Most eCommerce stores spend tons of money on social media and paid ads. While it makes sense to do this, they often disregard one of the key components of digital marketing. That component? SEO.
SEO or search engine optimization is the way to get search engines to find your website. It’s a tool for increasing organic visitors to your online store. The best part is that once you have a solid SEO strategy in place, that traffic is high-quality, consistent, and free.
When it comes to eCommerce SEO, things can get confusing quickly. There is a lot of conflicting “best practice” guides out there, and just when you feel like you have the hang of it, search engines change their algorithms. However, despite the confusion, there are a few steps you can take to start seeing SEO results.
Step One: Research
All strong strategies begin with solid research. You must identify keywords for your online store that are both relevant for your shoppers and possible for you to rank for. If you choose keywords that your shoppers aren’t actually searching for, you won’t get results. On the other hand, if you select keywords that are too competitive, you’ll be doomed to the far back pages of Google forever.
When it comes to keyword research, there are a few things you can do. Start by looking at what keywords your competitors are using. Search for a potential keyword and see which companies rank high. Go to their page and look through their product pages and web content and see if you can sus out what keywords they’re using.
Alternatively, there are hundreds of keyword research tools on the market. From Google’s search console to Ahrefs Keywords Explorer to MOZ Keyword Explorer, there are countless tools available. These resources can help to identify keywords that will not only be searched but ones that you can rank for, too.
Step Two: Structure
The structure of your eCommerce store is vital for SEO. It’s also an essential component of user experience. The rule of thumb is to keep your website simple and easy to navigate. Your visitors shouldn’t have to click the back button over and over to get around. Instead, getting from one section of the site to the other should be pain-free.
The easiest way to think about structure is by asking yourself a couple of questions. First, can this structure scale as my store grows? Second, is every page no more than a few clicks away from the homepage? Editing your structure might require some additional outside help from developers or SEO services companies. Learn more about those resources by clicking here.
Ensure that your structure allows you to add pages and products with ease and grow with your growing business. Then, make sure that shoppers don’t have to click through an endless maze to navigate from section to section. Your shoppers will thank you, and Google will reward you.
Step Three: On-Page SEO
On-page SEO revolves around ensuring that your keywords are in the correct locations to communicate with search engines. With on-page SEO, you’ll primarily want to focus on your product pages and category pages.
Mostly, you’ll want to make sure that your title tags, meta descriptions, content, images tags, and URL structure all include your keywords. Keep in mind that you’re writing for humans, so don’t keyword stuff your product pages to the point they’re incoherent. Your shoppers don’t like that, and neither does Google.
When it comes to URL structure, go for shorter URLs. On the other hand, when it comes to content, go for longer descriptions. The most important thing with on-page SEO is making sure that your content clearly communicates your keyword to search engines while staying visitor- friendly.
Ecommerce SEO: The Tool Your Store Needs
These necessary steps are a great jumping-off point but don’t under think SEO. Do your research, and if it’s outside of your scope or bandwidth, get help from an expert. SEO isn’t something you want to shrug off. Getting traffic to your site is crucial, and in today’s competitive eCommerce landscape, it’s an advantage that you can’t afford to miss.
