Do your competitors rank higher than you in Google search? Even if you have a better business, better offering, better customer service, and better products, the higher ranking alone will almost certainly mean they will get more visitors to their website.
More visitors mean more sales, sales that could have been yours.
The solution is e-commerce SEO to improve the ranking of your website in Google. E-commerce SEO is a big topic, but here are seven tips to get you started.
1. Get the Basics Right
If you don’t get the basics right, you won’t get far, so start with this point. Some of the crucial e-commerce SEO basics you should look at include:
- HTTPS – does your website have an SSL certificate? If not, you’ll need to correct this urgently.
- Page load speed – if your website is slow, you will need to optimise the structure and design elements to improve it.
- Responsive design – does your website look good on mobile devices? Do all the features work? Is it easy to make a purchase using a mobile device?
- Breadcrumb navigation – breadcrumb navigation helps visitors understand where they are on your website and how to find what they are looking for.
- Streamlined shopping cart – the process to make a purchase on your website should be straightforward, intuitive, and fast.
2. Focus on the Right Keywords
One of the main e-commerce SEO mistakes is to target overly broad keywords. The problem with broad keywords is competition. Big websites, including eBay, Amazon, and major national retailers, are likely to hold the top positions in Google for broad keywords related to your online store.
Not only will they hold the top positions in Google, but you will find it very difficult to dislodge them. They are simply too big and have too much money to spend for you to compete.
So, you should target more specific keywords instead. Keywords that are more specific will have less competition, making it easier to achieve a high Google ranking. Plus, the more specific the keyword, the closer a person is to making a purchase.
3. Write Unique Product Descriptions
Another big SEO mistake made on e-commerce websites is duplicate product descriptions. This usually occurs when the website copies product descriptions from manufacturers. You will get almost zero SEO benefit from taking this approach. It could even harm your Google ranking.
The solution is to write unique, informative, helpful, and compelling descriptions for all the products you sell.
4. Optimise the Page Title and URL
The page title and URL of your product pages should include the product name and/or the target keyword. For category pages, your URL and page title should include the main target keyword.
5. Optimise Meta Descriptions to Improve CTR
You should write customised and unique meta descriptions for all the products you sell on your website. The main reason for this is the fact that Google will probably display your meta descriptions on its search results pages. Therefore, meta descriptions are important for maximising CTR – click through rate.
Some things to include in your meta descriptions include:
- The product’s name.
- The target keyword of the page.
- The phrase “buy online” or a similar variation.
- Anything that makes your offering stand out. Free shipping, for example.
6. Create Engaging Content
Regularly creating new content for your website shows Google that your site is active. It also helps Google understand your business and the products you sell.
Most importantly, however, content helps you engage with your audience, particularly if the content is helpful, entertaining, and/or informative. When you engage your audience, you will get likes and shares on social media.
Others will also link to your site. As links are a crucial part of SEO, this will help improve your ranking.
7. Hire an Experienced SEO Agency
Optimising your website for Google search and improving your ranking is possible but, as you can see from the points above, you may need expertise to achieve these objectives.
For example, how do you write unique meta descriptions if you have hundreds or even thousands of products? Do you have the technical knowledge to improve page load speed? How do you optimise page URLs? These are all questions an experienced SEO agency in Auckland will have the answers too. Let them make the necessary changes and optimisations, see your search rankings improve, and watch the new sales start to come in.
