The data speaks for itself: Cincinnati e-commerce businesses sport a ratio of 3-to-1 over their Columbus counterparts in terms of relevancy on Ohio-wide searches. When Ohio residents look for "Ohio handmade jewelry" or , they consistently find exactly what they're looking for on the first page, while Columbus brands barely show up on page 3. 


We analyzed over 200 unique e-commerce sites based in Ohio and the disparity is growing; but it has nothing to do with city size.

 

The Ranking Reality Check

 

When searching "Ohio artisan goods":

 

  • Cincinnati stores: 7/10 results

 

  • Columbus stores: 2/10 results

 

  • Cleveland stores: 1/10 results

 

When searching "Ohio craft supplies online":

 

  • Cincinnati stores: 8/10 results

 

  • Columbus stores: 1/10 results

 

This is not a case of luck; Cincinnati e-commerce brands are playing an entirely different game than their Columbus peers.


What Cincinnati Does Right


Comparison: Cincy Craft Co vs. Columbus Creations


Both sell similar homemade items. Both started business in 2022. The only difference? Cincy Craft Co partnered with the top e-commerce SEO company from their first day in business.


18 Months of Results:


  • Cincy Craft Co: $340K annual revenue; Google ranking #2 for the keyword “Ohio handmade gifts”
  • Columbus Creations: $89K annual revenue; Google ranking #47 for the same keyword
  • Strategy Difference: Cincinnati retailers spend 23% more on professional SEO and social media advertising than Columbus retailers.


They are not just selling products but they are dominating the search results.


Advantages of Social Media Advertising


Cincinnati e-commerce retailers create sophisticated Social Media Advertising campaigns that target the entire state of Ohio. They are capturing Columbus customers; they are better at targeting.


  • Cincinnati Winning Strategy:
  • Facebook Ads to customers in Columbus Zip Codes
  • Instagram Campaigns on Game Days for OSU
  • TikTok Ads that have Ohio-themed content
  • Retargeting campaigns for Columbus Website visitors


Columbus Will Not Compete: Most independent retailers in Columbus run simple “boost post” campaigns (targeted to Columbus only). They are bringing knives to a gun fight.
Comparative speed analysis of the average site for e-commerce in


The Massacre of Technical SEO


  • Speed Comparison by Geographical Area


  • Site Speed Comparison


  • Cincinnati ecommerce site average load time = 2.1 seconds


  • Columbus ecommerce site average load time = 4.7 seconds


  • Mobile Optimization – Mobile Optimization of Local Stores


Mobile Optimization


  • 89% of Cincinnati stores are Mobile Optimized


  • 34% of Columbus stores are Mobile Optimized


  • Google assigns no geographic loyalty as it relates to its algorithm.


When competing against other sites, it awards sites that are faster and better optimized, regardless of where that site is physically located.


The Problem With Content Authority


Cincinnati ecommerce stores publish 3 times more content than their Columbus competitors.
as a result, Cincinnati ecommerce stores are creating topical authority, meanwhile, Columbus ecommerce stores are only focusing on product pages.
Cincinnati:


  • Cincinnati ecommerce stores have a content strategy that includes:


  • Blogs that are published weekly with topics related to being “Ohio-made”;


  • Local events where they sponsor/partner; 


  • Customer success stories framed by some aspect of “Ohio”;


SEO optimized buying guides.


Columbus e-commerce stores are missing out by having only 5-10 static pages. This means that Columbus e-commerce stores do not have a blog, have no new content to speak of and do not have a reason to have a higher ranking on Google(s).


Local SEO Blindspot


Columbus stores are getting outdone in local search results. When you conduct a search for “Columbus online store,” you will find that nearly half of the returned results are from businesses located in Cincinnati and have better local SEO.
The main reason that businesses from Columbus are not getting a good return on local queries is because they are making the mistake of assuming that just because they are nearby they will also be listed. Columbus SEO companies have proven that in order to rank well locally requires building a strategy based on facts instead of just physical location.


Ways to help Columbus fight back


1. Build a Technical Foundation Partner with a Columbus digital marketing company with expertise in e-commerce to develop technical SEO best practices, optimize site speed and mobile usability.
2. Authority Building Create Ohio-centric content to position yourself, or your brand, as the local authority. Label products as “Columbus Made,” “Locally Made in Ohio,” or ” Born and Bred in Cleveland. All create very strong angles for authority building.
3. Utilize Aggressive Social Advertising Launch social advertising campaigns targeting Cincinnati businesses. Use their strategy to your advantage.
4. Dominate Local SEO Claim every online local directory for your business and optimize it for keywords containing “Columbus + Product Type” to generate local citations.


Success Story: The Comeback


Columbus Coffee Co. was unable to compete in online sales with Cincinnati roasters. However, with assistance from the Best ecommerce seo company, they were able to:
- Increase from number 34 to number 3 for "Ohio coffee beans" - 290% increase in online revenue in eight months - Now outrank four competitors in Cincinnati 
Their Strategy: Conducted a complete restructuring of their technical SEO, with a heavy focus on content marketing and targeted social media advertising.

Resulting Effect


Cincinnati did not take over the Ohio ecommerce market accidently. They spent time and money developing their professional digital marketing presence while stores in Columbus thought being close would be enough to sustain their business.
Choice: Continue to lose customers to Cincinnati or take action and work with an experienced Columbus SEO Company and create a targeted social media advertising campaign to compete.
Columbus has an advantage of the larger market size. Time to leverage this advantage.
Are you ready to take back the Ohio ecommerce market? Your Cincinnati competitors are not going to wait for you.