watch your site traffic closely, especially when you try a new strategy or adjust your content. Most comprehensive website platforms have tools to help you understand where visitors are coming from, which allow you to determine which strategies are working and which ones aren’t.
You may notice an increase in traffic after updating your website with new copy, earning backlinks from reputable sources, or optimizing for mobile users. Continue pursuing strategies that boost website activity, but if one isn’t working, take a break from it.
Pro Tip: Be patient — it can take several months for SEO strategies to begin showing results.
Related Read: Thrift Store Data Analytics: 5 Technology Tips To Drive Success
Your Google Business Profile is especially important for local SEO traffic. When someone searches the name of your thrift store, your profile should appear for them. Including relevant information in this profile helps users gain a better understanding of what your business does.
Fill out your Google Business Profile with your address, contact information, and hours of operation. Upload high-quality photos of your thrift store and your products. Keeping all your details updated gives potential customers a clearer idea of what to expect from a trip to your store.
SEO practices help businesses — including thrift stores — get noticed online. Rather than leaving your business’ search engine rankings up to chance, an intentional SEO strategy helps potential customers discover your thrift store. Remember: Use high-volume keywords that are relevant to your business in natural ways on your website. Make sure your website is mobile-friendly and your Google Business Profile is up to date, too.
When it comes to designing and managing your website, you have a variety of options. Point of sale (POS) systems are often equipped with in-store and online support, making them a great solution for business owners who need both.
ThriftCart is an all-in-one platform that’s designed specifically for thrift stores. With a built-in website builder, you have control over your site, so you can easily implement your SEO strategies to grow traffic. You also have access to complete data reports, payment processing, and thrift-specific inventory management.
ThriftCart is a game-changer for thrift stores. To find a plan that’s right for your business, try our build and price tool today!