Custom apparel is a great way to engage with your audience and generate more income. However, they have a hidden function most businesses overlook: driving traffic. For instance, brands can tap into marketing local-themed clothing collabs to connect with the community and generate content that search engines reward.
In this article, we will talk about the creative ways to use custom apparel to supplement your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts.
Let’s begin.
Why customer apparel boosts SEO
Most people love customization. In fact, around 30% of online shoppers look for customization options. When you allow shoppers to tweak the appearance of the shirts or hats they want, they tend to keep exploring product pages longer. This tells search engines that your pages are worth showing in the results pages.
When visitors linger on your site, bounce rates decrease and your rankings tend to climb.
People are more inclined to share content about personalized merchandise, so it’s easier to encourage them to do so. This creates a stream of user content on your site and social channels.
One report found that sites that show real customer images see about 29% more conversions. Such a surge takes place because people trust peer experiences over generic ads.
Stores that offer custom apparel can capitalize on the power of long-tail keywords. These are phrases like “custom Tampa baseball caps” or “college team hoodies.”
Since they are more specific, they have lower competition and easier to rank for. They mirror the exact words shoppers type into Google, improving your chance to match their intent.
Further, vendors can boost click-through rates by applying selected keywords to titles and meta descriptions. Location-specific and product-specific keywords are a must as they create multiple entry points for searchers.
Social engagement through custom apparel
Custom merchandise tends to stand out in user feeds, catching a lot of attention. In the spring of 2024. TikTok and Facebook led the apparel brands’ share of voice at 14.4% and 14.2% respectively. In short, eye-catching designs give birth to spontaneous content.
One sure-fire way to spark engagement in social media is through contests. If you offer custom apparel, a design contest can turn followers into brand ambassadors.
Invite people to share selfies while wearing custom clothing and use a unique hashtag. Such user content fuels your social channels and adds real-world proof that your brand is relatable.
Another social media technique is to partner with a micro-influencer who loves your style. Influencer posts that feature your merch can drive around 22% more engagement than regular ads. As a bonus, they boost ad recall by nearly 27%.
It’s not rocket science: when a trusted person sports certain clothing, people are more likely to think that brand is genuine.
Here are a few tips to further capitalize on user-generated content in social media:
- Reshare content as stories or reels.
- Encourage fans to tag friends who might want matching items.
- Start a hashtag challenge inviting fans to show off styling tips with your apparel.
- Feature standout posts on your website or social stories each week.
These activities create constant recognition that keeps people engaged and attracts new followers.
Partnering with licensed vendors
Working with licensed apparel vendors feels less stressful because you know everything is legitimate and top quality. For instance, if you pick a vendor approved by the University of Florida, you get designs that are trademark-safe while supporting local license holders.
How do you do these partnerships correctly?
First, make sure you check fabric and print samples to see how they hold up after washing and wearing. Next, find out the production timeline and the minimum number of items you need to order.
Then, test the ordering platform to see if you can preview designs live and tweak them on the spot. Be sure to ask about order minimums so you do not end up with too much gear. Check if they handle returns or exchanges, too. It feels great to see fans rocking your designs around town.
Integrating custom apparel into your marketing mix
Successfully using custom apparel in your SEO strategy means properly integrating it into your marketing mix. The first thing to do is to plan your custom merch alongside your content schedule. For example, launch a product or run a promotion when you publish blog posts.
As mentioned, use keywords to your advantage. In addition to authentic stories, your product descriptions must include keywords relevant to your audience. Provide helpful alt text to every image you upload so search engines know what it’s about.
Further, add product details markup for extra info in search results. Share new designs in your email newsletter and on social media posts. Tag the post with your keywords to drive SEO signals. Link each mention back to the page where people can shop easily.
Final words
What if your next t-shirt drop could become the talk of the town and send your search rankings soaring? Imagine fans sharing photos of your custom designs and attracting new customers without a paid ad in sight. Are you ready to turn a hoodie into your brand’s powerful marketing tool?
Jon Crain has written hundreds of website design and marketing article blog posts.
He is the sole owner of Pittsburgh SEO Services LLC which is a small business in Pittsburgh PA that specializes in affordable wordpress websites and digital marketing campaigns. Jon Crain has a marketing degree specializing in digital marketing and holds multiple internet marketing certifications. Jon Crain has over 25 years of experience along with managing hundreds of website projects and marketing campaigns. He also has won a variety of awards over the years from Tribune Review, Post Gazette and other publications.