Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the process of trying to cater to Google’s algorithms to allow a website to appear as high as possible in search results. This allows an organization’s website to increase its visitors and businesses to help drive sales. Outsourcing SEO services can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $40,000 per month for a large company, said David Wilson, executive vice president of digital marketing and analytics at Zozimusan agency based in Boston.
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“It’s the channel that gives you the highest [return on investment] in anything you do,” Wilson said. “It’s essential or critical for any small business to invest or spend time on SEO.”
For Black Tie Ladya prom dress shop and e-commerce business in Hudson, SEO is a way of life.
Nyasiah Rodriguez, 17, of Lawrence, tries on a prom dress at Lady Black Tie in April.Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe
Owner and founder Marissa Tilley said she learned how to optimize her store’s search results not through a class or formal training, but through Reddit. When he first opened the store in 2018, he sometimes didn’t have many customers, which gave him time to master SEO through research.
She typed words on her website, then Googled terms she assumed shoppers would search for like the names of certain designers whose clothes she wears, then tweaked the wording to try to improve her placement on the results page . Tilley said she also added more details about the dresses to the Lady Black Tie site through YouTube videos, photos and descriptions, to stand above other websites and increase the store’s authority from Google’s perspective.
“It’s like one of those things where you plant a lot of seeds and you might not see the growth for a while, but eventually you get a lot of fruit in a couple of years,” Tilley said. “SEO takes time.”
And it’s paid off for the store, which said it sold more than 45,000 dresses in 2023, compared to less than 6,000 in 2019. And it’s on track to sell the same number in 2024 as it did last year, according to Tilley . The store’s floor-length dresses range from approximately $69 to $879.
Lady Black Tie also has a strong presence on social media. The store’s TikTok account has amassed nearly 318,000 followers and its Instagram account has garnered over 153,000. In its most viral TikTok video, which has more than 8 million views, the store shows a girl described as a “tomboy” who goes from wearing an everyday outfit to a royal blue prom dress and fluid “to kill the dance”.
Tilley said the key to the store’s marketing success is diversifying across platforms. It has branched out its marketing efforts to Pinterest and YouTube Shorts to increase the store’s reach.
“You just have to follow the market,” he said.
Knowing your market is also crucial. Tilley said that when it comes to clothing trends, New England girls have their own look: sleek and tight. The poofy dresses aren’t that prominent; Mermaid cut dresses, which only sparkle at the bottom, are the closest thing that sells well here.
This year, bright colors, such as neon, and corset-style dresses are also in. But while flowy so-called “Easter” or “church” dresses with pastel floral prints are trending online, those styles are less in demand here, Tilley said. .
Another shop, Alexandra’s shop in Fall River, has also invested in SEO and digital marketing, and saw a 10 percent jump in store traffic this year compared to last year, leading to an increase in sales “a couple points,” said Zachary Leone, owner of Alexandra’s Boutique. .
More than 8,000 people came to shop this year’s ball, he said. Girls start shopping for their dresses as early as January to get the best selection, she said.
“No one wants to wear the same dress,” Leone said. “People want more options, so they want to get out as soon as possible.”
In fact, students at some schools are starting Instagram pages where girls can post their prom dress to make sure no one else buys the same one, Leone said.
In order to get the word out about the store, Leone said, Alexandra’s Boutique outsources digital marketing services to a company called Logical position and uses social networks, where a week influencer program offers girls a chance to get their prom dress for free if they post photos promoting the store’s dresses.
Lady Black Tie stylist Lexi Millette put prom dresses back on the store shelf.Ken McGagh for The Boston Globe
Mark Czarny, SEO account manager for Logical Position, said he’s seen his company’s efforts benefit the store, which has more than 100,000 Instagram followers between its prom and bridal accounts. He said online marketing success depends on site credibility and keywords, which allow Google to better identify the store’s website to put first when a person searches for something.
“The great thing about SEO is that it’s essentially a popularity contest in the eyes of Google,” Czarny said. “If you can generate enough exposure organically, Google likes it and can basically give you more credit or authority and then help you rank better for other marketing channels.”
Some of the keywords the company uses in its website text for Alexandra’s Boutique, which also sells bridal and formal dresses, Czarny said, include: “bridal dress shop,” “bridal dress shops” and “Bridal Shop Massachusetts”.
Amari Prom, located in Littleton, said its social media channels attract customers. On Instagram, the store has more than 1,000 followers and spends money on Facebook ads, in addition to old-school direct mail, owner Kate Williams said.
“We’re very busy,” Williams said.
For industries with a busy season like party dress retailers, SEO and other online techniques are important to work year-round, said Wilson, the digital marketing executive.
“It’s a short-term window for prom, similar to Halloween,” Wilson said, adding, “You have to have your SEO lined up ahead of time for this to work.”
Esha Walia can be reached at esha.walia@globe.com.
