5 SEO Tips for Small CPG Brands Competing With National Companies

National brands like Frito-Lay chips, Smucker's fruit spreads, or Kind granola bars benefit from large marketing budgets that allow them to advertise on television, in digital spaces, and in public spaces like bus benches and billboards. Because of the level of advertising noise, many small businesses who want to introduce a new consumer packaged good product, whether direct to consumer or retail, often have a hard time differentiating their brand and gaining market share. From proving their concept to earning shelf space, small CPG business owners have to think outside of the box to compete.

One strategy many small business owners ignore, often thinking it's too expensive, is search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is the practice of optimizing your website's content and organization to attract traffic and boost your site to the first page of a Google search result.

While SEO strategies can be costly if they rely on pay-per-click (PPC) ads, organic SEO strategies like filling your website with data-rich content that your customers will find useful are much more affordable. Hiring an SEO agency to handle your website's content is one approach, but there is also a lot you can do on your own to ensure your success. Let's take a look at five actionable SEO tips for small CPG business owners competing with national brands.

SEO tips for small CPG brands

1. Optimize product pages for e-commerce

SEO-optimized product pages can help steer Google's visitors to your site. To create these pages, you first need to focus on what terms you will include. Using an SEO tool like Ahrefs, Moz, or SEMRush to research keywords can help you create a structured outline for your content by steering you toward the queries most often searched. Once you know what terms to use, you will want to include them in frequently asked questions sections. This may include things like brand names, product types, and information on the benefits of your products.

It is also important to include high-quality images on your product page complete with meta tags and descriptions as well as alt tags. The keywords you place into this website code should be the same as the keywords that you are targeting for the page as a whole.

Product pages are also a great place for customer reviews and user-generated content. If you want to boost your page's relevance, include options like allowing customers to share reviews, photos, recipes, and tips for using your products. Google prioritizes pages that get interaction from site visitors.

2. Develop category and subcategory pages

Well-optimized category pages for CPG brands that offer multiple products can help you capture traffic more easily from Google. For example, you may want to target terms such as "organic snacks" or "vegan beauty products" to attract the broadest possible potential audience. The more clear and relevant the terms you use, the more likely the traffic you gain will convert into a purchase.

Subcategory pages can also help you target more niche markets and provide an opportunity to improve your internal link building. Once you get someone to your website, the goal is to keep them there as long as possible until they make a purchase. The more internal links you have, the more easily.a customer can move through your website and gather the information they need to make an informed purchase.

These category and subcategory pages are not just for user-friendliness; in fact, this style of site map is actually preferred by Google's crawlers. The more easily the bots are able to move around your site, the more likely they are to refer people to your page.

You will also want to carry your keyword choices over into the meta descriptions for these pages both to improve your internal search functionality and to ensure that Google knows what your pages offer.

3. Target retailer keywords and direct-to-consumer search terms

Depending on whether you have a product in retail stores or not, this may or may not apply to you. For businesses who are attempting to drive traffic to local businesses as a point-of-sale for their products, using terms like "buy (product) at (retailer)" can be a great way to capture potential buyers. Any sort of "where to buy" phrase should be included on your product pages.

For businesses who are focusing on a direct-to-consumer strategy, you will want to stick to the previously mentioned strategy of targeting a variety of broad search terms that apply to your niche.

Many businesses may fall somewhere in the middle and want to take advantage of both strategies to maximize their visibility. A balanced SEO strategy ensures that you appeal to as many consumers as possible to generate demand for your products.

4. Implement structured data for rich snippets

Structured data is a term that refers to the code that is added to your website to optimize it for search engines. Also known as schema markup, structured data is crucial for small SPG brands because it will help Google display the correct product information in search results, allowing your business to compete for rich snippets (search results with information like ratings, prices, and availability). This information is visually engaging and informative which may help your product stand out apart from national brands.

For CPG brands, structured data includes information such as:

• Product name: Refers to the specific item.
• Price: Pricing is displayed directly in the search result.
• Availability: Information is included about whether the product is in stock, which may create a sense of urgency in customers.
• Images: Colorful and enticing images may appear in rich snippets and draw more attention to your listing.

By using structured data to mark this information, you improve the relevance of your pages while improving your chances of getting a rich snippet which would boost your click-through-rate significantly. Rich snippets outperform regular search results by giving consumers at-a-glance information. This visual enhancement is a game-changer when it comes to competing with national brands.

5. Create an emotional connection with branded content

One advantage of being a small CPG brand is that you can relate to your customers on a more personal level and appeal to them through storytelling. You need to make your business's mission clear by weaving your values and unique selling proposition into your site's content. That way, you can connect with consumers emotionally and build a foundation of loyalty and trust.

In today's market, where people prioritize authenticity and purpose-driven brands, highlighting aspects of your company like your commitment to sustainability or the benefits your product gives to a local community may resonate with people who share your values.

To ensure your content finds the right people, you will need to seed it with long-tail (more specific) keywords. For example, if you are an eco-friendly brand, you may want to use terms like "sustainable packaging for (product)" or "organic snacks for kids." To create content that uses these keyword phrases, you can use your blog to dive deeper into details about how your product is made, the ethical practices you use, and the causes you support. You may also want to extend your storytelling efforts to include supporting video content with behind-the-scenes information about the faces behind your brand.

This branded content is not just designed to be emotional. It will also play a key role in your SEO. The more time your customers spend on a page, the lower your bounce rate will be, which signals to search engines that your content is relevant. Over time, this will equate to higher organic search rankings and may help you to build backlinks, further boosting your SEO performance.

FAQs on SEO for CPG brands

About the Author

Post by: Gabrielle Curry

Gabrielle Curry is the SEO content manager for Keychain, an AI-powered platform that matches CPG brands with manufacturers. With 8 years of marketing experience, Gabrielle lends her knowledge from writing for major sites including WebMD and CityPass. She has worked with large and small businesses to help generate consistent web traffic and enjoys sharing practical tips to help those who may not be able to afford an expert.

Company: Keychain
Website: www.keychain.com
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