As an ecommerce business owner or a marketer, the name of the game is making more sales and reaching as many customers as possible. One important strategy to achieve these goals is search engine optimization. Enhancing the reach of your website in search will help you attract more qualified traffic and consequently ensure more conversions. In this article, I am going to outline some proven SEO tactics that can take your ecommerce sales to the next level.
Conduct Thorough Keyword Research
The foundation of any successful SEO strategy is keyword research. You need to uncover which terms your target customers are using to find products like yours. Don’t just guess – you can use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to gather real data. Look for keywords with high search volume but lower competition. Consider long-tail keywords too, as they often indicate higher purchasing intent.
Here’s an example: Rather than trying to rank for “running shoes”, which is very broad and competitive, target something more specific like “women’s trail running shoes” or “lightweight running shoes for marathons.” These searchers know exactly what they want and are more likely to make a purchase.
Optimize Your On-Page Elements
With your keyword list in hand, it’s time to include those terms naturally into your site’s on-page elements:
- Page titles and meta descriptions
- Headings and subheadings
- Body content
- Image alt text
- URLs
Let’s say you’re targeting the keyword “organic cotton t-shirts.” Your page title could be something like “Shop Sustainable Organic Cotton T-Shirts | Brand Name”. For a header, try “Our Organic Cotton Tees are Soft, Stylish, and Eco-Friendly”. In your body copy, talk about the benefits of organic cotton, like its breathability and low environmental impact. Show your expertise and build trust.
Just remember: While it’s important to include keywords, don’t stuff them into the content unnaturally. Write for humans first and search engines second. If your content sounds awkward or robotic, you’re doing it wrong. Find that sweet spot where your copy flows well and still sends ‘relevancy’ signals to Google.
Craft Compelling Product Descriptions
When it comes to ecommerce SEO, your product descriptions are important. This is your chance to sell shoppers on the features and benefits, while working in those valuable keywords. But too often, websites just use the manufacturer’s generic description. Big mistake! That’s a surefire way to get lost in a sea of identical content.
Instead, write your own unique, detailed descriptions. Use natural language that connects with your target audience. For a high-end beauty product, you might say something like: “Indulge your skin with our luxurious face cream, crafted with exotic botanicals and potent anti-ageing ingredients. You’ll notice a youthful radiance and silky-smooth texture from the very first application.”
Notice how that paints a vivid picture and appeals to the shopper’s desire to look and feel their best? That’s far more compelling than a bland list of ingredients. Aim for at least 150-300 words per description, and sprinkle in your keywords where they fit naturally.
Leverage the Power of Content Marketing
Content marketing is an SEO powerhouse for ecommerce brands. By creating valuable, relevant content, you can attract more organic traffic, build credibility, and guide shoppers through the sales funnel. Types of content to consider include:
- Blog posts and articles
- Buying guides
- How-to videos or tutorials
- Customer success stories
- Infographics
- Ebooks and whitepapers
Let’s say you sell outdoor gear. You could create blog posts like “10 Essentials for Your Next Camping Trip”, “How to Choose the Right Hiking Boots”, or “The Ultimate Guide to Backpacking in the Southwest”. These topics are interesting and useful to your target audience.
By providing this helpful information, you’re establishing your brand as a trusted resource. Plus, you can naturally link back to relevant product pages, directing readers to items that fit their needs. It’s a win-win – they get great advice, and you get a chance to make a sale.
Just make sure your content truly provides value. Don’t churn out thin, fluffy pieces just for the sake of posting something. Take the time to create well-researched, engaging articles that showcase your expertise. Consistency is key, so aim to publish fresh content on a regular schedule.
Don’t Neglect Technical SEO
While the creative side of SEO like keywords and content gets a lot of attention, technical factors play a huge role too. Some key technical considerations for ecommerce sites include:
- Site speed and performance
- Mobile-friendliness
- Crawlability and indexation
- Duplicate content
- Structured data markup
Take site speed, for example. Did you know that 53% of shoppers will abandon a site that takes more than 3 seconds to load? Even a 1-second delay can hurt your conversions by up to 20%! So optimizing your images, leveraging browser caching, and using a content delivery network (CDN) is crucial.
Mobile-friendliness is a must too, considering that over half of all web traffic comes from mobile devices these days. Your site should have a responsive design that adapts seamlessly to smaller screens. Google even uses mobile-friendliness as a ranking factor, so it directly impacts your SEO.
Build Quality Backlinks
Backlinks, or links from other websites pointing to yours, are a key factor in SEO. They show Google that other sites vouch for your content’s quality and relevance. However, not all links are created equal. You want links from reputable, authoritative websites in your industry.
How do you get these coveted backlinks? Here are some ideas:
- Partner with influencers for product reviews or guest posts
- Contribute expert quotes or interviews to industry publications
- Create content that naturally attracts links, like original research or infographics
- Build relationships with other site owners in your niche
Imagine you sell eco-friendly cleaning products. You could reach out to a popular green living blogger and offer to send samples for them to review. If they like your products, they’ll likely link back to your site – exposing you to their engaged audience. Or you could conduct a study on the environmental impact of traditional cleaning products, and create an infographic with the results. Other websites may link to your graphic as a helpful resource.
The key is to focus on quality over quantity. A few links from high-authority sites will do more for your SEO than dozens of spammy, irrelevant links. And always prioritize creating content that deserves to rank and get links, rather than resorting to shady tactics like buying links.
Utilize Schema Markup
Schema markup, also known as structured data, is code that helps search engines better understand your website’s content. By tagging elements like your products, reviews, and business info with schema, you can make your site more easily digestible for search engines.
Schema can also make your search listings more attractive and informative, with things like star ratings, price, and availability showing up right in the results. These “rich snippets” can boost your click-through rates and drive more traffic.
For example, let’s say you have a product with a 4.5-star rating from dozens of reviews. With schema markup, those gold stars could show up next to your listing in the search results. Seeing that social proof right away could be the extra nudge a shopper needs to click through to your site over a competitor’s.
To implement schema, you’ll need to add the appropriate code to your site’s HTML. Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper can guide you through the process. Once you’ve added the markup, use the Schema Validator tool to check for any errors.
Invest in Local SEO
For ecommerce businesses with a local presence, like a brick-and-mortar store or a service area, local SEO is crucial. Optimizing for local search helps you attract nearby customers and stand out in location-based results.
Some key local SEO strategies include:
- Claiming and optimizing your Google Business Profile listing
- Adding location pages to your website
- Building local citations (mentions of your business name, address, and phone number on other websites)
- Encouraging customer reviews
- Using local keywords in your content
Let’s break these down. Your Google Business Profile listing is like your digital storefront. It should include accurate info like your address, hours, and contact details. You can also add photos, respond to reviews, and post updates.
Location pages are a must if you have multiple stores or serve different areas. Each page should have unique, location-specific content and target relevant keywords like “shoe store in Seattle” or “Portland gift basket delivery.”
Citations and reviews are key trust signals for both search engines and shoppers. Ensure your business info is consistent across different directories, and actively ask satisfied customers to leave reviews on sites like Google, Yelp, and Facebook.
Monitor and Refine Your Strategy
SEO isn’t a one-and-done deal. It’s an ongoing process that requires regular monitoring and refinement. Use tools like Google Analytics to track your organic traffic, keyword rankings, and conversion rates over time.
Watch for any dips or plateaus, and investigate the cause. Maybe a competitor started outranking you for a key term, or perhaps you accidentally created some duplicate content that’s diluting your authority. By keeping a pulse on your SEO health, you can spot issues early and adjust your tactics.
It’s also important to stay on top of algorithm updates and SEO best practices. Google makes hundreds of changes to its algorithm each year, some of which can significantly impact rankings. Follow SEO blogs and publications to stay in the loop, and be ready to adapt your strategy as needed.
Prioritize User Experience
At the end of the day, SEO is all about providing a great user experience. Every tactic we’ve covered, from keyword optimization to technical improvements, should be done with the user in mind. If a change makes your site more helpful, informative, or easy to navigate, it’s probably good for SEO too.
One way to prioritize user experience is by gathering feedback directly from your customers. Use surveys, user testing, and analytics data to understand how people interact with your site. Do they find what they’re looking for easily? Are there any common pain points or frustrations?
You can also look at user engagement metrics like bounce rate, time on page, and pages per session. If people are quickly bouncing from your site or not viewing many pages, that’s a sign that your content or navigation could be improved.
Remember, SEO isn’t just about pleasing search engines. It’s about creating a website that works well for your target audience. If you keep their needs and preferences at the forefront of your strategy, you’ll be well on your way to SEO success.
Conclusion
Ecommerce SEO is a complex and ever-evolving field, but it’s well worth the effort. By implementing these tactics consistently, you can improve your search rankings, drive more organic traffic, and ultimately boost your sales.
Just remember to approach SEO with a user-first mindset. Focus on creating high-quality, relevant content that truly helps your target customers. Optimize for search engines, but don’t sacrifice readability or user experience in the process.
With the right mix of on-page optimization, technical improvements, content marketing, and link building, you can create an SEO powerhouse that fuels your ecommerce growth for years to come. So what are you waiting for? Start putting these tactics into action and watch your sales soar!
If you want professional help with your ecommerce SEO, contact me here for a free analysis of your store.
