SEO and Your eCommerce Website
If you’re running an eCommerce website, one of the first things that you need to accomplish is fitting it with SEO. Our Dallas SEO company shows you why.
When your website appears at the top ranks of search engines, you have greater chances of attracting organic traffic to your online store. All it takes is a few well-planned keywords to bring new visitors, visitors who are more than willing to pay for what you’re offering.
That’s just it, right?
Not exactly. SEO goes much deeper into your website operation process. And particularly with an eCommerce website, you’ll need to make several considerations.
Consult your SEO specialist before building your site.
More often than not, website owners hire an SEO specialist late into the website development process. SEO is not merely a magical band-aid for low-volume traffic! Rather, it’s an integral part of web design and development, optimizing your site’s internal structure for search engine rankings while protecting it from threats. So if you want effective SEO, it should be built right into your website.
Check for duplicate content.
Google HATES duplicate content. It doesn’t matter whether or not it’s accidentally similar to another source. If you outsource your content production and publishing, double your efforts in checking for identical content, or find a better content creation company that understands the value of original material.
Use unique product labels and avoid manufacturer descriptions.
No one wants to buy a product without specs and a description. But make sure the description is unique. When manufacturers distribute their products to other online stores, the latter may use the manufacturer’s description, resulting in identical content. This can immediately get you banned from search engines.
Optimize your pages according to search demand ratings.
When you write page headlines, product descriptions, and titles, make sure you use specific search keywords that line up with your target market’s demand for your product. For instance, you can indicate “[Brand name] + [product type / model] + [model number]” in your H1 headings and title tags. Or indicate “[Brand name] + [specific product type / model]” in your description. And remember to include your alt tags in your product photos.
Use rich snippets.
Rich snippets are little bits of added information and images or videos that pertain to your page, which show up right under your link in the search results. Think of these as little ‘teasers’ that give users a better idea of what your content is about, while adding interest to your website.
Use unique titles.
Understandably, it’s hard to use unique title tags if your site features several similar product types. But unique titles are critical in avoiding duplicate content within your site. To work around this, use unique keyword phrases, such as the “[Brand] + [Product type] + [Model number]” structure.
Optimize your website for mobile use.
If your eCommerce site isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re already out of the game. More and more users search and shop on mobile as compared to desktop devices, so you simply must optimize your website for mobile responsiveness.
Place your products on your Home page.
Your Home page is the first thing that both search engines and your visitors see, so highlight your best and promotional products here. Also, make sure that the rest of your products are just one or two clicks away from Home.
Use keyword-friendly URLs.
Your URLs must be easily readable by your audience – words, not alphanumeric strings! — and contain relevant keywords especially for your product pages. Also, it doesn’t hurt if your URL contains the same keywords as the anchor text used by visitors who share your link on other sites.
Make your website user-friendly.
Before you officially launch your website, test and retest it for intuitive use. eCommerce sites are founded on the users’ convenience, so if yours isn’t easy to use, your visitors will spend less time on your site. This tells Google that your website isn’t worth spending time on, which decreases your rank.
Applying good SEO principles to your eCommerce site may seem tricky at first, and confusing even for some experienced website owners. But fret not, our Dallas SEO company will be glad to help! Call us today to discuss how we can help make your eCommerce website much more attractive to search engines and increase your convertible traffic.
