If you’re looking for ways to increase conversion rates on your website, we suggest implementing a strong eCommerce SEO strategy. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of SEO for eCommerce—a key factor for brands looking to maximize their online presence, attract qualified traffic, build credibility, and drive revenue in the competitive world of online retail.
The Difference Between SEO and SEO for eCommerce
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it’s the process of improving your website's visibility on Google and other search engines. Its primary purpose is to help you appear higher on the search engine results pages (SERPs) and drive organic traffic to your website. However, eCommerce SEO is a set of strategies and techniques used to improve the visibility of online stores (eCommerce websites) in search engine results.
The main goal of SEO for eCommerce websites is to increase the visibility of products in search engine results to drive sales. Traditional SEO focuses on improving website content visibility to capture attention and drive traffic and potential conversion.
SEO tactics for eCommerce websites revolve around their unique needs and challenges, such as product pages, categories, shopping carts, and customer reviews. When executing an eCommerce SEO strategy for your brand, you should optimize product descriptions, titles, images, category pages, site navigation, and other elements crucial for online shopping.
The key takeaway is that SEO covers a range of website optimization strategies suitable for various website types. SEO for eCommerce focuses on optimizing online stores to help you attract organic traffic, improve the visibility of your products, and drive sales.
Strategic Steps and Best Practices for eCommerce SEO
Numerous tried-and-true eCommerce SEO tactics and techniques can boost your website visibility and conversation rates. Statista estimates that the eCommerce market revenue will reach US $3,226B this year, with the number of users expected to amount to 3.2B by 2029. These numbers alone indicate the importance of staying competitive in the growing eCommerce landscape and getting your online store in front of people who can become loyal customers. The following eCommerce SEO strategies can help you achieve this goal.
On-Page SEO Tactics for an eCommerce SEO Strategy
On-page SEO strategies focus on optimizing various elements, including product descriptions, images, and site structure, directly within a website to improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results pages.
Choose the Right Keywords for eCommerce SEO
Similar to how you use specific words when searching for something online, SEO for eCommerce involves finding the right words that your potential customers use when searching for products online. These words are keywords you will strategically place in your website's content, such as product descriptions, titles, URLs, meta tags, etc.
Finding the right keywords for your brand starts with thorough keyword research. We suggest using tools like Google Keyword Planner, Semrush, and Ahrefs to identify relevant keywords that your target audience is searching for. These keywords should have a balance between search volume (how many people are searching for them) and competition (how many other websites are trying to rank for them). Also, consider keyword relevancy, meaning to which degree are the selected keywords relevant to your website content.
You should include long-tail keywords in your eCommerce SEO strategy, as they are more specific and usually have lower search volume and higher conversion rates. For example, if you’re selling kids’ toys, instead of targeting "toys," you might target "educational toys for toddlers." An easy and free way to find long-tail keywords is to use Amazon as a keyword research tool and look into the results provided by the Amazon search bar. Over two billion people visit the eCommerce giant’s platform monthly, and most have specific categories and products in mind while browsing. Specific phrases they type in the search bar fuel Amazon’s recommendations and present a gold mine of potential keywords for your brand.
Once you've identified your target keywords, the next step is to add them to your website in a strategic way. This includes keyword placement in product titles, descriptions, headings, URLs, image alt text, and meta tags.
Optimize Your eCommerce Website Product Pages
You should optimize each product page on your eCommerce website to make it easier for search engines to understand what the page is about. This incorporates using relevant keywords, having clear and descriptive titles, providing high-quality images, and ensuring fast loading times. Your product titles should be clear and illustrative, with relevant keywords, allowing website visitors to find and comprehend your products with ease.
Write unique and informative product descriptions, using your target keywords, that not only describe the features but also address the needs and benefits of the customers. Your product descriptions should address consumers' pain points and how your products provide solutions. Customer reviews on your website and competitors’ online stores can help you better understand their needs and write compelling and relevant descriptions. To improve SEO results, avoid using duplicate content from manufacturers.
High-resolution images showcasing your products from different angles are crucial product page elements. You should optimize your image file names and alt tags with relevant keywords. Also, use appropriate image sizes and ensure that your product pages load quickly, as page speed is a ranking factor for search engines and impacts user experience on your website. To analyze the speed of your website, try out PageSpeed Insights.
Create High-Quality Content for Your eCommerce SEO Strategy
By producing high-quality content for your brand’s eCommerce website, you will attract visitors to your online store and improve your website's authority and relevance in search engine algorithms. This can include blog posts, buying guides, product reviews, and other product-related informative content.
A great way to boost your visibility online and drive organic traffic to your website is by creating blog posts that provide valuable information about your products, industry trends, how-to guides, and other topics your target audience is interested in. You can help shoppers make informed purchasing decisions by creating buying guides or writing articles highlighting the features and benefits of different products.
Use your online platform to encourage customers to leave reviews and ratings for your products, as user-generated content (UGC) can improve SEO and build trust with potential buyers. In addition, you can include this UGC content in an omni-channel eCommerce marketing approach.
Organize Your eCommerce Site Structure and Navigation
A well-organized website structure and easy navigation go a long way, making it easier for search engines and customers to find what they're looking for. Your website needs to have clear categories, subcategories, and internal links between related products and pages.
The first step is to organize your products into logical categories and subcategories to make it easy for visitors to navigate your website. In addition, linking corresponding products and pages on your site will enhance navigation and distribute link authority throughout your eCommerce website.
To improve SEO for eCommerce, create an XML sitemap, a file that lists website pages and helps search engines discover and index all of your website's pages. Mobile optimization is one of the crucial online shopping aspects to consider for your eCommerce SEO strategy. With more people using smartphones and tablets for purchasing online, you need to optimize your eCommerce website for mobile devices. This means it has to be responsive and adapt to different screen sizes and devices.
The more straightforward the navigation on your website is, the easier it will be for mobile users to find products, add-to-cart, and complete checkout. You should optimize images, minify CSS and JavaScript, and leverage browser caching to improve page loading times on mobile devices. And remember, mobile-friendly websites usually rank higher in mobile search results and provide a better user experience.
Implement Schema Markup
By implementing schema markup and using tools such as Schema Markup Generator and Schema Markup Validator, you will provide Google and other search engines with additional information about your products, such as price, availability, and reviews.
Technical SEO Techniques for an eCommerce SEO Strategy
Technical SEO strategies for an eCommerce website include optimizing technical aspects of your website, such as improving site speed, fixing broken links, and building backlinks.
Improve Page Speed and Fix Broken Links
To improve the load time of your website pages and provide a better experience to visitors and potential customers, optimize images on your online store site, use a content delivery network (CDN), and minimize server response time. Regularly check for broken links (404 errors) and redirect them to relevant pages to maintain a smooth user experience.
Incorporate Backlink Building
Building quality backlinks from reputable websites helps to increase your eCommerce website's authority and credibility in the eyes of search engines. You can achieve this through guest blogging, influencer partnerships, and other link-building strategies. Contribute guest posts to relevant blogs and websites in your industry to earn backlinks and increase your reputation and authority.
Another excellent SEO tactic for building backlinks is to have influencer partnerships. Similar to how you would partner with influencers to promote your products on social media, collaborate with influencers and bloggers to promote your products and earn mentions or backlinks from their websites. Lastly, share your blog posts, product pages, and other content on social media and online communities to attract more visitors and potential backlinks. You can use some of the many free tools to check backlinks, including Backlink Checker by Ahrefs and the one from SEO Review Tools.
The Importance of eCommerce SEO Strategy for Brands
A proper and effective eCommerce SEO strategy isn’t a one-time thing. It involves planned and well-executed on-site and technical SEO techniques, as well as continuous monitoring and adjustments based on your website performance results.
You can improve your brand visibility in search engine results pages by creating and optimizing various eCommerce SEO strategies for your website. When potential customers search for products online, brands that rank higher are more likely to be seen and clicked on, leading to increased website traffic and brand exposure. By optimizing your product pages, categories, and other website elements with the eCommerce SEO best practices mentioned above, you can attract more organic traffic from search engines. Unlike paid advertising, organic traffic generated through SEO efforts is sustainable and cost-effective in the long run.
To truly understand the importance of SEO for eCommerce, consider this fact—customers perceive brands that consistently appear at the top of search results for relevant keywords as more authoritative and trustworthy. Strong visibility on Google, Bing, and Yahoo will help you establish credibility and improve your brand reputation. Furthermore, increased organic traffic will lead to more opportunities for conversions and sales on your eCommerce website.
If your products rank well in search results and you provide a positive user experience on your online store, the likelihood of visitors purchasing will be higher. Unlike short-term marketing tactics, eCommerce SEO has long-term benefits for brands. Our advice is to consistently optimize your site for search engines, which will, in turn, increase organic traffic to your online store, improve its visibility in SERPs, and ultimately drive revenue growth.
Reach out to Blue Wheel, an eCommerce SEO agency, to boost your brand visibility and conversion rates with tailor-made solutions and growth-driven strategies.
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