You are running a thriving online store built on the BigCommerce platform. You’ve poured your heart and soul into crafting beautiful products, building a loyal customer base, and establishing a national presence. But there’s one hurdle you haven’t quite overcome: attracting local customers in Southern Oregon. 

While you see success online, you know there’s a whole community right around the corner waiting to discover what you have to offer.

This is a common challenge for many entrepreneurs selling online. The vast digital landscape can make it difficult to stand out and reach potential customers in your own backyard. That’s why you need local BigCommerce SEO services.

What is Local SEO?

Local SEO is a targeted approach to search engine optimization that helps businesses like yours appear higher in search results for geographically specific searches. It’s how you can ensure Southern Oregon residents searching for products like yours find you first.

For example, you are a local florist in Southern Oregon. Who is your target audience? Of course, the people who live near you want their flowers delivered fresh and quickly. While you can maybe accommodate orders from other places, you want to focus on the market within your region. 

While you can use the keywords ‘florist’ to rank higher in search engines when people look for flower shops, you will be competing against thousands of florists from all over the U.S. and beyond. ‘Florist’ is a very difficult keyword to rank for, and you will be using up a lot of resources and putting up a lot of work before you can even get to the second page of Google.

But if you target local keywords, like ‘florist in Southern Oregon’, there’s a very big chance that you can get the top spot because of less competition. It gets much easier the more you become geographically-specific.

How Does Local SEO Work for BigCommerce?

Let’s take another Southern Oregon example. Let’s say you are running a BigCommerce store specializing in locally-sourced honey. A potential customer in Ashland searches online for “honey near me.” Search engines like Google use various signals to understand the searcher’s intent and identify relevant businesses nearby. 

This is how location signals work for BigCommerce stores.

Location signals are important

Search engines consider factors like your Google My Business listing, ensuring your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) are consistent across all online directories, and even user location data when ranking BigCommerce stores in local searches. 

The more Google understands your location and how it connects to your products (local honey!), the better chance you have of appearing in searches by Southern Oregon residents looking for high-quality honey.

On-page optimization with a local focus

Optimizing your BigCommerce store content with relevant local keywords is like a digital welcome sign for Southern Oregon customers. Search engines notice when you incorporate local keywords into product descriptions, titles, meta descriptions, and headers. 

But don’t just churn out content. Informative and engaging content is crucial. Avoid keyword stuffing; focus on creating content that resonates with your Southern Oregon audience, highlighting the local aspects of your honey, perhaps its unique floral source or sustainable beekeeping practices.

Backlinks to build local authority

Backlinks are essentially like votes of confidence from other websites. When high-quality, local websites link back to your BigCommerce store, it signals to search engines that you’re a reputable honey supplier within the Southern Oregon community. 

Explore local business directories and community websites relevant to natural products or sustainable practices, or collaborate with local food bloggers to build backlinks. Utilizing professional BigCommerce SEO services can be a valuable asset in identifying and securing backlinks that truly benefit your Southern Oregon honey business.

Positive reviews earn trust

Now, still using the honey example — a customer walks into your store in Ashland and everyone raves about your delicious honey. What happens is more people will buy. Positive online reviews and customer ratings have a similar effect for your BigCommerce store. 

Actively solicit customer reviews on Google My Business and other platforms. Positive reviews not only build trust with potential customers looking for high-quality local honey, but they can also boost your local SEO ranking. 

BigCommerce SEO services can provide guidance on building a strong online reputation through effective review management strategies.

Going Beyond the Basics with BigCommerce SEO Services

While the previous sections provided a strong foundation for local SEO with BigCommerce, achieving long-term success requires a more comprehensive strategy. This is where a digital marketing agency providing BigCommerce SEO services becomes useful. They offer expertise and ongoing support to help you dominate local search results in Southern Oregon.

Building backlinks for local authority

Remember how backlinks act like votes of confidence from other websites? Availing of professional BigCommerce SEO services can help you develop a targeted backlink-building strategy focused on acquiring high-quality links from relevant Southern Oregon websites. Here’s how:

• Local business directories: Many Southern Oregon communities have online directories for local businesses. Partnering with these directories to secure listings with accurate NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) consistency is a great first step.
• Community websites and blogs: Southern Oregon is likely to have a vibrant online community scene. Guest blogging on these websites or collaborating on content creation allows you to earn valuable backlinks while reaching a local audience already interested in what you offer.

Advanced backlink strategies

Beyond local links, your BigCommerce SEO service provider can explore additional strategies to build a robust backlink profile. Partnering with an SEO agency allows you to leverage their expertise and access to specialized link-building tools that can help identify high-quality backlink opportunities.

Analytics and tracking for local success

Data is king in the world of SEO. BigCommerce SEO services go beyond simply building backlinks; they help you track and analyze website traffic with a keen eye on local SEO success. Here’s what they can do:

• Geo-targeted analytics: SEO can identify website traffic from Southern Oregon by implementing geo-tracking features. This allows you to understand user behavior, track conversions from local customers, and measure the effectiveness of your local SEO efforts.
• Local SEO performance metrics: There are specific metrics that indicate success in local SEO. BigCommerce SEO services can track metrics like local search ranking for targeted keywords, click-through rates from local searches, and the number of local customer conversions. You can adjust your strategy by monitoring these metrics to maximize local visibility and sales.

Ongoing support and content strategy development

Local SEO is an ongoing process. BigCommerce SEO services provide valuable support beyond initial optimization. Here’s how they can help you maintain a strong local presence:

• Content strategy tailored to Southern Oregon: Local trends, events, and interests constantly evolve. 

A professional BigCommerce SEO service agency can help you develop a content strategy that engages your audience. This could involve creating posts specific to the needs and interests of Southern Oregon customers.

• Regular website audits and optimization: Search engine algorithms and user behavior change over time. BigCommerce SEO services can conduct regular website audits to ensure your store remains optimized for local SEO best practices.
• Staying ahead of the curve: The SEO landscape is constantly evolving. BigCommerce SEO services stay current on the latest trends and algorithm updates, ensuring your local SEO strategy stays ahead of the curve.

Make Your Business Known to Southern Oregon Buyers

Transform your BigCommerce store into a local magnet! Partner with Epic. 

Being a local business ourselves, we understand the unique pulse of Southern Oregon. We’re an Ashland-based BigCommerce SEO agency passionate about helping businesses like yours thrive in our vibrant community. 

We’ll craft a data-driven strategy to elevate your Southern Oregon presence, attract more local customers, and raise your sales!

Contact us today for a free consultation and unlock the true potential of your local business!