attention when they start searching for your products,” says Stuart Larkins, VP of Search for DoubleClick Performics. “It’s imperative for retailers to take advantage of search engines. Make sure the content is out there and visible to the engines, or use paid engines. It’s that simple.”

Larkins says that retailers can use both natural search optimization (NSO) and paid search engine marketing tactics to better shape online content for iMoms. While search engines present natural results based on algorithm-defined content relevance, sponsored links are paid for each time the consumer clicks on the link. Larkins says both methods are crucial to reaching the majority of women (97%) that say they are the primary grocery shopper in their home.

For example, a recent Kellogg’s survey says that 97% of moms are concerned about choosing snacks that are nutritious. Retailers that offer nutritious snacks can tailor their online content to better represent their product line so that the vast number of moms looking for these types of products can find them.

Case in point – when googling “healthy food store,” Whole Foods Market appears as the first natural search engine result. When googling “healthy snacks for kids,” Kraft Foods appears as the first paid search engine result. A trip to both sites reveals an abundance of recipe ideas complete with nutritional information. Interesting stories and tidbits also grab the eye.

“Don’t just put up nutritional facts,” Larkins says. “Write anecdotally and engage consumers. The more helpful and positive content you can provide about your product the better.”

And there’s no better time to do it than now, Larkins says. Thanks to the ubiquitous nature of online information sharing, blogging has become as common as email. Although a searching mom may find positive reviews on some items, she’ll find plenty of negative reviews too. One popular online group, known to Southern California members as “Peachhead,” has been known to make or break businesses based on mom musings alone.

“There’s a lot of information out there from both good and bad sources. Moms do a lot of research before they commit to buying a product, so you want to make sure your content is clear, easy to find and relevant. You also want your customers, when possible, to get their information from the source,” Larkins says.

Muti-channel retailers in particular have much to gain from improving a site’s “searchability.” The DoubleClick Performics study found that a majority of moms (70%) are using search engines to do research before they make purchases online. Additionally, more than half of the moms surveyed (57%) say they interact with search engines online before making purchases offline, and 64% use search engines to find out where to purchase products offline.

“We know that a lot of the dollar spending online is generating sales in the retail stores, and improved search engine marketing tactics and measurement have a lot to do with this trend,” says Larkins. “Now that we understand our client base better, we can better anticipate their needs.”

Phil Lempert is a recognized industry expert on consumer trends, Food Editor for the NBC Today Show and Contributing Editor for Progressive Grocer. Sign up for his free monthly newsletter at www.XtremeRetail23.com. You can reach him at PLempert@supermarketguru.com.

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