When it comes to doing business online, you want a highly optimized website that can reach the widest audience possible. One of the biggest advantages of having an online store is to become a part of the rapid growth of ecommerce worldwide. While shopping online can be convenient for customers, failures can also cause a severe dent in your business. Online store owners who fail to get and analyze search engine rank reports might put the ranking of their stores to risk. So, let’s take a look at some important SEO tips you must follow to help your ecommerce site stand out.
Using The Right Keywords
The world might have forgotten keywords but they still hold significant value. They help your products and services show up in the Google search results. Plus, if you are running a blog, using the right keywords will also attract organic traffic.
That said, it is necessary to include keywords in your product description, heading, image alternate attributes, subheadings, etc. Try to use LSI keywords throughout the page to help Google understand your page in context. Before using the keywords, you need to put some research into finding keywords that will be the most suitable for your site.
Try to find out how often people search for it, how competitive it is in the advertising space, and what people actually look for while searching for that keyword. You might be tempted to pick keywords that are the most searched but if they are not related to your site, they won’t offer any value.
Therefore, using the right keywords is the foundation of running a successful ecommerce site.
Look Out For The Competitors
If you are starting an ecommerce website and do not know how to take the first step, your competitors are the answer, especially the larger ones. This is because they have already done most of the SEO work and you can find all the answers to your questions by visiting their site.
The first thing you need to focus on is the keywords. You can use different SEO tools to find out what keywords your competitors are ranking for on both paid and organic searches. Plus, check the landing pages as well. This will tell you how your competitors have used specific keywords to optimize those pages.
Focus On Homepage SEO
There is no doubt that the homepage is the most important for ecommerce sites. This is where businesses spend most of their SEO energy and budget. That said, you need to consider the Homepage Title Tag, Homepage Meta Description, and content.
The SEO title tag is one of the most important factors when it comes to on-site search optimization. It should include both your business name and the keyword phrase you are targeting. This title tag should be written in less than 70 characters and should be appealing to the search visitors.
Next, the Homepage Meta Description is not important as far as the keyword rankings are concerned but it will contain a 160-character description of your business. This will also show up when someone searches your business on the internet underneath the title tag. Therefore, you should write it in a way that provokes people to visit your site.
And finally, the homepage content is supposed to offer additional information to the customers and visitors. You should add images and videos wherever possible but do not make the overall content confusing. The average reading span is hardly 2 minutes.
So, opt for content that keeps the visitor glued to the information.
Simplify The Site Architecture
Having an ecommerce website means that you will be constantly adding and removing products and categories. This means that you will need to simplify the site architecture as it plays an important role in search optimization. In other words, you will have to come up with a simple and easy hierarchy of navigation from the homepage to the products and categories.
As a general rule of thumb, your visitors should be able to reach their required product within three clicks. Keep in mind that search engine bots will discover your products and pages based on a clear internal linking structure that is easy to follow.
Optimize Product Pages
The product pages are going to be the most important part of your ecommerce business and this is where you will need to spend most of your time and money. Optimizing the product pages means that customers have all the information they want, which helps them make their final decision easier.
Some businesses tend to mention descriptions worth one or two lines and throw some images and videos but that can be easily edited and photoshopped. What if the customers want to know about the warranty and reliability of the product?
You have to keep in mind that product pages should have the proper images, FAQs section, customer reviews, and videos to help them understand and take a closer look at the product. However, above all that, the product name is the most important.
You should opt for a name that can be used in the URL and SEO title. For example, if you are selling T-shirts, be sure to include “T-shirt” or “Tee” in the product name.
Next, you should pay attention to image optimization. While having multiple images for the customers to take a better look is fine, it should help your site with the search rankings as well. That said, do not use images titled “IMG0010.JPG”. Instead, rename the files and use the product name and main keyword. Note your website ranking and after a few days or weeks of making this change, check website ranking on Google again to see the difference.
Use Responsive Design
A crucial aspect of running an ecommerce business is that most people use their smartphones to buy and sell products. This means your site should be optimized to the point where users can make instant purchases. If the site is not responsive, the visitors won’t be able to make a purchase let alone show up in the search rankings.
Reduce Page Load Time
Reducing page load time also helps your site with search rankings both for desktop and mobile. The faster your site loads, the better Google will rank you. To reduce the page load time, you will need to get rid of things that are making it heavier.
For instance, you can consider reducing the size of the images. However, make sure that you do not compromise the quality that only confuses the customers.
Create Backlinks For Ecommerce SEO
Finally, creating backlinks helps Google rank your site better in search results. The more backlinks you have from high-quality sites, the more authoritative the site is going to be. There was a time when creating backlinks was complicated but not anymore.
Guest posting and requesting website owners to include your site in their content are some easy ways to create backlinks.
Conclusion
Ecommerce sites have to keep up with their effort and dedication to compete with the crowd. Although hard work pays off, you need to be smart. And the best way to do that is by considering the tips highlighted above. You may not get the results overnight but will surely remain in the game for much longer than your competitors. Keep using the right tools including SEO rank tracker to beat your competitors.
