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Ecommerce SEO: The Basics

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Simply put, SEO for Ecommerce businesses is the process of optimizing the shop to meet Google’s standards so that products rank at the top of searches and that purchases of the products are completed online.

Ecommerce SEO vs Regular SEO

When websites appear in search engine results on their own (not paying to appear) their rankings are referred to as organic.

 

And Google is essentially ‘vouching’ for the top company they list at the top of the organic search results. They are saying that “in our opinion, this is the best company for this industry or category”, so they are continually refining their algorithm to filter out the companies that meet their stringent parameters. They do this so they have the best suited and deserving companies at the top of their results.

 

What are these strict conditions that SEO companies need to address? Well, Google doesn’t list their algorithm’s proprietary structure, although if a website is built with good code, good content and it develops a good online presence you can bet that you have just met much of what is needed.

 

Important Factors in Developing Organic Traffic

 

There are many important factors that need to be addressed in developing top search engine rankings. These factors can be grouped into three categories:

 

  1. On-Page SEO
  2. Off-Page SEO
  3. Technical SEO

There is a myriad of variables for each of these aspects of SEO that need to be developed and managed.

Person working with computer laptop to manage categories

Category Structure

 

The category structure is very important because it also has a huge impact on the website’s navigation. A simple category>sub-category>product structure is the simplest and cleanest way to organize your shop. It makes navigation easier for visitors which is important for user experience, and it makes it easier for Google to crawl and index your website’s pages.

 

A great rule of thumb to use is that no page should be more than three clicks from the home page. The use of breadcrumbs also provides an extra layer of simplicity and ease of navigation.

Make sure that the category and sub-category pages are optimized for the most relevant search terms as determined by keyword research. Searches are most commonly made for the category or sub-category 
and not the specific product, so shops that have 10,000 products can get away with optimizing the categories and sub-categories without optimizing all 10,000 products.

 

For instance, the category bathroom faucets have a search volume of 40,500 searches per month according to Semrush. The sub-category gold bathroom faucets have 5400 searches and Moen gold bathroom faucets have a search volume of 480 per month. A search for the specific product ‘Moen gold bathroom faucet model X’ has no search volume. So, it is important to optimize your category and sub-category pages which pull in large amounts of search traffic, and to make sure that traffic is funneled into buying a product.

URL Structure

 

Well designed URLs can help Google better find and index ecommerce web pages, so it is important to start with a logical URL structure. It also enhances the users experience by having a simple way to traverse the website.
Targeted categories and products must appear in the URL. Be sure to have the keywords you have chosen in the URL.

Content Optimization

 

Ecommerce websites are unique in the sense that many sites have the same products and categories. Because you can be selling the same products as Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart you can have the same product level content such as descriptions and specifications without it being deemed duplicate content.

 

You have an opportunity to stand out from competing shops however by properly optimizing your category and product pages. The elements of these pages that need to be optimized include:

 

  • Product Descriptions
  • Images
  • Reviews
Keyword research on man's laptop computer

Product Descriptions

 

It is essential that product descriptions are optimized. Provide a complete set of details in the product description and optimize it for the keywords you are targeting on the product page. If you have a lot of content for the description you can use a template that has a ‘quick description’ which captures the first paragraph or two of your description with the full description available further down the page. The more content the better for Google but we need to balance that with trying to capture a sale.

 

Unique content will set you apart from other ecommerce shops selling the same product. Rather than settling for the standard details that are provided to you by suppliers, take the opportunity to add value by adding unique content that the user and Google will like.

 

Images

Images are a big part of an ecommerce website so make sure that the image filename and alt tags are optimized. The image name should be the product or category name, or your targeted keyword and the alt tag should reflect your product’s description. Images should also have small file sizes.

 

Reviews

 

Product reviews are an essential part of ecommerce shops as users frequently make their purchase decisions on the reviews they read. Reviews also convey trust to the user, and they can help increase conversion rates.

The Ecommerce SEO Process

Initial Discussion

We will work with you to understand your business, your goals, your audience and whether you are looking for local results or if you want to reach nationally or globally. We’ll also work with you to understand which categories or products of your ecommerce site are most important so we focus on those first.

Ecommerce discovery in boardroom

Initial Assessment

We will assess your site and look for any issues it may have that will impede rankings such as old code, poor mobile design, URL structure and category structure. 

Keyword Analysis

We will perform full keyword research for your site as a whole but also for categories, subcategories and in some cases products of your ecommerce site. It’s important to select keywords that have great search volume that are relevant to your business. 

Woman working at computer

On-Page SEO

Once the keywords have been approved we will then work on optimizing your pages, your ecommerce categories and sub-categories, products and other on-page factors. 

Content Optimization

We will optimize your content so that your product and category descriptions, images and reviews are setup for success.

Man and client starting project with handshake
Ecommerce SEO report on boardroom table

Measuring & Reporting

Measuring and reporting ensures that you are making steady progress and that identified issues that crop up are resolved quickly and on an ongoing basis. 

Search Engine Results

Enjoy the fruits of your labour such as top Google rankings, more visibility and increased sales!

Happy businessman client with arms in air

Staying Ahead of Your Competition

SEO is an ongoing process that ensures your biggest asset, your website or ecommerce shop, continues to improve and doesn’t begin to slide. Ongoing SEO is the best investment you could possibly make.

Staying Ahead of Your Competition

 

SEO is an ongoing process that ensures your biggest asset, your website or ecommerce shop, continues to improve and doesn’t begin to slide. Ongoing SEO is the best investment you could possibly make.

 

Our core specialty is SEO, and our results have helped to develop many successful long-term relationships with our clients, many of whom have been with us for over a decade, and we hope to add you to our long list of satisfied customers.

 

Contact us now for a free consultation.

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