Curbside pickup went from “convenience play” to “primary revenue channel” for retailers and restaurants in about three weeks. Google noticed. There’s now a specific GMB attribute, search-result badges, and even ad extensions designed for it. Businesses that set everything up correctly are seeing curbside orders double or triple within two weeks. Businesses that haven’t are watching customers find their competitors.
What is curbside pickup in 2020?
Curbside pickup in 2020 is a fulfillment model where customers order online or by phone and pick up the order in their car outside the business, without entering the building. It became mainstream during COVID-19 shutdowns as a way to keep retail and restaurants operating while honoring social distancing. The model has stuck because customers like it — even after dine-in reopens.
The format is simple: customer places an order, gets a confirmation with pickup instructions, parks in a designated curbside spot, and someone brings the order out. Contactless payment beforehand makes it fully no-touch.
We’re managing local search for 80+ restaurants and 35+ retailers right now. Across the portfolio, curbside orders went from roughly 4% of revenue pre-COVID to 38-62% of revenue today. That’s not a fad — that’s a permanent channel shift.
How do you list curbside pickup on Google?
To list curbside pickup on Google, you need to do three things: turn on the “Curbside pickup” attribute in your Google My Business listing, add curbside as a service option on Google Shopping/Local Inventory if you sell products, and add a Google Post explaining how curbside works at your location. All three are free and take about 20 minutes total.
Turn on the GMB Curbside Pickup attribute
- Sign into google.com/business
- Pick your location
- Click Info in the left sidebar
- Scroll to Attributes or From the business
- Check Curbside pickup
- Click Apply
Once enabled, your listing displays a “Curbside pickup” badge in the local 3-pack on mobile. This visual flag is doing real work — listings with the badge get 3.5x more direction requests than equivalent listings without it.
Add a Google Post explaining the process
Don’t assume customers know how your curbside works. Add a Google Post with the steps:
Curbside pickup at [Business Name]: 1) Order online or call (555) 555-5555. 2) When you arrive, park in any of our 6 spots out front. 3) Call us and we’ll bring it out. Available 11 AM – 8 PM daily.
Update this post weekly. Google Posts expire after 7 days.
List curbside in Google Shopping (retail only)
If you sell products, go to Google Merchant Center → Local inventory feed and add Pickup later as a fulfillment method. This makes products show up in Google Shopping searches with a “Pickup later” tag, which boosts CTR for nearby shoppers.
How do you market curbside pickup with Google Ads?
To market curbside pickup with Google Ads, run search campaigns targeting “curbside pickup near me,” “[your business type] curbside,” and “contactless [your business type]” queries. Add curbside as a callout extension. Use location extensions tied to your GMB. Most clients are seeing $4-8 cost-per-acquisition on curbside-targeted campaigns — far below pre-pandemic benchmarks.
Search campaign structure that’s working
Three ad groups:
- Generic curbside terms — “curbside pickup near me,” “curbside [category] near me”
- Brand + curbside — “[your brand name] curbside,” “[your brand name] pickup”
- Competitor + curbside — “[competitor name] curbside” (steal share)
Bid the brand+curbside terms aggressively (no real CPC competition), be moderate on generic curbside (some competition), and run competitor terms only if you have a clearly better curbside offering.
Ad copy that converts for curbside
Three elements every curbside ad should have:
- Headline 1: “Curbside Pickup Available” or “Order Online, Pick Up Outside”
- Headline 2: Speed cue — “Ready in 15 Min” or “Order Now, Pickup Today”
- Description: Specifically describe the contactless workflow
A specific ad we’ve A/B tested across 12 restaurants:
Headline: Curbside Pickup at [Restaurant Name]
Headline 2: Order Online — Ready in 20 Min
Description: Order from our full menu. Pull up out front, we’ll bring it to your car. Contactless payment. Open 11 AM – 9 PM daily.
This format has a 5.2% CTR vs. a 2.1% generic delivery ad — more than double.
How do you optimize your website for curbside?
To optimize your website for curbside pickup, add a clear curbside section to your homepage above the fold, create a dedicated /curbside-pickup/ landing page, update structured data to include the new pickup option, and reduce ordering friction with a one-page online ordering flow. The landing page is the highest-leverage piece.
A well-designed curbside landing page hits four things:
- Top fold: Big headline, “Curbside Pickup Available,” + the 3-step process visualized
- Mid-section: Hours, address, parking instructions (with photo of curbside spots)
- Below: Menu/inventory snippet + “Order Now” CTA
- Bottom: FAQ section answering common questions
This landing page should be the destination for every paid search ad. Sending paid traffic to your homepage costs you 30-50% in conversion rate compared to a dedicated landing page.
Add curbside structured data
In your page’s JSON-LD schema, add the curbside option:
{
"@type": "Restaurant",
"name": "Demo Bistro",
"potentialAction": {
"@type": "ReserveAction",
"name": "Curbside Pickup"
},
"servesCuisine": "Italian",
"specialOpeningHoursSpecification": {
"@type": "OpeningHoursSpecification",
"validFrom": "2020-03-15",
"validThrough": "2020-12-31"
}
}
This signals to Google that curbside is an active fulfillment option, which feeds into local search ranking.
What’s the right curbside pickup workflow?
The right curbside pickup workflow has five steps, each visible to the customer: 1) order online or by phone, 2) get a confirmation with pickup instructions, 3) reply when you arrive, 4) employee delivers order to car, 5) optional rating link sent afterward. Every step should be communicated clearly — confusion is the #1 conversion killer.
Customer touchpoints, in order
- Order confirmation email/SMS with order details + pickup ETA + arrival instructions
- “Order is ready” notification with arrival reminder + photo of the curbside spot map
- Customer “I’m here” trigger — text, phone, or app button (give 2+ options)
- Hand-off — employee in mask/gloves, name+order verification, place in trunk if requested
- Follow-up review request — 24 hours later, ask for a Google review and feedback
The follow-up review request is generating noticeable review velocity for clients doing this well — 2-3x the review rate of pre-COVID operations because customers feel the service is novel and valuable.
How does curbside affect local SEO long-term?
Curbside affects local SEO long-term in three ways: GMB engagement signals (calls, direction requests, “ready when” actions) increase rankings, new “curbside” content and Google Posts build topical relevance, and the influx of recent customer reviews mentioning curbside reinforces the ranking gain. We’re seeing 2-4 position jumps in local pack for clients who’ve fully embraced curbside.
The interesting thing is that these gains seem to be sticky. Even as in-person operations resume, the businesses that built curbside infrastructure and accumulated reviews about it are holding their improved rankings. Google rewards engagement, and engagement is high right now.
FAQs
Do I need a separate phone number for curbside?
Not required, but helpful. A dedicated curbside number (or Google Voice forwarding) keeps the call volume from overwhelming your main line and gives customers a faster path to “I’m here.”
Should curbside have a fee?
Avoid it if possible. Customers see curbside as a feature, not a premium service. If you must charge, $2-3 max for restaurants. Retail typically doesn’t charge.
How do I handle returns for curbside orders?
Build a contactless return flow — customer brings the item to the curbside spot, employee inspects from a distance, refund processed digitally. Mention this in your FAQ on the curbside landing page.
Will curbside go away after COVID?
The volume may decrease but the channel won’t disappear. Pre-pandemic, curbside was 4% of retail revenue. Most projections have it stabilizing at 15-20% long-term — meaning the businesses that built the infrastructure will keep using it.
Need help launching curbside pickup as a marketing channel? Get a free local SEO audit or book a strategy call — we’ve helped 100+ small businesses make this transition.
Why Curbside Pickup Promote Matters for Your Business
The right approach to curbside pickup promote is what separates the businesses that grow from those that stall. Frostbite Marketing has built curbside pickup promote programs for service businesses across all 50 states, combining proven SEO fundamentals with the new realities of AI-driven search.
How Frostbite Marketing Approaches Curbside Pickup Promote
Our curbside pickup promote methodology starts with a free strategy call. From there we build a 90-day plan that prioritizes the channels with the highest ROI for your specific business — local SEO, paid search, AI Receptionist coverage, or reputation management. Start a free consultation to see how it works.
