This article is Step One of Grit Blueprint’s Visibility Framework, created by founder Stefanie Couch. This is a three-step system they use to help hardware and building materials businesses become unmistakable market leaders. Step 1 is Be Seen, making sure customers can actually find you when they need you. Step 2 is Be Known, and Step 3 is Be Chosen.
You run a great hardware store with knowledgeable staff and competitive prices. But when someone three miles away needs exactly what they sell, they drive past our store to the big box retailer, not because your competitor is better, but because they never knew you existed. This is the invisible store paradox: none of your expertise matters if customers can’t find you when they need you.
The Visibility Gap That’s Costing You Sales
Most hardware stores operate on a dangerous assumption. They believe customers will find them through word of mouth and repeat business.
That strategy worked when your competition was the hardware store two towns over. Today, customers have unlimited options and zero patience for searching.
The numbers tell the story. Local searches drive immediate action¹. Nearly half of all Google searches have local intent, and 88% of people who search on their smartphone, visit a store within 24 hours².
Your customers are searching. The question is whether they’re finding you or your competition.
The average consumer needs to see your business over 21 times before they purchase³. Most hardware stores post once for a sale, maybe twice for a holiday, then wonder why their marketing doesn’t work.
Visibility isn’t just about posting more. It’s about showing up where your customers are already looking.
Where Your Customers Are Actually Searching
Google now accounts for only 18% of all searches (4), while AI platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity handle billions of queries daily (5). Instead of typing “hardware stores near me,” customers ask detailed questions: “What’s the best hardware store in my town for kitchen cabinet paint?” These AI tools pull from multiple sources, if you’re not indexed across platforms, you’re invisible. For example, if someone asks ChatGPT, “Best place to buy drill bits near me,” the AI pulls from your Google listing, Facebook page, Yelp reviews, and other online sources. If your business isn’t visible in those places, you won’t be in the answer, even if you’re the best option.
Key visibility channels for hardware stores:
- Google Business Profile: Your digital storefront for local searches and AI platforms
- YouTube: The world’s second-largest search engine for how to tutorials
- Facebook Groups: 1.8 billion monthly users (6) in local community groups asking for recommendations
Visibility isn’t about being everywhere. It’s about being where your ideal customers already spend their time.
The Content Strategy That Actually Works
You don’t need a film crew or a marketing degree. You need a smartphone and the willingness to answer the questions customers ask you every day.
What questions do people call about? What do they ask when they walk into your store? Your employees already know the content your customers want.
Someone calls asking about the right paint for bathroom walls. That’s a blog post, a YouTube video, and a social media post. A contractor asks about the best screws for deck building. That’s content that will help hundreds of other people with the same question.
The goal isn’t to go viral. The goal is to build a library of helpful content that positions you as the expert in your market. Randy’s Hardware, in Virginia, US, uses YouTube to showcase their staff expertise and behind-the-scenes operations. This approach works because it shows the human side of the business.
Remember: Raw, authentic content outperforms polished productions because people want to see real humans tackling real problems.
Your Quick-Win Visibility Strategy
Start with one platform. Pick the channel that interests you most and commit to consistency over perfection.
Google Business Profile optimisation should be your first priority. Update your hours, add photos regularly, respond to reviews, and post updates about new products or services. This single action improves your visibility in both traditional Google searches and AI-powered platforms.
Monthly how-to videos can be filmed with your smartphone and a $150 Bluetooth microphone for your phone. Focus on the questions customers ask most frequently. Show, don’t just tell.
Film yourself or your staff actually solving the problem. Local Facebook group participation requires no budget, just time. Join community groups where your customers spend time. Answer questions helpfully without being salesy. Build relationships before you need them.
Each piece of content can be reused across channels to multiply impact – one video becomes a blog post, social media content, and email newsletter material.
Making Your Customers Part of Your Story
Your best content creators are already shopping in your store. Ask customers to share photos of projects using products they bought from you. Feature employee expertise and personality.
When you highlight your customers and employees, you create content that feels authentic because it is authentic.
The Measurement That Matters
Track what drives business, not vanity metrics. Monitor your Google Business Profile insights and ask new customers how they heard about you. Consistency beats perfection. Posting helpful content twice monthly for a year drives more business than posting daily and then stopping after two weeks.
Start Today, Not Tomorrow
The changes in search and customer behaviour are accelerating. Businesses that start building visibility now will have a significant advantage.
Your customers are already searching. The only question is whether they’ll find you or your competition.
Being seen is the first step in the Grit Blueprint Framework. Once your customers can find you, the next step is making sure they remember you: Be Known. That’s what we’ll cover in the next article of this series.
Stefanie Couch is the founder of Grit Blueprint, www.gritblueprint.com, a brand and visibility strategy firm helping hardware and building materials businesses become unmistakable category leaders. She created the Grit Blueprint Framework, Be Seen. Be Known. Be Chosen, and combines her family hardware store roots with Fortune 500 sales and marketing leadership to help independent retailers, distributors, and manufacturers grow. Using AI-powered tools such as voice agents, search optimisation, and content automation, she helps clients increase visibility, strengthen customer relationships, and drive measurable growth. Connect with her on LinkedIn or at stefanie@gritblueprint.com.
Citations:
1. Backlinko Local SEO Statistics. Available at: https://backlinko.com/local-seo-stats
2. Backlinko Local SEO Statistics. Available at: https://backlinko.com/local-seo-stats
3. Neil Patel, Marketing research on consumer touchpoints and brand exposure frequency
4. Neil Patel, “Search Engine Market Share Statistics 2025”
5. Yext Blog, “Where Do Google, Gemini, and ChatGPT Get Local Business Information?”
Available at: www.yext.com/blog/2024/06/where-do-google-gemini-chatgpt-get
local-business-information
6. Buffer, “Facebook Groups for Small Businesses.” Available at: https://buffer.com/resources/facebook-groups-small-businesses
