- Digital Market Act revolution: What impact on your multi-location network?
- Digital Market Act: How to optimize the visibility of your local points of sale under the new directive?
- Conclusion
The Digital Market Act (DMA), adopted by the European Parliament, came into effect on May 2, 2023. Its implementation will be in force by March 2024, marking a significant milestone in the European digital landscape.
Its clear objective is to regulate the web giants (GAMAF – Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Facebook) to restore a more equitable balance within the online platform market.
This new regulation will have substantial consequences for smaller players and will create new opportunities for their influence in search results.
While this evolution will impact all businesses, it will play a critical role for brands that own chain store networks, multi-store locations, or franchises, as it will redefine their online visibility and search engine rankings.
Digital Market Act revolution: What impact on your multi-locationnetwork?
With the implementation of the Digital Market Act, your network of stores is on the brink of a digital revolution. This regulation aims to curb anticompetitive practices by suppliers, including the reduction of favoritism towards their own products and services. European parliament stated that non-compliance with this rule could lead to fines of up to 10% of the global revenue, and up to 20% for repeated offenses.
But that’s not all, Google, as a web giant, will also have to comply with the DMA. Google Business Profiles (formerly Google My Business) will need to be hosted on a dedicated website with a specific page for each establishment, similar to an indexed directory. This measure will result in a potential decrease in the visibility of Google Business Profiles (GBP), ranging from -20% to -90%, according to various sources. On the other hand, company websites and Store Locator (SL) pages will be prioritized, offering a projected traffic increase of 200% to 800%.
Digital Market Act: How to optimize the visibility of your local points of sale under the new directive?
With the implementation of the DMA, optimizing the visibility of your local points of sale becomes a crucial priority for businesses. By March 2024, focusing on Store Locator (SL) optimization and maintaining a presence in relevant global and sector-specific directories will be essential to stand out in this new regulatory environment.
Here are some essential tips to ensure optimal visibility for your local points of sale:
Build an efficient Store Locator:
If your business has multiple points of sale, the Store Locator becomes a vital tool. Make sure to include all crucial information, such as:
- Complete address with precise geolocation
- Links for route calculation using various mapping tools (Google Maps, Apple Plans, Waze, TomTom, Here WeGo)
- Phone number(s)
- Regular opening hours and clearly indicated exceptional hours
- Customer reviews from trusted partners specific to your industry.
Structure your website and Store Locator’s data:
Ensure that your data is correctly structured according to schema.org to appear in enriched search engine results.
Learn more about structured data and why it is essential for your online visibility in our article:
How to Appear in Google’s Enriched Search Results.
Optimize Page Speed LoadingSpeed:
Fast page loading times are essential to provide a better user experience, both on desktop and mobile devices.
Reference your POS in Directories and Intermediate Platforms:
The DMA will significantly benefit intermediate platforms, reservation platforms, and directories by increasing their visibility.
To get listed, use the appropriate intermediate platforms based on your industry:
- All types of businesses: Yellow Pages, Facebook Business Page, etc.
- Tourism: Booking, TripAdvisor
- Restaurants: The Fork, Restaurant Guru, Yelp
- Others: Planity (Wellness), Doctolib (Healthcare),, etc.
By following these recommendations, you will ensure a strong online presence for your local POS while leveraging the new regulations of the Digital Market Act. This optimization will position you advantageously in search engine results and better meet your customers’ expectations by providing an optimal user experience.
Conclusion
The Digital Market Act brings significant changes to your online visibility as a multi-location network. To ensure you remain competitive and seize new opportunities, it is crucial to understand the impact of DMA and adjust your marketing strategy accordingly.
In this new regulatory context, it is essential for you to focus on optimizing your Store Locator, maintaining a strong presence in relevant directories, and structuring your data to appear in enriched search engine results.
By following these recommendations, you can maximize your online visibility and attract a larger number of customers to your physical locations.
However, it is important to note that despite projections and discussions about the impact of DMA, negotiations with the European Commission are still ongoing, and the final outcomes are not yet known. It is imperative that you stay informed and closely monitor the evolving situation to best adapt to the upcoming regulations and opportunities.
