Consumer packaged goods are everywhere. Also known as CPG, this product category is massive and includes everything from food and beverages to personal care items, cosmetics and skincare, household supplies, and more. According to Exploding Topics, the global CPG industry was valued at 3.18 trillion dollars in 2024. With such fierce competition, how do you get your CPG brand to stand out? The answer is SEO!
While many consumers still purchase CPG products at their local grocery store or big box retailer, e-commerce is a major force in CPG. Statista reports that 11% of all direct-to-consumer CPG sales are online. So if your brand’s website isn’t optimized for search, you’re leaving money on the table. Using search engine optimization (SEO) techniques can help you reach new customers, boost sales, and build your brand’s name recognition.
If you’re not sure where to get started, you’ve come to the right place. Here are six tips for SEO for CPG brands:
Tip #1. Do keyword research for CPG
Keyword research is the foundation of SEO. When consumers search for your product, you want your website to show up on the first page of search results. But what are they actually typing into Google to find you? Those terms or phrases are called keywords.
If your CPG brand is well-established, it’s highly likely that you already have a lot of consumers who find your website just by searching for your name. However, branded keywords can only carry you so far. To reach new customers, you need a robust strategy that includes a wide variety of keywords about your products. Ranking #1 for “Colgate toothpaste” is great, but ranking #1 for “toothpaste” is even better.
Keyword research is the process of creating a list of terms you want to target in your organic search engine marketing strategy. It’s the first step for every SEO strategy, so don’t skip this process or cut corners. At Redefine, our best practices for keyword research are:
- Research industry trends & topics that are relevant to your target consumer
- Brainstorm a list of head keywords that describe your product in general terms (i.e. “toothpaste” or “whitening toothpaste”)
- Use this initial list in keyword research tools to find related terms
- Refine your results based on factors like topic relevance, search volume, keyword difficulty, and search intent
To learn more, check out our helpful guide on keyword research for beginners.
Tip #2. Optimize your CPG product pages
After you’ve created a list of SEO keywords for your CPG brand, it’s time to put them to use and optimize your website. Review the copy on your product pages. Do you have keywords in the headers and product description copy? If not, rewrite your pages as needed.
However, remember that you’re writing for people first, algorithms second. Don’t “over-optimize” and cram too many keywords into a single page. If your product descriptions sound spammy, you’ll turn away potential customers and lose points with search engines. If you’re struggling to add keywords, brainstorm ways to expand your copy naturally. Consider adding FAQs or short “how-to” guides to your product pages.
You should also make sure you have high-quality images and clear product data (i.e. details like size, weight, and color, if applicable). Additionally, create an account with Google Merchant Center to help shoppers discover your CPG brand outside of your e-commerce site.
Tip #3. Perform a technical site audit
Next, assess the technical side of your CPG e-commerce site. A successful SEO strategy requires a strong website with features including:
- Fast load times (aim for 0-2 seconds per page — test your site speed here)
- Mobile optimization
- No broken links or images
- Images under 100 KB in size
- Internal linking
- No duplicate content
Use tools like SEMRush or Moz to check your SEO site health. These tools can provide a breakdown of potential errors that may be preventing your website from ranking.
Tip #4. Create high-quality content
Content is essential for SEO for CPG brands. As we mentioned in our second tip, you should avoid using too many keywords on a single page, otherwise you may be penalized. So how do you get more keywords on your website without seeming spammy? Start a blog and fill it with high-quality content.
Blogs are an effective, natural way to boost your presence online. For CPG brands, they also offer a convenient channel for consumer education. You can use blogs to highlight secondary features of your products that might not fit on your main product pages, as well as provide general information that’s useful for your niche. This helps you build trust with your audience and positions you as an expert in your space.
Let’s return to our toothpaste brand as an example. This CPG company could create a blog with articles like, “The History of Toothpaste,” “5 Ways to Prepare for a Dental Cleaning,” or “How to Use Toothpaste to Remove Stains.” These topics are broad, but they provide a great opportunity to include different keywords that can attract consumers who are interested in toothpaste.
Tip #5. Incorporate local SEO strategies
Are your CPG products available in a brick-and-mortar location? If so, incorporate best practices for local SEO. Local SEO helps users find your goods when they search terms such as, “(product name) near me” or “best (product) Los Angeles”. There are multiple strategies for local SEO:
- Create blog content about the cities or neighborhoods where your CPG brand is available
- Create a Google Business profile and schedule regular posts
- Optimize for Google 3-Pack
- Create an Apple Maps business listing
Tip #6. Track your key metrics
Finally, setup tracking with Google Analytics and Google Search Console. This will enable you to see how you rank for different keywords, as well as which keywords are encouraging users to click on your website.
This data provides a valuable tool for adjusting your SEO keyword strategy. For example, if you discover that certain keywords are leading to lots of clicks, but not converting, you can revise the content on that page to include more value points or other features to encourage a sale.
Let Redefine help your CPG SEO
With the right SEO strategy, your CPG brand can cut through the noise and become everyone’s favorite. And Redefine Marketing Group is here to help! From keyword research to on-page optimizations to content strategy and more, we’ll help your CPG brand reach new consumers and grow. Contact us today for a free discovery call.
