Black Friday is the Super Bowl of the retail world—a moment when all eyes are on your business and the biggest opportunities of the year are on the line. With millions of shoppers searching online for the best deals, standing out in search results can make all the difference.

But this year, there’s a new twist: AI is reshaping how people search, and search engines are prioritizing content that truly helps users. For small businesses, that means it’s time to get strategic so your store stays visible during the holiday frenzy.

In this guide, we’re sharing 11 Black Friday SEO tactics to help you navigate the evolving search landscape and make this holiday season your most successful yet. Ready to dive in? Let’s go!

What’s New in SEO and Black Friday

SEO is constantly changing, and with Black Friday just around the corner, it’s essential to keep up with the latest search trends. This shift happens as artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into how search engines operate, helping to better understand user behavior and intent. 

So is Google getting rid of SEO? No, but it’s refining its algorithms to focus on helpful content and a deeper understanding of user needs. This evolution is reshaping how businesses approach holiday searches, making it crucial to adapt. 

With that in mind, here are the top four changes small businesses should consider for Black Friday SEO:

1. Leveraging AI Tools: Search engines are increasingly using AI to better match search queries with relevant content. By using AI-driven tools, small businesses can improve their search visibility and keep you ahead in the SEO future. These tools can analyze data to identify popular trends and keywords.

For example, if you run a small bakery, AI tools can help you discover trending items like “vegan pastries,” allowing you to adjust your menu and tailor your marketing messages to attract more customers.

2. Sustainability and Ethical Practices: Search engines like Google are increasingly favoring businesses that prioritize sustainability and ethics. With more users searching for “green” or “ethical” brands, search engines prioritize relevant content to match this demand, aligning with the N-E-E-A-T framework (Notability, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness), which we’ll explore more later in the article. 

So, if your business is eco-friendly, promote it on your website to stand out.

3. Social Media and SEO: Now that Instagram and Facebook posts are searchable in Google searches, it’s time to step up your game. But how? Make sure your captions are packed with relevant keywords to help people find you. Add descriptive alt-texts to your images so search engines know what they’re looking at. Dive into creating fun and valuable Reels, and don’t forget to use hashtags and location tags to expand your reach. This way, you’ll not only boost your Instagram presence but also get more eyes on your business through search results.
4. Mobile Experience Still King: While this is not as new, having a smooth mobile experience is still key. Make sure your website is quick, easy to navigate, and looks good on all screens. If you run an online store, you want your customers to enjoy a hassle-free shopping experience, where they can browse and buy without any issues. The simpler it is, the more likely they are to make a purchase!

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11 Essential Tips for Black Friday SEO

Feeling overwhelmed by the holiday shopping madness? You’re not alone. For small and local businesses, standing out among the retail giants can feel like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Here are 11 must-know Black Friday SEO tips to help small businesses stand out and make a big impact during this bustling season.

1. Do Your Keyword and Content Research

With AI overviews making this year a bit unpredictable, it’s hard to say exactly how traffic will be impacted. Organic traffic is still one of the strongest marketing tools for small businesses—it’s budget-friendly, works long-term, and pulls in the right crowd, all while boosting your credibility. 

But AI is changing the game. Google’s AI Overview Optimization (AIO) is moving away from just targeting specific keywords to focusing on semantics and context. It emphasizes broader topics, topic clusters, and long-tail keywords to deliver comprehensive, user-focused content that aligns with search intent and provides value.

Even with these changes, don’t toss your keyword research out the window just yet—it’s still incredibly important. It gives you a clear picture of what people are looking for, letting you tweak your content to fit their needs and improve your rankings. Just adapt it to fit the new focus on broader topics and clusters. Let’s examine how to make this happen.

Review last year’s performance:

• Check which keywords drove the most traffic and conversions during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
• To find your top relevant keywords, navigate to Google Analytics and explore the “Acquisition” section, then head over to “All Traffic” and select “Channels.”

Conduct fresh keyword research:

• Look for keywords with high search volume but low competition—this is what keyword value is all about. These are terms lots of people search for, but not many businesses target, giving you a better chance to rank.
• With AI reshaping search, focus on long-tail keywords and providing context rather than just specific keywords. For example, instead of targeting “running shoes,” dive into “best footwear for marathon training” or “how to choose the right running shoes for your foot type.”

Also, keep in mind that it’s more important than ever to make sure every page has a clear CTA and a path to conversion. Mapping out the customer journey helps you get a clearer picture of how visitors navigate your site, so you can guide them smoothly from just being interested to making a purchase.

We might not be able to guarantee massive traffic numbers, but we can make the most of the visitors who do land on the site.

2. Meet the N-E-E-A-T Principles

As Black Friday approaches, optimizing your website and product pages for both search engines and user experience is crucial for driving sales. 

Here’s how you can incorporate the N-E-E-A-T principles directly into your product pages and descriptions.

• Start by making your products stand out with catchy titles and descriptions. And make sure they’re extra clear, so consider using expressive keywords like “Black Friday glasses deals” so people can easily find your products when they’re searching online.
• Show off your expertise by giving detailed product info on the product detail page. Highlight any cool features or benefits that make your products special. And don’t forget about social proof like customer reviews—highlight them on your product pages. Positive feedback helps build trust and can really sway new buyers.

• Trust is a big deal, so make sure your site feels legit by including secure payment badges, clear return policies, and an easily accessible “Contact Us” page for shoppers to reach out with any questions.
• If you’re feeling up to it, consider adding some extra content like a quick guide that links back to your products. It’s not essential, but it can be a nice bonus to drive more traffic. 

This mix of easy navigation, valuable content, and trust turns your site into a trusted go-to spot for all those awesome Black Friday deals.

3. Assemble Your Dream Team

Once your quality content is ready, the next step is making sure your website can handle the Black Friday rush. How you do that depends on your setup—whether you have an in-house team, work with freelancers, or are flying solo.

If you’ve got an in-house team, you’re in a great spot since you can bounce ideas around and make changes quickly. Black Friday is going to bring a wave of traffic, and having your team on deck means you can quickly tackle any issues or jump on new opportunities. Regular check-ins help keep everyone on the same page, aiming to wow those holiday shoppers.

Working with freelancers? Fresh ideas and skills can give your site a unique twist. Just keep the lines of communication open and check in often to make sure everything’s running smoothly during this busy season.

Flying solo? Black Friday can be a wild ride, but having full control lets you focus on the essentials like fast load times and mobile-friendly design—super important when every second counts. 

However you’re handling your website, the goal is to create something that grabs people’s attention and makes them want to come back. If your site is easy to use and looks fantastic, it builds on the trust and credibility you’ve established with your great content.

4. Create Black Friday Landing Pages

Landing pages are where you display your best deals and draw in the crowds. They play a crucial role in your Black Friday campaigns by focusing all the attention on your special offers, making it easy for shoppers to find exactly what they’re looking for. Plus, they’re great for SEO because they can help you rank for those sweet Black Friday-related searches.

Follow the key landing page best practices to help you nail it. Keep things simple and focused. Design your page to highlight your best deals with bold discounts, a countdown timer, and compelling content that clearly communicates your value propositions.

You can use a Black Friday template or the SiteGround Website Builder’s drag-and-drop feature to easily set up your offers, engaging copy, testimonials, and a strong call to action.

Think mobile-first since most folks will be browsing on their phones. Go for bold colors to create that urgency vibe, but make sure they highlight your products, not distract from them. And don’t forget to optimize those images and videos so everything loads fast, even when traffic’s heavy.

Be clear about your offers—put those discounts front and center with strike-through prices or percentage savings. A punchy headline like “70% Off All Plugins – Today Only” can grab attention, and a countdown timer with phrases like “Ends at Midnight” adds that extra push.

Keep your Black Friday landing page centered around one main message with a clear call to action, like “Claim 50% Off Now.” Adding a few testimonials can really help build trust, and it’s important to have easy navigation so visitors can find what they’re looking for without any hassle.

Before the big day, take some time to test everything out, making sure it all works perfectly for when the Black Friday crowd arrives.

5. Leverage Social Media

Using social media marketing is a fantastic way for small businesses to improve their Black Friday strategy. It’s not just about posting your promotions on Instagram and Facebook. While that does help increase the traffic to your website, it also supports your SEO, especially now that Facebook and Instagram content can be found through Google searches.

It’s also about building a community, creating a buzz, and getting people excited and engaged with what you have to offer.

To get everyone hyped and heading to your website, try mixing in some fun content like countdowns to the big day, sneak peeks of your awesome deals, and live unboxing videos. Throw in a bit of humor to keep things light and engaging—because who doesn’t enjoy a little giggle while hunting for bargains?

Just be sure the humor aligns with your brand voice and resonates with your target audience, keeping your overall goals in mind to ensure the tone fits the message you’re conveying.

6. Use Email Marketing Wisely

While email marketing might not seem related to SEO at first glance, it can still have an impact. That’s because email marketing brings qualified traffic to your site, which can increase engagement metrics like dwell time and reduce bounce rates—all important for SEO. This tells search engines that your content is valuable.

Plus, it helps build brand awareness and authority by promoting high-quality content, which can lead to more backlinks and social shares, giving your site’s ranking a nice bump.

As you gear up for your BFCM marketing, here are some email marketing tips to keep in mind. 

• For email subject lines, remember that inboxes are jam-packed during Black Friday. So use words that create urgency, like “limited time” or “only a few left.” You can even use AI to help craft subject lines that really stand out.
• For your email CTAs, make sure they’re above the fold so subscribers don’t have to scroll to see them. Use bold colors and big fonts to make them stand out. And, make sure your CTA text matches your offer—like “Claim my gift” if there’s a freebie involved. 
• Finally, map out your BFCM message schedule so your emails land in inboxes at just the right moment to have the most impact. With SiteGround Email Marketing, it’s easy to manage your timing and make sure your messages get noticed. 

7. Implement Structured Data & AIO

Schema markup is a type of code, often called structured data, that tells search engines exactly what your website pages are about. Using schema markup is a great way to make your website stand out in search results. 

You add this to your site’s HTML, which isn’t as tricky as it sounds. WordPress users can use plugins, while others can use AI tools for help. 

Just make sure your schema markup code snippets are correct and not broken. To spot and fix any issues, try using a tool like Google’s Rich Snippets testing tool. Just pop in your webpage’s link or paste your page’s code, and it will check for any structured data problems.

Also, keep in mind Google’s AI Overviews (AIO), which provide quick content summaries in search results. Structured data plays a key role here by helping search engines understand and organize your content effectively. This means your site is more likely to be featured in AIO summaries.

To make the most of AIO, break your information into easy-to-read “chunks” that are perfect for featured snippets. This strategy not only helps your site grab attention but also delivers useful info quickly to users. Getting featured in AIO can really get you noticed and take your online presence up a notch. It’s all about making your content accessible and engaging.

8. Reuse and Refresh Evergreen Content

While keeping up with trends is great and sometimes essential, evergreen content is always a solid bet. Think of it like a classic little black dress in your content wardrobe—never out of style and easy to accessorize. 

Take those timeless pieces, like gift guides, how-to articles, and product reviews, and give them a fresh twist by adding Black Friday specifics. For example, update a gift guide with this year’s trending products, or add new tips to a popular how-to article. This way, you keep them relevant and engaging all year long without starting from scratch.

There are some great SEO perks, too. By reusing and updating evergreen online content, you can strengthen your site’s authority through smart internal linking. This approach also helps you avoid the pitfalls of duplicate content penalties, keeping your site in good standing with search engines.

For small businesses, this strategy is a real time-saver. Instead of starting from scratch, you can take last year’s posts and turn them into this year’s hits with minimal effort. It’s all about making the most of what you already have and giving it a new lease on life.

9. Improve Website Loading Speed & Security

For Black Friday SEO, having a fast and secure website is crucial. A quick-loading, secure site not only keeps your customers happy but also helps your search engine rankings. A slow site can mean lost sales, especially on Black Friday when every second matters.

Start by compressing images to improve your website performance and speed up load times, enabling HTTPS for secure transactions, and using caching to handle those Black Friday traffic surges smoothly.

For ecommerce small businesses, focusing on speed and security is key to capturing sales and improving your site’s SEO performance during the busiest shopping day of the year.

10. Focus on Local SEO

Local SEO is all about optimizing your online presence to attract more business from relevant local searches. For example, if someone searches for “Black Friday deals near me,” a well-optimized Google Business Profile can help your online store appear in the search results. Start by claiming and optimizing your profile, and make sure to include Black Friday hours, special deals, and location-based keywords.

For brick-and-mortar businesses looking to expand online, this is a great way to turn local loyalty into digital sales.

Adopt a hybrid approach that drives foot traffic (the number of customers physically visiting your store) while increasing online searches for “near me” queries. This strategy not only brings people into your store but also helps them find you online. 

11. Monitor & Measure Your Marketing Efforts

So, with all these tips in mind, the next step is to observe and see how they all come together. Keeping an eye on how your Black Friday SEO strategies are performing is essential. Track key digital marketing metrics like website traffic, conversions, and keyword rankings both during and after the event. This helps you see what’s working and what needs tweaking.

Free tools like Google Analytics can help you make data-driven decisions in real-time. They offer valuable insights into who’s visiting your site, what other relevant pages they’re checking out, and how long they stick around. You can also see what devices people are using and where your traffic is coming from, whether it’s social media, search engines, or direct visits.

Keep in mind that Google Search Console holds data for up to 16 months, giving you a clear view of clicks and impressions from last year. This historical data is invaluable for making informed SEO and keyword decisions.

And while you’re busy keeping tabs on your Black Friday SEO, SiteGround’s got the tech side covered. With 24/7 checkups and automatic alerts, we handle the nitty-gritty for you. Plus, daily backup service means your data is safe and sound. So you can focus on your Black Friday sales without worrying about technical hiccups, making your Black Friday run a whole lot smoother and more relaxed.

After Black Friday: Sustaining Momentum

Once Black Friday is over, it’s time to keep the momentum going. Start with a post-event analysis to review what worked well—such as top-performing keywords—and apply these insights to optimize your strategies for Cyber Monday and the rest of the holiday season. This way, your Cyber Monday search efforts can build on the success of your Black Friday campaigns.

Think about long-term strategies to convert that seasonal traffic into loyal, year-round customers. Sending follow-up and other types of emails and refreshing your content are great ways to keep your audience interested and eager to return.

For small business owners, Black Friday is just the beginning. It’s a launchpad for ongoing growth.

Let’s Crush Black Friday Together with SEO!

Ready to make this Black Friday your best one yet? With a few smart SEO moves, your small business can really stand out during the holiday rush. Think mobile-friendly websites, optimizing for AI, and making sure your content is exactly what your customers are searching for.

And don’t worry, with SiteGround you can enjoy peace of mind knowing your site is in good hands, so you can make this Black Friday truly unforgettable!