In our digital age, more and more commerce takes place online. With the rise of massive online retailers like Amazon, shoppers now know that they can find practically any product or service through an online search. Often, they end up finding these products and services for a much more competitive price and with a better selection. Ecommerce, as many experts have predicted, is how shopping happens in our present day.
To attract attention online, however, you need to make your ecommerce site visible—that’s where SEO comes in. In addition to paid ads or social media efforts, SEO can boost your site up the search page rankings, attracting more potential customers and sales.
In this blog, we take a closer look at the relationship between ecommerce and SEO and discuss why SEO is critical for the long-term success of any website or digital marketing campaign. We also look at a few practical ways that you can optimize your site for ecommerce success. With effective SEO, you can sit back and watch the conversions begin to roll in.
Peaks Digital Marketing is a dedicated and experienced team of SEO experts that wants to see your business succeed online. We can help your website rank on Google’s results pages and other search engines. Our team specializes in various SEO tools and services, including web design, content development, keywords, and on-page and off-page optimization.
WHAT IS SEO?
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a set of practices and tools designed to help websites rank as high as possible on Google and other search engines. Ranking well on search engine results pages (SERPs) is critical to driving traffic, and thus, potential customers to your site. In fact, according to Moz, just over 70 percent of organic clicks land on the first page of Google. This means that even sites on page two, which is considered a good ranking, are effectively buried by sites with a stronger SEO presence. Without a doubt, that first page of Google is the most valuable piece of real estate in the online world.
SEO may have one goal, but SEO itself has many components. You can use different strategies and tools to boost your website’s ranking. SEO aligns your website with Google’s algorithm, which determines the ranking of websites following a search query.
Google looks for various indicators (quality content, page speed, functioning images and videos, load time, organization, keywords, backlinks) when determining the quality and relevancy of websites. It’s the work of an SEO team to understand Google’s ranking system and develop your site to meet these standards. This is one of the most effective long-term strategies for success in digital marketing.
ECOMMERCE AND SEO
Many online retailers rely solely on paid advertisements, or pay-per-click (PPC), to drive traffic to their pages. Sprinkle in some branding, email marketing, and social media and this may be the extent of a large brand’s digital marketing effort. While these methods can prove effective, you can do more to make the most out of your digital marketing campaign. it doesn’t mean that it’s the complete picture.
In terms of return on investment (ROI), SEO is one of the most effective digital marketing strategies available. In fact, according to Inc, SEO has the highest ROI of any form of digital marketing. Now that’s hard to ignore.
SEO is essential for the success of any ecommerce site. Not only does SEO help your site rank better on search engines, but it also focuses on improving the overall quality of your site. Web development and design are critical components of a complete SEO strategy. By improving your page speed, loading times, images, and links, you’ll make not only Google happy, but your users, too, by improving the user experience.
LOCAL SEO
There are many subdivisions of SEO. Medical SEO and enterprise SEO are two examples of specific approaches to SEO for certain markets and types of websites. For ecommerce, however, local SEO is one of the most important factors to consider. Local SEO refers to a set of practices to boost your visibility in local searches. This is especially relevant for ecommerce sites that wish to drive business to their brick and mortar stores.
Creating a Google My Business account is an important first step in developing a local SEO presence. You should also receive customer reviews, focus on local keywords, and optimize your site for mobile—since this is how so many local searches take place.
HOW TO OPTIMIZE YOUR ECOMMERCE SITE
While hiring a team of SEO specialists is perhaps the most effective way to optimize your site, there are many things you can do that will also help boost your page ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs). Here’s a look at a few straightforward strategies for improving the SEO ranking of your ecommerce website:
1. Secure your site with https.
While this may seem basic, many sites, even though in the ecommerce sector, are not fully secure. Since ecommerce sites handle private and sensitive information, such as credit card numbers and addresses, you must take the necessary measures to secure your site. Make sure your site is secured with a “https” URL, as opposed to an unsecured “http” to help garner trust from your shoppers.
2. Keyword research.
When users input a query into a search engine, they use specific keywords that guide them to relevant content. Knowing and using these keywords can help boost your site’s ranking for users looking for your types of products or services.
3. Long-tail keywords.
If you sell shoes and use popular keywords, such as “sneakers,” you’ll still find it difficult to outrank large brands like Nordstrom or Famous Footwear. However, by targeting long-tail keywords, such as “red high-top sneakers” you’ll have a much better chance of ranking well. Be strategic which keywords you use, and if you’re incorporating a PPC campaign, be sure to bid wisely on keywords you can actually win.
4. Customer reviews.
Customer reviews serve as “word of mouth” in the online world that can help users develop trust for your brand and your website. You want to garner as many reviews as possible, publish them, and especially highlight the positive ones. Responding to customer reviews, even if they’re complaints, is also important.
CONCLUSION – ECOMMERCE SEO GUIDE
Ecommerce has dramatically reshaped the way that people all over the world shop. The days of driving to a crowded mall are over. Having any product or service imaginable available at your fingertips has rendered the days of driving to a crowded mall obsolete. By 2020, ecommerce is estimated to account for almost 13 percent of all retail sales in the United States. With competitive pricing and unmatched selections, it’s hard to see how traditional brick and mortar chains can compete.
With the help of a top SEO agency and by understanding the essential practices of SEO, you can ensure that your ecommerce site will rank high on Google and other search engines. This visibility will drive more traffic, clicks, and conversions to your site. In the digital world, it’s like having a piece of the most valuable property downtown on Main Street.
At Peaks Digital Marketing, our purpose is to help your website climb up to the first page of Google to reach more potential customers than ever. If you want to learn more about what an experienced SEO agency can do for you and your ecommerce website, contact us to learn more about our full range of SEO skills, products, services. We’re looking forward to seeing you at the top.
