Did you know?
There are about 20 million e-commerce websites on the internet today, and it is expected that over 90% of all purchases will be made through these platforms in the next 15 to 20 years.
You probably already know it’s crucial for your site but might not be sure how to proceed. SEO can be one of the most complex tasks in today’s digital world.
Being found on search results is a massive challenge for any e-commerce website. Attracting new customers and understanding what they need are vital components of business growth, and Google can help guide shoppers to your site throughout their buying journey.
Today, we will take you through the SEO basics for e-commerce websites. This guide will get you started, ensure you’re sending the right signals to Google, and set you up for success with SEO.
So let’s get into it.
What is Ecommerce SEO?
Ecommerce SEO involves optimizing your online store to appear higher in search results when people look for products or services. This allows you to attract a steady stream of qualified traffic that can be converted into sales and revenue.
Crucial activities in ecommerce SEO include product page optimization, category page optimization, fixing website architecture issues, and building backlinks.
By making your site friendly to search engines, you can have your e-commerce site show up at the top of searches, increasing visibility and, hence, clicks from potential customers.
Why Does E-commerce Matter For SEO?
When somebody searches for a product on Google, they receive a list of results, including organic results, paid ads, and Google-sponsored ones. A good e-commerce site should ensure that among these different types of listings, also known as “SERP features,” such as images, videos, news, etc., at least one or two (preferably more) of your product pages appear on the first page of SERPs. Although there are many pages to scroll through, being in the top 10 significantly increases the chances of making a sale.
E-commerce SEO allows businesses to connect with their target audience and reach out to wider markets without incurring advertising costs. It also improves customer service by making it easy for customers to find what they need.
Important Elements of E-commerce SEO
Page Titles and Meta Descriptions:
Adding keywords here tells search engines what each page is about and helps improve rankings. Meta descriptions also influence click-through rates; research has shown that longer meta descriptions tend to perform better, so include as much relevant information as possible.
Product Descriptions:
Using keywords in your product descriptions can boost e-commerce SEO. By including relevant terms, you help search engines match your products with user queries, which drives more traffic to the site.
Category Pages:
These pages can be an SEO goldmine since they are often visited by users looking for particular types of products. If you want each category page to show up in relevant searches, ensure that it has a unique keyword-rich title tag, URL slug (address), and meta description.
Images and Videos:
Optimize your store’s images and videos by including keywords in file names and captions, which makes them easily searchable by search engines. Also, ensure that your media loads quickly to prevent user experience compromises while browsing the website.
How to Do Search Engine Optimization for an E-commerce Website
Take these steps to optimize your e-commerce website for search engines:
Choose the Right Keywords:
Research is whimsically essential; without it, you’ll work off assumptions that lead to ranking for too competitive keywords or generate little traffic. Utilize keyword tools to find keywords related to your products and their monthly search volumes; this helps identify more popular words/ phrases that can be incorporated into web pages.
Competitor Research:
If you’re unsure where to begin with on-site optimization, analyze competitor sites and products. Do a Google search to see who ranks above you and use their websites to inspire new ideas and trends – this could help highlight what your site might be missing.
Design a Visual Sitemap:
Create a user-friendly layout as well as search engine-friendly for your e-commerce site. A visual sitemap represents the navigation & URL structure of your site. Submit this sitemap to Google Search Console so that it may help Google find, crawl & index all pages on your site.
Product Page SEO:
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Title: Your product page title is crucial because it appears in search results and attracts clicks—use primary keywords here.
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URL: Optimize the URL by making it closely match the product title while still being unique and relevant. Meta Description: Write a compelling meta description with secondary keywords included (to entice users and improve ranking).
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Product Copy: Include secondary keywords within the product description (to capture additional search terms).
Link Building for Ecommerce
Quality backlinks show Google that your site is credible and influence keyword rankings; although time-consuming, focus on building quality links rather than buying them.
Off-page SEO Techniques for Ecommerce Websites
Social media can drive search results, increase brand visibility, build an engaged online community, and more. While it does not directly affect eCommerce SEO, it can drive traffic to your site. Use social platforms to connect with customers and provide value online.
Top Ecommerce SEO Tools
Ahrefs: Keyword research, competitor analysis, link building, etc. You can conduct thorough SEO audits of your ecommerce store with it.
Google Search Console: This tool measures search traffic & performance, provides detailed search analytics, allows sitemap submissions for crawling
Ubersuggest: This offers keyword optimization suggestions + competitor performance analysis and is also suitable for site audits.
Screaming Frog: Identifies website issues like broken links, duplicate content, and missing meta descriptions, etc.; fix them before any penalties!
Moz: Tracks SEO performance; offers research tools + resources for a more profound understanding of SEO & inbound marketing
The Bottom Line
While social media, paid ads, and email can drive traffic, search traffic is reliable, free, self-sufficient, and relatively easy to get. Mastering e-commerce SEO strategies can significantly increase traffic on your site and bring you the visitors you need.
