Mastering eCommerce SEO- Key Tips to Enhance Your Online Visibility
What do you do after you’ve set up your new shop or business? You decorate the interiors with nice sofas. You furnish the exteriors with vibrant paints. You revamp your website. But does this get you new clients?
While all of the above processes are necessary, just existing is not enough in SEO. You have to stay relevant and competitive to win customers.
Here, having a visually appealing, user-friendly website is just the beginning. So, your online store must be discoverable by potential customers. Search Engine Optimization is useful in this type of scenario. It can be the process of optimizing your website to rank better in SERPs, easily. Yes, we know, not that easy, though.
SEO increases its visibility to users who are actively searching for the products/services you might offer. So, when you master the vital element, you can attract more organic traffic, growing your business.
Read on to explore nine key ways to improve your eCommerce SEO and get more eyes on your online store.
[1] Analytics – Help You Know Your Numbers
This is termed the backbone of any successful SEO strategy. Without accurate data, you’re essentially steering your business blindfolded. There are various tools which provide insights into:
- how users interact with your website
- what pages do they visit
- how long they stay
- where they go back to
For example, let’s say you own a bookstore. If you use analytics, it might show that visitors return from book review blogs. They then spend more time browsing and may buy more books. Thus, with this knowledge, you could focus on getting more links from such book review sites to boost your sales.
Key things you can track with analytics:
- Which pages get the most visits
- Where your visitors come from (search engines, social media, etc.)
- Which products are viewed and purchased most often
[2] Competitor Analysis – Learn from Others
Study your competitors like a detective. You have to look for clues about what works well in your industry and what not. This doesn’t mean copying others. Rather, you must learn from their successes and mistakes to improve your own store.
Imagine you sell handmade jewellery. You notice that your top competitor has a popular Instagram account. They may show behind-the-scenes videos of how they make their pieces, and with this, their followers often become customers. So, this might be your inspiration for starting your own social media strategy. You can also focus on things that your rival doesn’t do to reach a different niche.
What to look for when analysing competitors:
- Their website design and user experience
- The types of content they create (blogs, videos, etc.)
- How they describe and price their products
- Their customer service approach (chat support, FAQ pages, etc.)
[3] Keyword Research – to Find the Right Customers
Keywords connect what people search for with the content you provide. It helps you grasp your consumers’ needs and how they express them in searches.
E.g. you run an online pet supply store. Don’t just refer to broad terms like “dog food”. You might discover that many people search for specific phrases like “gluten-free dog food for puppies” or “best dog food for labradors.” You can add these specific phrases in your product titles and descriptions. It can often help the right customers find your products more easily.
Tips for effective keyword research:
- Think about different ways people might describe your products
- Look at the search suggestions that appear when you type in Google
- Consider seasonal trends in your industry
[4] Focus on Site Structure
A well-planned website is similar to a neatly laid out store. Customers may easily find what they’re seeking for thanks to it. Furthermore, with this, search engines can also comprehend the purpose of your website.
If you launch a large online clothing store, this might look like this:
Home > Women’s Clothing > Dresses > Summer Dresses.
It sets a clear path and helps both shoppers and search engines move through your site efficiently.
Key elements of good site structure:
- Logical categories and subcategories
- A clear menu system
- Breadcrumb navigation (showing the path back to the home page)
- Internal links connecting related products or pages
[5] On-page SEO – To Make Each Page Shine
On-page SEO involves focusing on improving individual web pages. You have to do this and rank every page higher in search results. So, the whole process includes tweaking both the content that visitors see and the BTS that search engines read.
See, if you’re selling a coffee machine, don’t just title the page “Coffee Maker.” Try to add a description- “Programmable 12-Cup Stainless Steel Coffee Maker with Built-in Grinder.” It often tells both customers and web crawlers to know exactly what the product is.
This should be your On-page SEO checklist:
- Use descriptive, keyword-rich titles for each page
- Write unique and detailed product descriptions
- Include alt text for images (descriptions that explain the image)
- Use header tags (H1, H2, etc.) to structure your content
[6] User Experience – Make Shopping Easy
UI is all about making your site pleasant and easy to use. ALso, a good UX can keep visitors on your site longer. This may often encourage them to buy and make them want to come back.
Think about a physical bookstore. Here, books are well-organized, and prices are clearly marked. Also, the staff here are helpful. Your website should create a similar experience. You have to set clear categories, easy-to-read descriptions and a simple checkout process.
UX improvement tips:
- Create clear, easy-to-use navigation
- Use high-quality product images
- Provide detailed product information
- Make the checkout process simple and quick
- Offer helpful customer service options
[7] Website Performance – Speed It Up
We all have the shortest attention span. We need to get our work done as fast as possible. Thus, a fast website keeps customers happy and helps your search rankings. Slow, like snail pages, can frustrate visitors, and they just leave your site. Search engines also prefer faster websites, which can boost your rankings.
If you have an online art supply store, make your product pages load quickly. This helps customers can easily browse through different products without getting impatient. This smooth experience might encourage them to explore more products and complete a purchase.
Ways to improve website speed:
- Optimize image sizes without losing quality
- Use a content delivery network (CDN)
- Minimize the use of large files and complex scripts
- Choose a reliable hosting provider
[8] Mobile Experience – Catering to Mobile Shoppers
When was the last time you shopped on your laptop? Now, no one does. We only use our smartphones for online shopping. These machines provide a seamless mobile experience, which is crucial for eCommerce success. Mobile friendliness is good for UI/UX and is also a significant factor in SEO rankings.
Google is known for mobile-first indexing. This means it primarily uses the mobile version of a site for ranking and indexing.
Mobile must-haves:
- Responsive design that should adapt to different screen sizes
- Easy-to-tap buttons and links
- Quick-loading pages
- Simplified navigation for smaller screens
A great example of a mobile-friendly eCommerce site is ASOS. They often offer a seamless shopping experience across devices. Their mobile site features easy navigation and quick load times. Customers also get a simplified checkout process, making it easy for people to browse and purchase products on the go. Thus, they prioritize mobile experience and have been able to capture a significant portion of the mobile shopping market.
[9] Video – Show, Don’t Just Tell
For many, videos can explain your products better than text alone. They can show:
- how products work
- what they look like from different angles
- how people use them in real life
For example, a video showing how to use a new type of blender can be more effective for selling kitchen products. We can say, this would definitely be more helpful than just a written description. You could show how easily it blends different ingredients. You can even explain how quiet it is and how simple it is to clean.
Ideas for using video:
- Create product demonstration videos
- Show customer testimonials
- Give a behind-the-scenes look at your business
- Make how-to guides related to your products
Final Thoughts
Remember, improving your SEO will cost a lot of time and effort. Simply start by focusing on one or two areas that need the most improvement. Then, gradually work on the others. Keep track of your progress using analytic tools. Also, be prepared to adapt your marketing strategy as you learn in the process.
Keep in mind, consistency is all you need in SEO. With patience and persistence, you will see more people finding and buying from your online store. Furthermore, try to implement these nine strategies. We hope this will set up your eCommerce site for better visibility in search results. We know it will lead to more traffic and, yes, ultimately, better sales for your business. Also, SEO is an ongoing process. You have to keep learning and refining your approach every day. Only in this way can you stay ahead in the competitive world of online retail.
