The Super Bowl of retail is upon us again! And this time around, the local battlegrounds are heating up even more, thanks to every business in the neighborhood going all out to capture an already eager bunch of customers to land at their doorstep instead of the competition’s!
Generic “Black Friday Sale” announcements don’t make the same impact anymore, and no matter how great your storefront looks, unless you leverage the online advantage, chances are you’ll lose the seat of Black Friday champion to the store from the next block.
So, how do you attract nearby shoppers by cutting through all the noise?
We asked SEO experts and business leaders all about their local SEO optimization strategies this year, and without hesitation (and despite the last-minute rush to give their own businesses an edge), they’ve reached out with some great tips to stand out.
Read on!
Samuel Huang
The key to winning Black Friday shoppers is hyper-local targeting. One clever but underused tactic is leveraging geo-fenced Google Ads combined with real-time social media updates. Set up Google Ads that only show to people within a mile or two of your store, and tie those to irresistible deals exclusive to in-person visits. Then, flood your social media with updates showcasing live inventory and customer wins—‘Jane just scored 50% off a 70” TV!’ This creates FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) while driving both foot traffic and online buzz.
Here’s the truth: big brands focus on everyone, but smart businesses focus on someone specific—and that someone is right around the corner.
Sonic Wong
To maximize visibility for Black Friday shoppers, ensure your business’s Google My Business (GMB) profile is fully optimized. This means having up-to-date contact information, business hours, and accurate location details. Additionally, encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews, as this boosts your local rankings and builds trust. One key tip is to create a Black Friday-specific landing page with relevant keywords, and link it to your GMB profile to further enhance local search visibility. This strategy can drive more local traffic and improve your chances of increasing sales.
Sonic Wong
Founder & CEO, SwapFaces AI
Mohan Babu
The best algorithms keep it local. Many Black Friday shoppers are searching locally, so optimizing a Google Business Profile to the hilt is job one. Consumers can trust the content since it is authentic business information, like holiday hours, location information, and phone numbers.
Use location-based keywords such as “Black Friday deals in [City]” on all pages, meta descriptions, and blog posts. Not only will promoting exclusive, local deals in your markets enhance your search rankings, but it also leads to deeper relationships with shoppers close by more likely to visit and convert.
Based on the data we recently compiled at Dealhack, businesses that mix in-target local SEO with targeted festive promotions always do better by way of foot traffic and sales.
Mohan Babu
Savings Specialist, Dealhack
Pranav Taneja
Local SEO is a big deal for businesses looking to attract Black Friday shoppers. One key tip is to optimize your Google Business Profile (GBP). Make sure all the info – business hours, contact info and a link to your Black Friday deals page – is accurate and up-to-date. Use location specific keywords like “Black Friday deals in “Your City” in your GBP description and posts to get more local visibility.
To get noticed, create Google Posts with your best offers and ask recent customers to leave reviews to build trust and influence buying decisions. Plus run location based ads targeting “near me” searches to drive foot traffic and online sales. So shoppers can find and choose your business for their holiday needs.
Pranav Taneja
Project Manager, John The Plumber
Annie Everill
With the majority of local searches conducted on mobile devices, ensuring your website is mobile-optimized is crucial to ensure your customers can shop efficiently and conveniently. A responsive design and fast-loading pages improve user experience whilst also reducing bounce rates and creating a seamless experience for black Friday, a time when they may be scrambling for deals or on a tight deadline.
Annie Everill
Digital Marketing Executive, Imaginaire
Kyle Arnold
When it comes to local SEO for Black Friday, my go-to tip is to optimize your Google My Business (GMB) profile. This powerful tool is often underutilized but can significantly boost your visibility to local shoppers during the busy holiday season.A well-optimized GMB profile acts as your digital storefront, providing crucial information to potential customers and search engines alike. For Black Friday, it’s essential to update your profile with accurate and timely information, including special holiday hours, Black Friday deals, and high-quality images of your products or store.One particularly effective strategy is to utilize Google Posts within your GMB profile. These allow you to share engaging Black Friday promotions, updates, and announcements directly with customers searching for local deals. By regularly posting about your Black Friday offers, you keep your profile fresh and relevant, potentially improving your local search rankings and attracting more foot traffic to your store.
Businesses can leverage local SEO to maximize their visibility for Black Friday shoppers in their area by implementing several key strategies:
- Use location-based keywords in content and meta tags to attract customers searching for local deals.
- Optimize Google My Business listings with up-to-date information, including Black Friday hours and special offers.
- Create location-specific landing pages for each store or service area, highlighting Black Friday deals.
- Encourage and respond to customer reviews, which can boost local search rankings.
- Utilize local schema markup to provide search engines with detailed information about your business and Black Friday offerings.
One tip for businesses aiming for sales and success this Black Friday is to create an evergreen Black Friday page on their website. This strategy offers several benefits:
- It allows for maintaining a static URL, retaining all relevant backlinks built to the page over time.
- The page can be easily updated with new deals and images each year without changing the URL.
- It helps increase page authority and brings targeted traffic to a specific landing page.
- An evergreen page improves user engagement and encourages visitors to make Black Friday purchases.
By implementing these local SEO tactics and creating an evergreen Black Friday page, businesses can significantly enhance their visibility to local shoppers and increase their chances of success during this crucial shopping period.
Kyle Arnold
SEO Specialist, FatWeb
Ally Moisse
For businesses looking to maximize visibility, optimizing your Google Business Profile is key. Ensure your address, hours, and phone number are up-to-date—especially extended holiday hours. Add a post promoting Black Friday deals directly to your profile, including enticing images and CTAs to drive foot traffic and online sales. This simple yet powerful move helps your business stand out in local searches and ensures shoppers know exactly where to find you and what you’re offering.
Ally Moisse
SEO Specialist, Pearl Lemon
Caleb Riutta
As a digital marketer and SEO specialist, I know how powerful local SEO can be for businesses, especially during Black Friday. It’s all about ensuring that when shoppers in your area are searching for deals, your business is the first one they find. To make the most of this, start by optimizing your Google Business Profile—update your hours, add photos, and highlight any special Black Friday offers. Don’t forget to encourage happy customers to leave reviews; it builds trust and helps you rank higher locally.
Here’s a simple tip for success: create content specifically for your local audience. For example, write a blog post or landing page showcasing your Black Friday deals, and use keywords like “Black Friday sales near [your city].” By focusing on what local shoppers are searching for, you’ll stand out and attract more customers, whether online or in-store.
Caleb Riutta
Co-founder, DUSK Digital
Mario Didier
Across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, the Black Friday sales season coincides with a large eCommerce sales event known as Singles Day on 11 November (11/11). Black Friday is an opportunity to continue riding the shopping wave with another round of sales and discounts. My tip for businesses in the APAC region is to leverage the Singles Day sales to generate customer reviews on Google My Business, or to reward customers with points or coupons for spending on Singles Day. These tactics can help to drive traffic and sales leading up to the Black Friday sales season.
Mario Didier
Founder & CEO, Sustainable Growth Experts
Burak Ozdemir
One less-discussed but powerful local SEO tactic for Black Friday is encouraging customers to leave specific, deal-related reviews on your Google Business Profile after their visit. For instance, ask shoppers who took advantage of a Black Friday discount to mention the deal in their review.
Why does this work? When potential shoppers search for terms like “best Black Friday deals near me,” reviews mentioning specific offers can help your business stand out and improve local rankings. In 2022, I helped a client implement this strategy, and they saw a 15% increase in foot traffic during Black Friday weekend, with 40% of surveyed customers citing online reviews as their reason for visiting.
The added benefit is that these reviews stay visible beyond Black Friday, boosting credibility and enticing new customers year-round.
Burak Ozdemir
Founder of Character Calculator
Serhii Savchenko
Local SEO is closely tied to Google My Business. Your Google My Business account should be fully filled out and backed by plenty of positive reviews. Additionally, your website should be optimized for your specific location—having a physical address prominently displayed in the footer is essential.
Black Friday discounts should be highlighted site-wide. Most importantly, you need to start preparing well in advance. SEO doesn’t deliver instant results; it takes time, especially if your website lacks strong authority.
Serhii Savchenko
SEO Specialist, Rsearched
Paul Raphael Gomes
To maximize visibility for Black Friday shoppers, businesses can use local SEO by targeting location-specific keywords like “Black Friday deals in [City].” Optimizing Google Business Profiles with accurate holiday hours, special offers, and appealing images enhances local search rankings. Creating seasonal content, such as blogs highlighting local Black Friday events or promotions, attracts local audiences. Also, leveraging customer reviews and aligning ads with localized search trends ensures businesses capture attention from nearby shoppers seeking deals.
Focus on personalizing each customer’s experience. Make sure that the advertising fits the wants and needs of the people you want to reach. Using information about consumers, like what they’ve bought or how they browse, can make ads that speak directly to each of them. Personalization makes people more interested, loyal, and likely to buy.
On Black Friday, one could send personalized emails with deals or show potential customers ads for products they have shown interest in again. This level of relevance makes it more likely that someone will buy, builds a stronger relationship between the brand and its customers, and adds long-term success.
Paul Raphael Gomes
Founder & AI Marketing Specialist, Benwil Marketing Agency
Sergey Galanin
They should double their effort on directory listings or what we call citations. After optimizing your Google My Business profile to be 100% complete and engaging, use local directories to expand your local presence. Directories like Dex.com, YellowPages, and Yelp will help your business surface more in relevant local searches.
Beyond this, look for industry-specific aggregator sites that compare or list competitors in your niche and submit your business information. These sites are always on the lookout for accurate, up-to-date information. Therefore, listing your business with them will drive local traffic and secure high-quality, organic backlinks to further amplify your local SEO efforts. Your business will be seen and chosen since most shoppers prefer hunting for deals near them on Black Friday.
Sergey Galanin
SEO Director, Phonexa
The BoostMyDomain team thanks these experts and leaders for taking the time to share their valuable Black Friday local SEO insights.
Share with the global community tips and resources to boost their domains and become a recognized voice! BoostMyDomain invites you to share your insights and contribute to our authoritative publication. Reach a wider audience, build your credibility, and establish yourself as a thought leader in an industry that caters to every business with an online presence!
