Digital marketing tips for coffee shops in London
Everyone loves coffee and tea. Some people can’t begin their day until they’ve had either one. Coffee shops need local SEO listings to help them be found by busy commuters or people new to the area. There’s been a recent burst of coffee shops in London, from large chains to cool independents, and you are all competing to attract busy, caffeine-fuelled Londoners.
Why coffee shops need SEO
- When I began working in a new area of London that I wasn’t familiar with, I needed to find a coffee shop but couldn’t see any from the main road.
- It’s such a busy area with many city workers I knew there must be one so I Googled ‘coffee shop’ and local listings showed me there were 3 coffee shops only a few feet from me.
- Without them being optimised and registered on Google I would not have found them.
- Digital marketing techniques such as local SEO are a must especially if you are a small independent coffee shop.
- Even large coffee shop chains have local SEO listings so their branches can be found easily.
- People can leave favourable reviews and ratings on Google like ‘they make the best coffee in the area’. This can encourage others to go to your coffee shop instead of another one nearby.
- On one road there can be more than 3 coffee shops in London; that’s a lot of competition.
- Some coffee shops are tucked away in a small corner or down an alleyway and are not easily seen from the main road, so SEO for any coffee shop is definitely needed.
| Keyword (by relevance) | Avg. monthly searches | Competition | Suggested bid |
| café | 9,900 | Low | £2.04 |
| coffee shop | 4,400 | Low | £2.01 |
| coffee house | 2,400 | Low | – |
| coffee bar | 140 | Low | £0.56 |
| barista coffee | 210 | Medium | £2.10 |
This graph from Google keyword planner shows how popular coffee shop related keywords are. Your coffee shop needs SEO to attract some of this traffic.
How coffee shops can use SEO
- Register with Google local listings, so anyone nearby who searches for ‘coffee shop’ will be shown your coffee shop on SERPs.
- You still need to make sure your site and blogs are optimised, so they rank high on SERPs
- Your site needs to capture the style and vibe of your coffee shop. If you’re an artisan coffee shop then this needs to be reflected in the colours used, compared to a family-oriented coffee shop which will have a lighter colour scheme.
- Have sections for reviews as this will help you to stand out. Great reviews are vital for coffee shops to attract people. People will come if reviews mention quick and friendly customer service and delicious coffee
- If you specialise in coffees from around the world, then portray this on your site so you rank better for world coffee shops.
- If you specialise in crafty, well-presented coffees then show this off with plenty of photos.
- If your coffee shop is vegan or health conscious, emphasise this in your site to rank highly for vegan friendly coffee shops in your area.
- If you provide barista training courses then have a well written information page, with details of prices, locations and what the course involves.
- Make it known if your coffee shop doubles as a sandwich shop or cocktail bar in evenings for added appeal.
Blogs and social media
- Update a blog linked to your coffee shop to write about anything coffee related or related to you and your shop.
- Link your site to successful coffee blog spots too, who do reviews and news on the London coffee industry.
- Have social media accounts to interact with customers, promote deals and post daily pictures of your drinks and customers.
- This can help with your coffee shop brand and ethos, if you are involved with environment or employment charities or have ethical fair trade coffee sourcing then show this in your website and social media.
- People will want to buy from ethical coffee shops, knowing that they are helping a coffee harvester and their families abroad.
- Have links to websites of ethical fair trade charities and farms to show how your business is giving back to those who do the harvesting, and that they are being treated fairly.
- Create video content of your coffee shop and your coffees being made.
- Some consider barista coffee as an art and will be interested in watching your skilled baristas in how to videos making latte coffee art.
- Social media and YouTube add a fun element to your coffee business, as well being informative. Posts and uploads increase your online presence which will help your search engine rankings, when linked to your website.
Whether your coffee shop is just starting out or well-established, SEO will help you to be found and attract more customers to your business and stay ahead of the competition. Contact us today for expert advice and help on SEO and watch your business reap the benefits.
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- I'm a digitally inspired, e-Business professional. I write about digital marketing, social media and how psychology impacts modern day online buying behaviours and how people do business on the web.
