Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has always been the deciding factor, the judge’s verdict that determines which web, and its associated content, ranks higher than others. For the user, this is to bring forth only the most relevant, accessible and quality post that meets the demands and expectations of the reader.
For the businesses, it’s about creating brand awareness, checking-off the valuable metrics including traffic, conversion rates and click-through rates, and finally to build the strong bonds of trust and credibility between the audience and the e-commerce platform itself.
Ranking high in organic search results is ultimately a tough task which requires implementation of several guidelines. In such a competitive digital environment, it’s always the survival of the fittest, and we’re here to provide you with the shelter and resources to make it all the way through in the form of some key strategies to employ and guidelines to follow.
SEO for E-Commerce Websites
Before we delve into the details, there are some tools which will walk you through the whole process of optimizing the website just the way it’s required for SEO. These tools have various functions including detecting errors and malware, analysing the important keywords and backlinks. Google Search Console excels in this regard and will provide many services revolving around the key considerations that we’ll talk about below.
Keyword Research
The first step of your e-commerce into the SEO world will be to draft a list of relevant keywords that are based around both the products you’re promoting and how the consumers will get to know about them. This research is a continuous process and can be acquired via various methods.
The first, as discussed above is to make use of various tools. In addition to the help you can get from Google Search Console, Google Ads’ service Keyword Planner tool and services on SEMrush and Moz will come in handy. It’s best to stay specific when utilizing the keywords as broad ones won’t contribute to a high search volume and people are unlikely to input them in their search query.
The other important strategy you should employ is to learn from your competitors. Visiting their websites, seeing how they present the different elements on the web and what keywords they ‘suggest’ in the inbuilt search engine on their page, will get you an important insight into how to tailor your keywords accordingly to generate traffic.
Using long-tail keywords is also a clever but viable strategy. This concept is based on the idea that the average user is likely to input three terms in the search bar to get the result he’s looking for. You can capitalize on this by incorporating these keywords which are at least three words and moreover, they’ll add to the ‘specificity’ of the services you’re trying to sell, as discussed above.
Website Optimisation
There are also certain technical barriers to overcome when optimizing your website. Page load speeds have become an increasingly important factor since bounce rates and page views depend directly on it.
For this purpose, it’s beneficial to reduce page load which can be reduced in a number of ways including compression of images, use as little as JavaScript as possible, avoid Flash elements and a lot of other insights you can get by heading over to the Google Analytics software for your web. Using a strong and speedy Web Hosting Service like that of SiteGround or HostGator is crucial when optimizing web pages for speed.
Mobile and handheld channels are also on the rise and it’s no doubt Google prioritizes websites who have optimized mobile platforms, especially since the July update. When making changes to ensure a convenient user experience on handheld devices, readable and clickable text and CTAs size, minimal information and a good responsive and creative structure adds to Google’s ranking factor and the overall user experience.
Take the American fashion brand Sophie & Trey for instance and notice the differences as a result of the transition between the desktop and mobile versions of their homepage.
Their desktop component displays more categories and the search bar takes more space. Moreover, both the wish-list and check-out icons are smaller and won’t make for ideally tapping on mobile. Hence this is how their mobile page looks.
All the categories are refined and accessible via a simple ‘Settings’ icon, with the other three CTAs for the search bar, cart and favourite section being most prominent and visible.
Content Optimisation
At the end of the day, the spotlight is always on the quality of the content on your web and how closely it matches the visitor’s expectations. It’s not just about user satisfaction and experience, but the search engines consider how well optimized and accessible each of your sections on the web is.
When we talk about content publishing and article writing e-commerce, optimization refers to the inclusion of internal and external links, relevant keywords within the content and media files. There’s also the need to make the content easier to read with the help of shorter and clearer sentences, headings and good paragraphing. Lastly, the alt text or tags below images make redirection of traffic easier when users search in google images.
Even applicable to e-retailers and fashion stores, optimization works in a similar way. Now we look at the bigger picture where site navigation and the way the structure and organization of different elements and sections of the web are designed. Clear headings and well-defined categories, CTAs and readable lines of texts aren’t only pleasing to the viewer’s eye but hold an important place when it comes to ranking higher in organic search results.
Zappos has done a great job in this regard by clarifying their search and navigation tools, along with the cart and sign in options.
Linking
This is more relevant to content writing websites than actual e-commerce but that isn’t to rule the e-retailers out. Referral links and backlinks do a great deal for blog posts and articles when it comes to building the credibility and Domain Authority of the platform. Therefore it’s highly recommended to use shortened and simplified URLs which contain the keywords. Retail websites can use social media icons for redirecting user traffic to and fro from these networking sites.
Clothing label Offer Factor employs this technique in a viable way as it includes the icons for the three social media powerhouses: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+.
Being directly below the Add to Cart CTA, an individual can share the item to get other people’s thoughts before he can make up his mind to buy the item. Or else, the user may tell others of his latest purchase. Either way, a bridge is set up where the traffic will surely regulate over.
Conclusion
Search Engines are clever little pieces of algorithm always on the look for the most relevant and quality driven posts and results. To join the race for the crown, your e-commerce platform should be designed in the lieu of user convenience and satisfaction.
This good intent and effort towards providing the users what they want are ultimately what the algorithms rank high as relevant keywords to stay true to the users’ query, links for further knowledge on the topic, and an overall streamlined and accessible web operation for mobile and desktops users, all contribute their fair share.
Author Bio: Jenny Harrison is a passionate marketing and business blogger. She loves to engage with readers who are seeking B2B and B2C marketing related information on the internet. She is a featured blogger at various high authority blogs and magazines in which she shared her research and experience with the vast online community. Currently, she is associated with PNCdigital.com, an Orlando based E-Commerce Development Company specializes in OpenCart, Magento, Shopify Web Development.
Print on Demand
Here at Printsome, we’ve always supported creative endeavours which is why we’re proud to announce our brand new ‘print on demand’ service.
Thanks to our five years of experience in the apparel-printing industry, we were able to design a platform catered towards the needs of artists and designers who want to start their own T-shirt line. Printsome’s ‘Print on demand’ service has no minimum orders and can print any design with no colour limitations.
From the moment you connect your online shop (like Shopify) with our platform, anyone can buy one of your designs. We deliver all over the UK, Europe and the rest of the world. Drop shipping has never been this easy.
Why worry about inventory or logistics when we can take care of that? We deal with the boring stuff so you have more time to do what you love. To find out more, simply visit our brand new website.
