With so many sophisticated options for paid, targeted ads, why invest in SEO services for ecommerce? The short answer is that ecommerce brands have more chances to rank across several different search categories, and thus can benefit greatly from SEO. Aside from general search results, shops can rank in images, Google Lens, Google Shopping, and Business Profiles.
What is E-commerce SEO?
Ecommerce SEO is a lot like regular SEO, but it includes a focus on product optimization and conversion rates. You can implement ecommerce SEO through priority keywords, unique on-page content, optimized products, and a technically sound website.
Targeting Priority Keywords
One SEO issue ecommerce sites run into is not performing in-depth keyword research. Many ecommerce sites use basic keywords and categories such as “women’s jewelry,” “games,” “keychains,” etc. While these terms aren’t bad, they aren’t as helpful as other, more specific keywords could be for your business.
If you sell personalized engraved jewelry, but only list it as “women’s jewelry,” you’re missing out on marketing specifically to your target demographic. Listing your product under a keyword like “personalized engraved heart jewelry for wedding anniversary” helps search engines and users understand exactly what your product is. It becomes much easier to reach your target demographic and sell your products when you use the right keywords versus the hit-and-miss of broad categories that may not be what people are searching for. Questions you should ask yourself when identifying what keywords to use for your products include:
- What terms are people using to find you?
- Is that what you actually sell?
- What terms are people searching to find products like yours?
- Will being more specific about your product help you reach your clientele?
Improving Content
Another issue for ecommerce SEO is thin content. Often, shops include minimal details on a product page, which doesn’t help Google crawlers index these pages as relevant or important.
Adding unique written detail to every page of your website, including relevant keywords, will help your shop rank higher.
Duplicate content is also a common hurdle for ecommerce SEO, but technical redirects and HTML coding can help.
Optimizing Products & Categories
Optimizing your products and categories is one of the most important aspects of ecommerce SEO, and it plays two important roles:
- Setting the standard for your user experience
- Telling search engines and customers exactly what you sell
If your products and categories are unorganized or too broad, customers will bounce from your website. The best way to optimize products and categories is to understand your niche and your target audience.
Niche Categories
Many ecommerce stores make the mistake of categorizing or naming their products with broad language to increase traffic. Utilizing niche categories may bring less traffic to your website than broader categories do, but they will increase your sales by providing the desired product(s) that people are looking for in said niche.
Target Demographic
Understanding your target demographic is just as important as understanding and utilizing a niche category. If you don’t understand what terms your audience is using to look for your product, you may be completely missing those who would buy your product. It’s important to research and understand your target audience.
Ensuring Good User Experience
Another reason why SEO is so important for ecommerce is because technical issues can sink your shop to the bottom of search results. To rank higher, ensure your website checks all of these boxes:
- Fast page load speed
- Mobile-friendly
- Technically sound
- Good user flow
How is SEO Beneficial to an E-commerce site?
Ecommerce SEO can be extremely beneficial.
When executed correctly, it results in increased traffic to your shop, more leads on potential customers, and an overall improvement in sales.
