Author: Daniel Zimmerman Oct 13, 2021 4 Min READ

Search Engine Optimization for 3PL Warehouses

4 Min READ
Search Engine Optimization for 3PL Warehouses

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How 3PL Warehouses Can Optimize Their Online Presence

“Ugh, how is anyone supposed to find anything nowadays? Just Google it!” This was a literal quote from a friend with an ecommerce business who was wondering who they should partner with for their fulfillment needs. And in the end, they did in fact “just google it” to find a list of potential partners.

But how can one get on that elusive list of first page search results?

Regardless of the type of business, having an online presence is a necessity to get ahead in today’s world. That’s why today, we’ll be going over basic online search engine optimization (SEO) for warehouses to better improve their online footprint and increase the likelihood of appearing on a results page when someone searches for a warehouse related keyword.

Basics of SEO for Third-Party Logistics Warehouses

Like we noted above, SEO stands for search engine optimization, and it is the process of developing your website so that it’s an attractive answer for relevant searches on a search engine, like Google or Bing. For 3PL warehouses, the process of developing your website is similar to SEO development for a lot of other websites and businesses. You want to make sure your website has clear, easy to read information that can answer the question that was initially asked when entering a query into a search engine.

For example, if your 3PL is located in California, and a person Googles, “warehouse fulfillment California,” your website should have clear and relevant information readily available that lets a search engine like Google know that you are:

  1. A warehouse fulfillment partner
  2. Located in California

But how do you let a search engine know this?

Some of the easiest things that any warehouse owner can do to improve their search engine optimization is updating their Google My Business, updating content and title tags with relevant keywords, and ensuring that they have a mobile responsive website. Below we will go into what each aspect is, and the optimization strategy for each.

Google My Business

Every business/corporation at a physical address has a Google My Business listing and can claim their profile, free of charge from Google. If you haven’t already claimed yours, reach out to Google Support and claim your profile. They will mail a verification code to the address to ensure you are indeed the owner of the business at the specified address. 

Claiming your Google My Business profile page is a crucial step in showing your business as the best search result to potential prospects looking for a third-party logistics warehouse near them. Because Google loves Google products, the search engine will rely on the Google My Business information listed as a significant ranking factor.

To optimize: Update your profile listing to make sure it has the correct address, business hours, phone number, and try to get a few pictures of the outside on there, too. Adding a few outside images will help people searching for your business know exactly where it is located based on the building and street features. You should also add to the “About” section of the business profile listing to share more about the services you offer, and what benefits may come from partnering with your warehouse.

Keywords & Content

Keywords are the important terms you hope your website will show up for when people search for them on search engines like Google or Bing. For a 3PL warehouse, example keyword and terms could include: “third-party logistics warehouse partner,” “fulfillment solution,” “warehouse near me,” etc. When a search engine crawls your website, by making sure the words on your website include these relevant keywords, the search engine will see your 3PL’s website as a relevant solution to the corresponding keyword query.

To optimize: Build out a keyword list of important terms you wish to rank for. Then incorporate the keywords organically into the content on your website so that your site can be seen as an appropriate response to the keywords a person would be using. An example could be talking about specific fulfillment types your warehouse specializes in and then making sure you have content talking about those fulfillment types.

Title Tags

Title tags are page titles that describe what a webpage is about. They are the blue clickable text that is found on every search engine results page, and they are rife with opportunity to insert keywords that are relevant to the page’s purpose as well as a 3PL’s business. It is a good idea to incorporate terms that you would like your website to show up for when searched in the page title.

To optimize: Look at the pages on your website (home page, services, company mission statement, etc.) and make sure the title tag of each describes the page while incorporating important keywords. Instead of just “Services” for the title tag, try “3PL Kitting and Assembly Fulfillment Services” if that is a service that is indeed offered. Instead of just “Home” use your brand name and insert important keywords like your location, or 3PL warehouse.

Mobile Responsive Website

Finally, while warehouses may have already taken the first step in building out a website, it is imperative that the website is mobile-responsive through proper careful website optimization. According to The Search Review, nearly 60% of all searches done online are done from a mobile device. With over half of searches done from a mobile device, making sure they can navigate your website with ease is critical to appearing in front of potential customers, no matter how they may search for your business.

To optimize: Confirm your website doesn’t require a lot of pinch zooming when reading the text on your website. If it isn’t mobile responsive, use a website plugin like WPtouch to create a simplified version of the website. It will have a mobile navigation option, and allow for the text to be easily read, which is an important factor in Google’s ranking algorithm.

Grow 3PL Warehouse Customers Using SEO

More and more people are looking for fulfillment partners online, so it’s going to be increasingly important to make sure your warehouse’s online presence showcases your 3PL warehouse in the best light possible. The first step is making sure your website is seen when people are searching for terms relevant to your business, and to do so, SEO is needed. Even simple actions like claiming and updating your Google My Business, writing content and title tags with relevant keywords in mind, and making sure your website is mobile friendly can have huge ramifications in determining if your website shows up on a search engine results page.

To learn more about the trends facing other 3PL warehouses, please read our 3PL Benchmark Report to see how your competition is reacting to today’s times.

Written By:
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Daniel Zimmerman

Daniel is an experienced digital marketer, having formerly worked for some of the biggest digital marketing agencies in Southern California. Now tackling the logistics industry, he specializes in utilizing the right medium to find and show customers WMS solutions to pain points they face every day.

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