When you start selling online using web marketing, you want to make sure that you are driving the right type of customers to your site. You can do this by making sure that you have the right type of content and that it contains the right keywords.
Search engines rely on matching the terms that people search for to the terms that they find on your site, which means that ecommerce SEO includes informative and descriptive text.
If you have the words that shoppers type into a search engine on your site, you are more likely to be found.
In fact, over 50% of users find a new business or product after a search.
However, it can be difficult to know what words to add to your site, and then how to make sure that you have room for all the different phrases that you need. To begin the eCommerce search engine optimization process, you need to know what keywords or phrases you want to target.
Here’s how we begin our SEO process for our clients and what you can expect when working with our in-house team of eCommerce SEO experts.
1. Identifying Keywords:
Before we make any changes to your website, we first conduct research to identify the words and phrases you need to include in your content. These are called keywords or key phrases.
By using keyword research tools, asking your customers how they describe your products, or working with you to find keywords you already know are effective, we’ll discover how you need to describe your store or products to rank well in searches.
Why is keyword research important for eCommerce SEO?
Keywords most often relate to your products or the central theme of your store. If you sell eco-friendly pet products, for example, you might target keywords related to that topic or priority. Some examples include: “eco-friendly pet products,” “eco-friendly dog toys,” and “eco-friendly dog harness.”
Your business’s unique features can also improve other aspects of your ecommerce SEO. If you invest in content marketing, for example, you might create blog posts that discuss the harmful chemicals in dog food. For these types of posts, you might target the keyword “bad ingredients in dog food.”
Identifying keywords is a critical part of our ecommerce SEO services because it helps build an effective strategy for your business.
2. Keyword Implementation
The next step in our process is to implement these relevant, high-value keywords on your website.
Our eCommerce SEO experts use these keywords in several places, including:
- Homepage
- Page Titles
- Meta Descriptions
- Product Descriptions
- Image Alt Text
- And More
This step is essential to an eCommerce SEO strategy. If you don’t optimize your website for these relevant keywords, it’s difficult for search engines—and even users—to see that your website is relevant to a search query.
While you can do your own copywriting to implement these recommended keywords, a benefit of partnering with a full-service digital marketing agency, like Metadosi, is that we offer SEO copywriting services—note that some copywriting is included in our eCommerce SEO packages.
If you decide to invest in our eCommerce SEO copywriting services, we have a talented team of copywriters who specialize in several different fields, from manufacturing to retail to automotive. With their expertise, we produce content that is not only well-written, but also aligned with your brand.
3. Product Page Optimization
Every page on your website should be optimized for search engines.
When it comes to eCommerce stores, it’s hard to think of anything more important to optimize than your product pages. Product pages are incredibly important because they’re the most likely to rank for very specific search phrases, also known as “long-tail keywords.”
If you’re selling green rubber dog bones, you’re probably not going to put the long-tail keyword “green rubber dog bones” on your homepage. Instead, your eCommerce SEO strategy will focus on optimizing your product pages for those appropriate keywords.
To ensure your product pages rank highly in search results, we’ll make sure each page has a title, as well as a paragraph or two of keyword-rich text describing the item. It’s also a good idea to include the model number (if there is one) so that you can appear in searches for it.
Your product pages should also contain images of the items you’re selling.
Images provide value to users and search engines. For users, your images provide a glimpse into your product, from its size to its color to its uses. For search engines, your images provide a glimpse into the context of your product page.
It’s important to note, however, that optimizing images for search engines is essential. Google, as well as Bing, Yahoo, and other search engines, cannot “read” images. They rely on the image filename, image alt text, and surrounding content to understand images.
That’s why our dedicated team optimizes your images for SEO.
In addition, we take a deep dive into each page of your website to ensure you’re targeting long-tail keywords and not missing crucial SEO elements like title tags. The result is a product page that’s ready to convert consumers.
4. Navigation Optimization
E-commerce SEO is also about making your site user-friendly. You need a site that is easy to navigate, even if you offer a wide variety of products. We will make sure that all products are categorized into appropriate sections or categories and that a link to each top-level page is available in your menu.
It is also essential that your navigation is easy to use and understand.
If it is not, you risk seeing users get confused and leave your site almost as soon as they arrive. Why stay if they can’t find what they want? This quick departure – also known as “bounce” – can lead to a high bounce rate.
A high bounce rate tells search engines that your website is not as relevant to the search terms it is ranking for – which is why a high bounce rate can cause your rankings to drop. This is why website design, as well as the design of your landing pages, is an imperative feature of eCommerce SEO.
One of the best ways we have found to improve eCommerce SEO is to use breadcrumb navigation.
Breadcrumbs are small links that appear at the top of a menu, category, or product page. Like the story of Hansel and Gretel, a breadcrumb on a website takes you back to where you were before.
Our web designers will use this method to add links and keywords to your pages and maximize the usability of your websites for users. For optimal results in your website usability, we offer user experience testing services.
Content Marketing:
Competing online can be tough, but one of the best ways to stand out and attract customers is through original content creation. This could be a blog, articles, press releases, or even eBooks.
Why Content Marketing Matters
A solid content marketing strategy serves two key purposes:
It gives search engines more content to crawl for relevant keywords and phrases.
It shows your potential customers that your business is knowledgeable and trustworthy.
The best part? Content marketing can double your website’s conversion rates. Why? Because when you provide valuable, informative content, you’re giving users what they need—whether it’s answers to their questions or helpful advice.
Personalized Content Drives Conversions
More than 60% of users prefer businesses that create personalized content. This can help your online store stand out from the competition. In fact, businesses that use content marketing quadruple their conversions compared to those that don’t.
Starting Your Content Marketing Strategy
For many e-commerce sites, a blog is the go-to option for content marketing. Blogs come in various forms—you can publish one post per month, or several posts per day. To keep it manageable, consider starting with one or two posts per week.
Write about topics that are relevant to your customers, such as:
Industry trends
Product updates
Tips and guides related to your products
For example, if you sell pet products, you could run a contest to find the cutest pet among your customers. This not only engages your audience but also promotes your brand in a fun way.
Content Marketing is Essential
Creating valuable, original content is a powerful way to improve your SEO, build trust with customers, and boost conversions. Whether it’s blog posts or interactive campaigns, content marketing helps your online store thrive in a competitive landscape.
Tips to Boost Your Ecommerce Website with Engaging Content
Creating high-quality, engaging content is one of the best ways to boost your ecommerce website’s performance. Here are some content ideas that can help improve your site’s SEO and attract more customers:
1. How-To Videos
Create how-to videos that demonstrate how to use or maintain your products. These videos not only educate your customers but also keep them engaged, increasing the time they spend on your site.
2. Infographics
Develop infographics on topics related to your products or industry. Infographics are a visually appealing way to present information, making complex topics easier to understand.
3. Industry Articles
Write articles on topics related to your industry. Focus on subjects you know well, sharing insights that position your brand as an authority in your field. These articles can help build trust and keep your audience coming back for more.
4. Long-Form Content
Consider producing long-form content, such as eBooks or white papers. These in-depth resources provide value to your audience and can be used as lead magnets to grow your email list or generate B2B interest.
At YE Consultancy, our talented writers and creative team of internet marketers develop innovative content marketing strategies as part of our ecommerce SEO services. Our ecommerce SEO packages include quarterly content updates to ensure your site stays fresh, relevant, and optimized for search engines.
By consistently adding valuable content, you can drive more traffic to your site, improve SEO, and engage your customers more effectively.
Creating Semantic Cocoons for E-Commerce SEO
Semantic cocoons are a powerful SEO strategy for e-commerce sites, involving the thematic organization of your content. The idea is to group related topics into clusters, creating a network of interconnected pages through internal links. This structure signals to search engines that your site has deep, authoritative content on each specific theme, which can boost your rankings for targeted keywords.
How Semantic Cocoons Improve E-Commerce SEO
By grouping content around specific themes, semantic cocoons help:
Attract Qualified Traffic: With more relevant content, your site is likely to appear in search results for users looking for exactly what you offer.
Enhance User Experience: Users can easily navigate related content, improving their journey through your site and increasing the likelihood of conversions.
Boost Authority and Relevance: The hierarchical structure of the cocoon tells search engines that your site is a reliable source of information on the themes you cover, improving your authority.
Customizing Your Content Strategy
The type of content used within your semantic cocoons can vary, and we will work together to decide what works best for your site. Once we determine the optimal strategy, we will create and implement the content for you, ensuring it’s fully optimized for SEO.
E-commerce SEO is multifaceted, and semantic cocoons are just one element. By incorporating this strategy into your SEO efforts, you’ll help your website rank higher, drive more qualified traffic, and ultimately boost conversions.