When trying to sell products through your website online, you need to focus on ecommerce SEO strategies to maximise the amount of sales you get.
Ecommerce SEO is what it says on the tin: It’s SEO services specifically tailored for online shops or stores, which helps your products show high in search engine results like Google which will ultimately increase your sales.
However, knowing the best practices for your industry can be difficult to understand, so that’s exactly why we are focusing on this! This article highlights the importance of ecommerce SEO, the differences between other SEO strategies and a breakdown specific activities you need to do to optimise for ecommerce SEO.
Why is Ecommerce SEO Important For My Shop?
Every online shop needs to optimise their website for ecommerce SEO because it brings relevant traffic to your site. These are people who are actively searching for your products and are ready to buy.
Also, unlike like PPC services, the traffic from ecommerce SEO is completely free so when you build your rankings up, you are not paying for any clicks to your website.
For example, when someone searches for face cream for dry skin, the products that rank on page one of Google are the ones getting the sales, not those on page two or beyond. This is why it is so important to optimise your website in a way that customers like. If customers like it, Google will too, and reward you with higher positions in the search engine results pages.
How to Do Ecommerce SEO?
To achieve higher rankings for your online store, you need to consistently optimise your website while navigating algorithm changes and Google updates to stay in the search engine’s good books.
It’s our job as a digital marketing agency to stay up to date with ranking factors, but here are some key strategies you can implement to start improving your positions.
Complete Product-Related Keyword Research
For any type of SEO, knowing how to do keyword research for your products is essential so you can target the right intent from your audience.
There are four main types of search intent. These include informational, such as how to do ecommerce SEO, navigational, such as searching for a specific brand or service, commercial, such as best ecommerce SEO agencies, and transactional, such as dry skin cream.
For ecommerce SEO, transactional and commercial keywords are the most valuable, as these users are actively looking to make a purchase rather than simply learn about a product.
Platforms like Google Keyword Planner, as well as paid tools like Semrush and Ahrefs, provide excellent keyword research capabilities. Start with longer tail keywords, as they tend to have lower competition, and build your product pages around them.
Optimising Product and Category Pages
Once you have your keywords, it is important to incorporate them naturally into your product pages. Placing these phrases within your content helps search engines understand what your pages are about.
You also need to optimise your category pages so search engines can clearly understand your full product range. For example, if you sell women’s shoes and offer options for different occasions such as bridal or party wear, creating separate category pages and tagging products correctly will make it easier for search engines to crawl your site and improve your rankings.
Optimised URLs
Make sure your URLs clearly describe the product while remaining concise. For example, if you are selling a red gym t shirt, those keywords should be included in the URL.
Clear URLs also improve user experience by making it easier for visitors to navigate your site, which is something search engines take into account when ranking websites.
Fast Loading Images
If your product images take too long to load, potential customers may leave and go to a competitor instead. Page speed is crucial for user experience, so you need to optimise your images to load as quickly as possible.
There are several tools available to help with this, including Squoosh. Once your images are optimised, make sure to include descriptive alt text so search engines can better understand and index your content.
Mobile Friendly Website
The use of mobile devices for online shopping continues to grow, with many purchases being made while users are casually browsing. This makes it essential that your website is fully optimised for mobile as well as desktop.
Different devices have different screen sizes, from the latest smartphones to older models, so your site should be easy to read and navigate on all of them. A clean layout and simple navigation will help ensure a smooth user experience and prevent lost sales.
Ecommerce SEO Means Higher Product Sales
Understanding how ecommerce SEO works is a great starting point, but implementing it effectively across your website is where the real challenge lies.
From targeting product related keywords to optimising category pages and ensuring your site is mobile friendly, search engine ranking factors are constantly evolving. This is why it is important to stay up to date or work with someone who can keep your site optimised.
Investing in ecommerce SEO is a smart move because of the reach it offers online. With the majority of consumers starting their product searches online, being visible in search results can make a significant difference to your sales.
Follow these tips and you will be well on your way to seeing your products fly off your online shop’s shelves!