31 Aug
Running an e-commerce business means your customers find you online through search engines like Google. SEO helps your site appear higher in organic search results for relevant keywords so that more potential customers can discover your business. The good news is that there are many straightforward e-commerce SEO strategies that don’t require technical expertise.
What is e-commerce SEO?
SEO in e-commerce is all about helping online shoppers easily find your store. Think of it this way – when someone is shopping online, they’re likely typing keywords into Google or other search engines to find what they need quickly. The best SEO for e-commerce is about optimizing your website so those search engines understand what you sell and can point customers right to your virtual doors.
It’s about using the right keywords throughout your site – in your page titles, headings, descriptions, and of course in your product listings. Search engines are trying to match people’s searches to the most relevant sites, so the more you can emphasize what you have to offer throughout your digital shelves, the better chance search bots have of giving you top ranking when viewers come looking.
Best SEO strategy for e-commerce website
Doing SEO for an online store is not too different than normal website SEO – you want great relevant content, fast loading speed, and consistent keywords. But with e-commerce, there are a few extra things that really help. Here are some SEO tips for your e-commerce website:
Keyword research is key
Before optimizing any part of the website or product listings, it’s important to conduct thorough keyword research. Taking the time upfront to understand your target audience’s search habits and intent will help guide effective e-commerce SEO optimization.
Start by brainstorming keywords from the perspective of a customer looking to purchase your products. What exact phrases or related terms might they search to find what you offer? Create a long tail keyword list including variations related to products, brands, categories, pricing/deals, etc. Tools like Keyword Sheeter can assist with idea generation.
It’s also valuable to analyze keywords by type – commercial keywords centered around purchases versus informational keywords for learning more. Considering appropriate keyword objectives like driving online store traffic versus ranking for instructional content can help identify priorities. Be sure to optimize different types of keywords accordingly.
Enhance product pages and listings
Once keyword research reveals in-demand long-tail terms, work on incorporating those targets throughout your online store in meaningful ways. This includes optimizing individual product pages, category pages, and any relevant filters/facets.
For each product, use the main keyword in the title and description, as this is heavily weighted by Google. Include other relevant variations and related long-tail phrases as well. Categories should also clearly reflect commercial intent through hierarchical URLs, headings, descriptions, and internal linking. Allow filtering/refining by attributes matched to common search queries to improve relevancy. Monitor search analytics to determine top converting filters.
Above all, focus on creating helpful, informative content from the customer’s point of view rather than coming across as overtly promotional. Search engines reward experiences that truly solve problems rather than sell products alone.
Backlinking is critical off-site SEO
Whereas on-site elements optimize what’s under your control on your own domain, backlinks represent outside endorsements crucial to search rankings. They indicate third-party websites find your content authoritative enough to link to.
Rather than hastily requesting links, focus link-building efforts on creating valuable, share-worthy assets. Produce guides, how-tos, case studies – any long-form educational content related to your products and industry. Outreach should highlight exactly how the content could help, not just promote.
Guest blogging on industry authorities gets natural backlinks while exposing work to new potential customers. Profile building on sites like Quora and Reddit humanizes your brand while sometimes leading to do-follow links. Pay attention to link opportunities within your niche community on social platforms too. Monitor backlink profiles with tools like Ahrefs to identify weak links to disavow over time as needed.
Speed is more important than ever
Page load speed is a verifiable search ranking factor that also significantly impacts the user experience. Slow sites frustrate customers and hurt conversion rates. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and GTmetrix provide specific recommendations for optimization.
Aim for under 3 seconds load time on desktop and under 5 seconds on mobile. Monitor your Google PageSpeed Insights and use Lighthouse audits to identify specific areas for improvement.
404 errors damage your presence
Broken links waste crawl budget and confuse users, so fixing 404 errors is a must. Deploying a link-checking plugin on CMS-based stores simplifies continuous monitoring. For static sites, run occasional scans with Screaming Frog or Xenu’s Link Sleuth. Check logs for 404s and ensure old URLs redirect properly with 301s.
A properly configured 404 page should also re-engage visitors by highlighting similar content or navigation to help them find what they need. Merchants lose customers each time they encounter errors, so eliminating them improves the user experience and SERPs alike.
Also Read: Best Marketing and Promotion Ideas for Retail Stores
Enhance the user experience everywhere
SEO extends beyond search and on-page optimizations because this is how to improve the SEO of an e-commerce website smartly. Educating customers across all touchpoints strengthens relationships and turns them into advocates. Consider enhancing trust and satisfaction through:
- Consistent branding, messaging, and UI across devices and platforms
- Seamless checkout powered by safe and fast payment options
- Personalized and helpful post-purchase communications
- Transparent policies and FAQs about returns, shipping, etc.
- Positive customer support resolving issues promptly
- Valuable educational/inspirational social media engagement
- Helpful reviews and testimonials from verified buyers
The most successful SEO strategy for e-commerce websites takes a holistic approach addressing both technical and experiential opportunities. With diligent keyword research, optimized content and listings, link-building focus, and constant UX enhancement – merchants can satisfy searchers and drive more organic traffic over the long run. Monitoring analytics provides valuable signals for continuous refinement toward ever-improving visibility and sales.
Enforce HTTPS for security and better rankings
Google emphasizes securing website traffic through HTTPS (SSL) certificates. Not only is it safer for customers to enter payment and personal data, but HTTPS is also a signal of a quality, trustworthy site to search engines.
Take the time to set up HTTPS on your domain. Many hosts and platforms now offer free automatic HTTPS installation. Make sure all internal pages are also served over HTTPS.
Once complete, redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS in your settings to avoid mixed content warnings. Google will reward HTTPS-only sites in search rankings.
It’s never been simple to get organic traffic, and it’s even more challenging for eCommerce businesses these days. But that doesn’t rule out the possibility. You’ll almost certainly enhance your organic traffic if you adopt at least a few of the e-commerce SEO best practices suggested in this article. With enough patience and hard effort, eCommerce POS systems like Hana Retail can be a lever that drives consistent sales for your company and reduces your dependency on sponsored marketing for years to come.
