How to Improve E-Commerce SEO: 10 Killer Tips
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Are you looking for e-commerce SEO recommendations? Look no further as in this post, we’ll share with you some of the most essential tips to help your online store rank higher. From link building to keyword research, today’s post features a variety of useful techniques and search engine optimization methods designed to help your eCommerce business appear higher in organic search results.
Top 10 SEO Techniques for eCommerce Websites
SEO plays an important part in promoting any website and online stores aren’t an exception. Its goal is to make your website more visible to your potential customers. By driving traffic through better online visibility, this tool allows you to build a trustworthy reputation and better connections with your clients. As a result, with better e-commerce SEO marketing, you can improve your sales just by using simple yet efficient optimization methods:
- Keyword research;
- Product page optimization;
- Clear navigation;
- Website speed & responsiveness enhancements.
In addition to driving sales, e-commerce SEO can be used to improve brand awareness and the reputation of your online store. With such flexibility, online businesses can get more benefits without spending a fortune on traditional marketing campaigns and paid ads. With a properly performed optimization, you may even increase your profits by spending less on it. Now that we know more about the benefits of search engine optimization, let’s take a closer look at some of the best SEO techniques for eCommerce websites it provides.
1. Conduct a Keyword Research
One of the most important SEO strategies for e-commerce is keyword research. By identifying proper and relevant keywords that your target audience searches for, you’ll be able to improve your product pages.
However, note that some keywords are highly competitive. That’s why it’s recommended to go for terms with lower competition that are more specific. These are called “long-tail keywords” that allow you to cater to a particular search query and appear higher than your competitors. Using modern keyword research tools like Ahrefs or Similarweb, you can find the right keywords for your web pages. We also advise you to follow these steps when looking for a relevant keyword:
- Search for newly published pages with traffic;
- Find topics with low competition;
- Analyze the keyword gap to find relevant keywords;
- Don’t ignore search suggestions provided by search engines.
2. Optimize Product Pages
For e-commerce SEO, well-optimized product pages are as necessary as quality keyword research. With detailed product descriptions, high-quality product images, and informative titles, you can improve on-page SEO and make site browsing more comfortable for your potential customers. Remember to optimize product images for the Web by balancing the optimal size of up to 100KB and image quality. Adding alt text that describes the image and incorporates relevant keywords is also recommended. Other useful methods of product page optimization include:
- Modify product titles to sync with user queries;
- Add unique meta descriptions;
- Display customer reviews for individual products;
- Apply semantic HTML (tables & ordered and unordered lists).
3. Use Structured Data
Structured data is one of the key principles when it comes to search engine optimization for eCommerce websites. With the help of this SEO feature, you can display key characteristics of your products right in search results. This allows you to give your soon-to-be clients more information even before they navigate to your store.
Schema.org is the central hub for structured data definitions, so you’ll need to explore their resources to understand different schema types, specifically those relevant to e-shops. For example, you can add the following structured data to your product pages:
- Availability;
- Product price;
- Average review rating;
- Number of reviews.
You can then implement them either using coding or various plugins based on your CMS (website builder).
4. Secure Your Online Store with HTTPS
Site security plays a vital role in the SEO strategy of any website. This is especially true for e-commerce SEO. Even if you run a small family-owned online store, it may be susceptible to hacking. By using various security measures, you can significantly reduce the chance of vulnerability. Depending on the platform your site uses, preferable security measures may differ. However, here are some of the recommended steps to take:
- Buy and install an SSL certificate from your hosting provider;
- Regularly back up your website;
- Apply security-oriented plugins for your CMS;
- Use secure passwords and two-step authentication.
5. Improve Your Site Speed
Optimizing the loading speed of your site is just as vital for your store’s SEO as security and proper keywords. Improving the performance of your online store can boost your SERP position easily and get you more organic traffic. Moreover, having an optimized & fast website is preferable for a better user experience. No customers enjoy using a website that takes some time to load. So if you want to increase your search rank, it is highly recommended to implement some of the following recommendations:
- Use webpage caching;
- Optimize site images;
- Get rid of any unnecessary code and plugins;
- Choose a trustworthy hosting service;
- Implement lazy loading for images.
6. Provide Clear Navigation
Clear navigation is essential for any website, especially for an online store. So, if you are trying to make the most out of e-commerce SEO, improving the way your customers navigate your site and search for products and information is mandatory. One of the primary ways to implement it is to apply easy-to-navigate menus and breadcrumbs. This alone will help your buyers easily understand what part of the website they are currently browsing. Other possible SEO techniques for eCommerce websites to improve navigation include:
- Sorting options and filters for the product catalog;
- Sitewide search;
- Mega menus;
- Accessible UI;
- Informative footer with links to key pages.
7. Optimize Your Website for Mobile
With a majority of e-commerce website visitors using mobile devices, making your online store optimized for mobile is essential. Furthermore, since 2019 Google has given mobile-ready websites more priority when indexing. Needless to say, such websites are not only optimized for SEO but also deliver great user experience, especially when it comes to online shopping. To make your website mobile-friendly, you need to:
- Ensure that your store’s design is responsive;
- Optimize your content for mobile search;
- Make checkout faster and easier for your users;
- Add mobile-friendly payment options.
8. Work on User Experience
Making your store more optimized for search engines can also be done by improving the overall user experience. It not only increases your Google ranking but also helps to retain customers. For example, by creating a shopping experience that blends customization and accessibility, you’ll encourage first-time clients to return to your store, thus converting them into regulars. With these steps, you can easily improve your store’s user experience and increase the e-commerce SEO potential:
- Show recently viewed products;
- Add Popular and Trending product categories;
- Suggest similar products based on the purchase history;
- Make website navigation accessible via keyboard.
9. Incorporate Link Building
Next eCommerce SEO marketing recommendation is connected with link-building. To show Google that your online store is an authoritative website, it is necessary to get links from similar websites. This can be done by writing guest posts for other websites or by exchanging such links in existing or upcoming blog posts. Another way to build quality links is to create top-notch content that helps your potential customers. This way other websites may link to your web pages, increasing your store’s trustworthiness. Don’t forget to add internal links to different website pages to build their authority as it also influences your store’s SEO. Besides, you can get other benefits from link building:
- Improved brand visibility;
- Increased referral traffic;
- New business opportunities;
- Sales growth;
- Content value.
10. Apply Tools for Analytics
Lastly, we’d like to talk about analytics as a valuable tool for e-commerce SEO. Various external tools, such as Google Analytics, and WordPress plugins that integrate with them are useful for efficient tracking of your site’s ranking, current traffic, and choosing the right SEO strategy. With proper analytical information, you can make necessary adjustments to your online marketing. From conversion rates to organic traffic, various metrics can help you make the right business decisions at the right time. Here are some of the most popular analytical tools you can use:
Our TOP WooCommerce Themes for Best WP Ecommerce SEO
Here at MotoPress, we also build awesome e-commerce theme for WordPress, powered by the WooCommerce plugin, which emphasize SEO literacy, so if you are on WordPress, you are welcome to view our WooCommerce themes dedicated to various e-commerce niches.
Laveri
Laveri is made for fashion enthusiasts. You can sell clothing, accessories, furniture, and fabrics with a unique vibe. This WordPress theme comes with product sliders, image galleries, shop items, and smart SEO optimization.
Carni Rosso
Carni Rosso is a premium WooCommerce theme for butcher shops, farms, fish stores, and anything in between. This theme is easily customizable with the WordPress block editor and Getwid extension. It has many SEO elements that will help you sell easier.
Frutta Verde
An awesome design for grocery stores that many used especially during the COVID-19 times. This WooCommerce theme makes it easy to categorize products, set up shipping services, and accept online payments.
Vite Nera
Vite Nera is perfect for building a modern wine shop website. Feature all your wine lists, products, branded images, and even things beyond just a shop. With WooCommerce built-in, you can use product sorting & filtering options, online payments, and delivery options.
Bimba
Bimba is a design for those who want to sell handmade items. It comes with ready-mady page templates and WooCommerce-related settings and helps you create a SEO-optimized store even for your hobby.
Conclusion
We hope this overview of popular SEO techniques for eCommerce websites has helped you learn more about search engine optimization and how it influences your SERP rank. Certainly, there are more methods to rank up than we listed above but if you’re new to search engine-friendly eCommerce, these tips are a great way to start. Let’s review some of the most crucial elements that can help you make your website more trustworthy and optimized for SEO:
- Keywords;
- Page optimization;
- Relevant content;
- Better experience for your customers.
E-Commerce SEO FAQ
How can I create unique and SEO-friendly content for hundreds or even thousands of products?
- Instead of just listing features, highlight how the product benefits the customer.
- Research long-tail keywords that are more specific and have lower competition.
- Create templates that cover the core information, then add details and variations specific to each product.
- Tools can help you generate product descriptions with relevant keywords. However, always review and edit them for quality and uniqueness.
My website has similar products and category pages. How can I avoid hurting my SEO?
- Use so-called canonical tags.
- Consolidate similar products (consider combining them into a single page with variations).
- Vary product descriptions, even for similar products, rewrite their descriptions.
- Create unique content for category pages that goes beyond just listing products.
- Include buying guides, informational content, or curated collections.
My ecommerce website has a complex URL structure with long, messy URLs. How can I create a simpler and more SEO-friendly structure?
- Use relevant keywords.
- Avoid dynamic URLs.
- Aim for URLs that are descriptive but not overly long and confusing.
- Use categories and subcategories reflected in your URLs.
Thanks you so much for your tips