The world of eCommerce is unique. Though many digital marketing techniques are necessary for this industry, some continue to grow in importance as the marketplace moves online. SEO, or search engine optimization, is especially crucial for stores and companies who engage in eCommerce. As the pandemic has shown us, many people have switched from shopping in-store to shopping online. The result is a growing necessity for optimization on eCommerce sites.
Fortunately, because customers don’t want to go out to the store, you don’t have to bribe them into shopping online. Unfortunately, however, the competition for the customers is much fiercer. Rather than only competing with other similar stores or businesses, you are competing with an entire world’s worth of options. The marketplace has become irreversibly international.
ECommerce sites differ from others because they cannot depend on pay-per-click (PPC) in the same way. Unfortunately, many buyers do not trust sponsored ads for eCommerce sites and breeze past them in search of something more fitting. The site’s SEO must be impeccable to gain organic traffic from search engines. The catch-22 is that SEO cannot be impeccable until it has had time to grow and compound on itself.
We have compiled five ways to expedite this process and ensure that you are doing everything that you can to create a page with competitive SEO.
Table of Contents
1. Work on Your Keywords
Many companies believe that keywords are a guessing game, but they are an exact science. You may think you know how your customers are searching for products, but you can’t know for sure until you do the research. Using the wrong keywords or guesses at keywords is as good as not using them at all.
Make sure you do ongoing research on your keyword choices. Cross-reference your results with the competition to see which keywords they are using. Also, double-check how well they use their keywords and whether they include quality content or just throw them in their copy.
When you have a renewed keyword list, research what kinds of pages hold those keywords. Are they sales pages or reviews? Do they include specific product information or general store information? This indicates where to place your keywords and what kind of content they belong in. This tactic boosts traffic even further because you are ensuring that the content you provide is the content that searchers are looking for when they make their queries.
2. Revitalize Your Homepage
ECommerce homepages are especially important. More often than not, a company’s homepage appears in a SERP rather than a specific product page. Be as precise as possible with the keywords and content on your homepage, and be sure to use on-page SEO. Meta descriptions and URL tags should be optimized, as well as informative. You want to ensure that you give the correct information while still using keywords that appeal to the algorithm.
ECommerce homepages (and sites in general) should always go through a UX designer. Though the site may seem user-friendly to you because you know how it works, a newcomer may get more confused than you’d expect. Usability is crucial in eCommerce. Remember, you are competing with the entire world. If your website isn’t easy to use, customers will find a site that is.
3. Optimize Your Product Pages
Though your homepage is important, don’t forget to optimize your product pages as well. There should be content on each page apart from the title and the price. Add details about each item while including researched keywords when you can. Use keywords in your headers and subtitles whenever you can as well. The more information you add, the better your product page SEO.
4. Don’t Forget Images
ECommerce does not only happen via text. Often, Google assembles results in the form of photos and thumbnails based on how those images are tagged. Create high-quality images for your site, and be sure to use image tags. Customers want to see a product from many angles, as well as in action. The more images, the more keywords you can include.
Again, the image file should include your researched keywords, so Google has ample reason to include your site on SERPs.
5. Address Loading Speeds
Google’s new Core Web Vitals focus on user experience rather than simple keyword matching. This means that you need to be sure that the overall experience on your site is a good one. Your loading speed should not be slow. If it is, Google will drop your ranking significantly, which can hinder your other efforts.
If your site is slow, turn to a UX designer for help. Large images, videos, and many widgets can all slow down the loading process, and a UX or web designer can help address these things.
The Work Is Worth It
Though SEO is involved for eCommerce sites, it is ultimately worth it. These tactics can significantly impact traffic and sales and can make a huge difference in your business.
Also Read: Website Authority Checker: Check The “Authority” Of Any Domain