The continuous growth of online shopping and the increase in the number of online-only retailers makes gaining traction in search results more difficult than ever. Getting your e-commerce website in front of potential customers is an uphill slog when you feel that your site is lost in the vast space of the internet. It doesn’t have to be that way!
Understanding tactics designed to increase the chances of your site showing up in search results can positively impact your rankings and profit. This article defines e-commerce SEO, discusses how it differs from standard SEO, explains its importance and presents five useful e-commerce SEO strategies that can help drive organic traffic to your website.
What Is E-Commerce SEO?
Simply put, e-commerce SEO means optimizing an online store for the purpose of increasing the site’s ranking on the search engines results page (SERP), which increases its visibility, driving relevant traffic to the store’s site and, ultimately, increasing product sales.
How Does It Differ From Traditional SEO?
All SEO strategies are intended to improve search engine rankings. While traditional SEO aims to attract people to a site by optimizing various web pages, e-commerce SEO attempts to attract customers to purchase from an online store by optimizing product pages.
Why Is E-Commerce SEO Important?
SEO allows you to reach potential buyers without having to pay for ads. The most cost-effective way to attract people to your site is to make sure it appears in the SERPs so it can be found. A site does that not does rank well in the search engine results may as well not exist.
5 Effective E-Commerce SEO Strategies
- Optimize the site structure for easy navigation by search engines as well as users. Making every product page easily reachable within three or fewer clicks from the home page improves the user experience and prevents users from leaving the site prematurely.
- Find and incorporate product-relevant keywords. Analyze search volume, cost-per-click and other metrics as well as competitors’ websites to find appropriate keywords. Incorporate keywords your anchor text as well as in product copy. Long-tail keywords are optimal for e-commerce.
- Focus on optimization of product and category pages. Category pages should include relevant keywords while letting users know what to expect on the product pages. Product pages should incorporate your most important keywords in the URL, metadata, body content and image alt text.
- Write detailed and engaging product descriptions. In addition to the name of the product, its price and a photo, include helpful information such as uses and benefits, color and size options, dimensions, instructions and user reviews. Don’t forget the keywords and a call to action!
- Create a clear internal linking structure. Breadcrumbs orient and guide the user within the site, facilitating navigation for customers as well as search engines. Be sure to link to similar product offerings and relevant blog posts to keep users on your site longer and encourage a sale.
Conclusion
E-commerce SEO strategies can improve your store’s visibility through rankings and ultimately increase sales and grow revenue. Follow the tactics outlined above to help ensure that your online store can be found, is easily navigated and will generate profits. E-commerce SEO is exactly what you need to help your site stand out from the crowd and attract users seeking to buy what you’re selling.