A Simple Guide for Beginners: Unleashing Ecommerce SEO for More Sales

eCommerce sites can significantly increase their online visibility by focusing on the foundational elements of SEO, such as keyword targeting, and harnessing the power of content marketing.

The most obvious reason to have an online store is to take advantage of the rapid growth of e-commerce worldwide. With the value of total e-commerce sales soaring from $1.3 trillion in 2014 to 5.7 trillion in 2022 and projected to reach $8 trillion by 2026 according to Statista, the immense potential for revenue generation and market expansion is evident.

Conquer the Shopping Cart:

In the bustling, digital marketplace, visibility is everything. For ecommerce businesses, ranking high in search results is the golden ticket to overflowing virtual shopping carts. But how do you navigate the ever-evolving SEO landscape and ensure your products are at the top of the heap? SEO for e-commerce is more than just adding keywords, writing blog posts, and gaining links. You need to understand how search engines work and what they reward. That means having a working knowledge of SEO for e-commerce, considering Google’s guidelines, analyzing buyer intent, and implementing it strategically

Buckle up, entrepreneurs, because today we're diving deep into the world of Ecommerce SEO: your secret weapon for online domination.

  1. Site Audit: Analyse your website

    Consider running a comprehensive site audit to effectively track and identify any underlying issues that could potentially impact the user experience and organic traffic. View the audit as an initial step and integrate regular reviews to ensure that every identified issue is promptly addressed.

  2. Build your kingdom: Improve Your Site’s Architecture

    Site architecture is the structural framework determining how your web pages are organized and interconnected within your website. This pivotal aspect plays a crucial role in the realm of technical SEO, which is dedicated to enhancing all the technical facets of your site that have an impact on its search engine optimization. This is especially significant for ecommerce sites striving to optimize their online presence and rankings.

    That’s because an optimized architecture:

    • Helps Google crawl (discover) all of your product and category pages

    • Makes it easy for users to find products

    • Transfers link equity (ranking strength) throughout your site to improve rankings

    • But how do you improve your site architecture?

    • Organize your site in a way that enables visitors to reach any product from your homepage in just a few clicks.

  3. Keyword Kingdom: Finding Your Search Throne

    It all starts with understanding your subjects: your customers. What are they searching for? Dive into keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner and identify the magic phrases that unlock the treasure trove of potential buyers. But remember, it's not just about volume – choose relevant keywords that align with your products and target audience. Search intent is an important concept for ecommerce SEO. Because you want to ensure that the pages on your site align with people’s expectations.

    The main types of search intent are:

    • Navigational: Users want to find a specific website or page. For example, “Amazon login” or “Amazon prime.

    • Informational: Users want to learn more about something. For example, “how much food to feed my cat.”

    • Commercial: Users want to review different products before making a purchase decision. For example, “best dry cat food.”

    • Transactional: Users want to buy something online. For example, “buy cat food online.”

  4. Optimizing Your Oasis: Building a Buyer-Friendly Haven

    Now, let's make your online store the ultimate shopping destination. Product pages are your battlegrounds, so optimize them like pro warriors. Infuse your titles, descriptions, and alt tags with those golden keywords, but don't forget the human touch. Write engaging, informative content that answers every customer question before they even ask.

  5. Technical Triumphs: Building a Website Search Engines Love

    SEO isn't just about words; it's about experience. Ensure your website's navigation is intuitive, your product pages load lightning-fast, and your mobile responsiveness is flawless. Search engines favor user-friendly sites, so prioritize a seamless shopping journey from click to checkout.

  6. Content Castle: Building Your Authority

    Beyond product pages, establish yourself as the ultimate authority in your niche. Create informative blog posts, captivating videos, and helpful guides that showcase your expertise and attract organic traffic. Interweave relevant keywords naturally, but remember, value comes first.

  7. Link Love: Spreading the Word (the Right Way)

    Beyond product pages, establish yourself as the ultimate authority in your niche. Create informative blog posts, captivating videos, and helpful guides that showcase your expertise and attract organic traffic. Interweave relevant keywords naturally, but remember, value comes first.

    A few ways to do this are:

    • creating internal backlinks

    • writing guest posts

    • using social media ads

    • sharing content on social media

    • issuing press releases

    • writing blog comments and sharing on forums (if allowed)

    • creating infographics and sharing them online

    • issuing whitepapers and case studies

  8. Backlink Bazaar: Building Your Reputation

    Imagine your website as a popular market stall. The more vendors linking to your products (backlinks), the more credible and trustworthy you appear. Reach out to relevant bloggers and influencers for guest posts or product reviews. Participate in online communities and forums, offering valuable insights and subtly mentioning your brand. Remember, quality over quantity – focus on building genuine relationships with authoritative websites.

The SEO Saga: A Continuous Quest

SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. Regularly monitor your website's analytics, track keyword rankings, and adapt your strategies based on data. Embrace the ever-changing landscape, and remain a student of the SEO game.

Remember, my fellow ecommerce warriors: with dedication, smart optimization, and a dash of creativity, you can conquer the search engine mountains and claim your rightful place at the top. So, unleash your inner SEO champion, optimize your online fortress, and watch the sales roll in!

💡 Bonus Tip:

  • Don't forget the local: Optimize your site for local searches if you have a brick-and-mortar store or serve specific geographic areas.

  • Leverage social media: Share your content, engage with your audience, and drive traffic back to your website.

  • Optimize for voice search: The future is conversational, so ensure your website is ready for voice queries.

  • Personalize the experience: Use user data to tailor content and product recommendations, making your customers feel valued.

  • Get an SSL Certificate: Your e-commerce store needs to have an SSL certificate. That means users will see https:// before your URL. An SSL certificate protects customer information, is trusted by Google, and even improves your SEO.

  • 301 Out-of-Date Products:If product is expired, 301 redirect to newer page for SEO value transfer and potential rankings boost.

  • Add category-level navigation: Always include category navigation for SEO which helps Google to crawl your website easily and user experience will help in boosting your sales.

  • Create an affiliate program: Consider launching an affiliate program to have bloggers write about and promote your products on their websites. This can boost sales, as well as enhance your site's backlinks, thereby improving your authority and search rankings.

  • Showcase user reviews and ratings: By displaying trust badges, real user reviews from TrustPilot, Google, Yelp, etc., businesses can build trust with customers. Google's "trusted store" badge is especially beneficial for eCommerce sites with fast shipping, good customer service, and high ratings.

Remember SEO for e-commerce website is an ongoing strategy that requires updating as you go to get the optimum results. Now, go forth and conquer the digital realm!

Let the SEO force be with you!


Frequently Asked Questions

  • To begin your e-commerce SEO journey, focus on optimizing the essential on-page elements of your website, such as enriching your product descriptions, enhancing user experience (UX) for seamless navigation, and refining page speed for swift loading times. After fine-tuning your website, you can initiate the process of actively cultivating valuable backlinks to bolster your online presence.

  • Schema markups are HTML tags that provide additional information to search bots about the content on web pages. By using these markups, it can improve your SEO for e-commerce efforts.

    The kinds of e-commerce schema are:

    • Product schema

    • Review schema

    • Product availability schema

    • Video schema

    • Price schema

    • FAQ schema

  • You should absolutely steer clear of employing any discouraged SEO tactics when optimizing your e-commerce store. This means refraining from activities such as generating spammy backlinks, participating in link farms for payment, and engaging in the practice of keyword stuffing which can harm your website's ranking and reputation.

Written by:

Vignes Rajagopal

Digital Marketing Consultant

vignes@rankstrikers.com

LinkedIn

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