Ecommerce SEO for Website

What is e-commerce SEO?

The technique of making an online business more visible on search engine results pages, or SERPs, is called e-commerce SEO. SEO marketing for e-commerce involves a variety of duties. Among them is producing material that responds to search engine keyword queries. To enhance its website's SEO, True Classic, an online business selling t-shirts, might produce material on the topic of “how to fold t-shirts without creases.”

Additional e-commerce SEO tasks include crafting thorough product descriptions, getting links from reputable websites, and speeding up page loads.

SEO is a tactic used by e-commerce companies to increase traffic and draw in customers who enter search terms associated with their brand and items.

How to design an SEO plan for e-commerce

Check out these six steps if you are new to SEO and want to see a boost in your store’s Google ranking. They offer doable advice on how to set up basic, effective e-commerce SEO on your website.

1. E-commerce keyword research

Any e-commerce SEO campaign should start with determining which high-value search phrases are being used by potential customers. Ecommerce keyword research, which can be carried out in a variety of ways, can help you achieve that.

Traditional keyword research and e-commerce keyword research differ slightly. Although the majority of websites primarily focus on informative keywords, you should aim for a combination of commercial and informative keywords, such as this:

Answers, instructions, and explanations are what informational keyword searchers seek out. These are the keywords that matter most to blogs and content-heavy websites. E-commerce websites also have blogs, but they also focus on phrases that indicate a desire to buy, such as “dog raincoats.”

Amazon and Google autocomplete predictions

Google’s autocomplete feature recommends related search terms as you begin to write a query:

When you already have a few fundamental phrases in mind, these autocomplete recommendations might be a veritable gold mine for keyword inspiration. (Remember to also look through the related search questions listed at the bottom of the SERP.)

Amazon autocomplete predictions

A comparable procedure can be done on Amazon. The best part about Amazon’s recommendations is that, in contrast to Google, they are product-focused and have the ability to incorporate filterable information like pricing.

Long-tail keywords should be avoided because they are more detailed and pertain to specific products. A keyword is more particular the longer it gets. This translates into less rivalry and frequently higher conversion rates.

You can also examine how material is organized on Amazon (and other large e-commerce SEO sites) to improve its search engine exposure. Look through pertinent product menus to get ideas for keyword categories.

Assume you are a vendor of women’s fashion goods. Look up that category on Amazon.com. You can now observe the many methods by which Amazon arranges and categorizes its products within that particular niche:

Repeat this process for any other major competitors.

Keyword research tools

To conduct more comprehensive keyword research, a free SEO tool is required. Ahrefs is the most often used.

With the use of these tools, one may conduct mass keyword research and analysis.

Suppose you are in competition with the geeky online retailer of t-shirts, BustedTees. Click organic keywords at the top of a keyword research tool such as Ahrefs after entering its domain:

To view every term BustedTees presently ranks for, scroll down. Additionally, information like rank position and search volume is available. You made your keyword competition decisions based on a summary of your competitors’ SERP coverage.

Choosing the right keywords for your store

Every keyword cannot be targeted by an e-commerce website. Which keywords you strive to rank for will depend on your clients and items. Take into account the following elements:

Volume

The higher a keyword’s search volume, the more potential traffic to your site. You can discover keyword search volume using Ahrefs or a free tool like Google Keyword Planner.

Competition

The greater the likelihood of ranking for a keyword, the lower the level of competition. You can see keyword competition and difficulty (KD) with SEO tools.

Relevancy

To what extent does the search phrase relate to your product or category page? This is an important ranking component that is frequently overlooked. Remain focused on keywords that your products would actually fulfill. Google is not fooled by you.

Intent

Focus on terms that convey a desire to purchase or discover more about a product. In most cases, intent may be determined just by looking at a keyword. Which search term, for instance, has a more relevant intent—”ball gown wedding dresses” or “work dresses”—if you manage a bridal shop?

The ultimate keyword? A high-volume, low-competition term that aligns with the content on your website.

2. Site architecture for e-commerce

Regarding e-commerce SEO, the layout and organization of your website’s pages have an impact on your search engine rankings.

Your user experience (UX) is also impacted by the site’s structure. You must make it simple for users to navigate the material in your store, as well as search engine bots.

Site structure can get complex when goods and categories are added and removed. Prior to going too far with website development, make sure that:

1. Your website’s structure is straightforward and adaptable to your store’s growth.
2. You can access every page of your website with only a few simple clicks.

I love simplicity too much. You do not want users to be circling your website in an attempt to find what they are looking for, relying solely on the back button. Additionally, you do not want to constantly have to restructure your website’s structure in order to make room for new product categories.

Since your homepage is the most frequently linked page on your website by other businesses, it possesses the majority of your SEO link authority. Therefore, a product page’s authority decreases with the number of clicks it has away from your homepage.

Page indexing

The webpages you decide to index and rank on your website should be carefully considered when you integrate SEO.

An index is another term for a search engine’s database. Thus, adding a page to the database entails indexing it. As stated differently, Google has found your page and included it in its list of results:

Check out these pointers on page indexing from Aleyda Solis, the creator of the SEO firm Orainti:

Finding out which page types are worthwhile indexing and optimizing for is what Aleyda suggests. Those pages ought to satisfy a legitimate audience need.

“Thin content and redundant material are two of the most prevalent problems for e-commerce sites,” Aleyda claims.

“Thin content refers to the notion that an e-commerce website has less real text than, say, a blog or software website. When the same content appears on several product and category pages, it is referred to as content duplication.

“One effective strategy to combat sparse content on your online store’s website is to add blog content.”

The simplest method of dealing with duplicate material is noindexing, or keeping a page hidden from search engines. To differentiate, retarget, and outperform certain pages, you may also produce valuable content for them.

Pages can also be canonicalized. You can instruct Google about which URL is the “master version” of a page that you want to see in search results by canonicalizing the page. This is useful when there is duplicate content because, in the absence of canonical tags, Google might

1. While sifting through redundant content, miss original content.
2. Reduce your capacity for ranking
3. Selecting the incorrect master version for you

When you are ready, Aleyda advises moving past canonicalization and noindex.

“Determine whether to index a product’s page by analyzing whether there are sufficient search queries related to its attributes,” the expert advises.

“If you do index a website, consider if the page has sufficient content and whether it makes sense given how visitors are searching. To remain competitive and relevant, you might need to optimize and grow the page.

Aleyda submitted this helpful diagram to illustrate the decision-making process for indexing:

What was the main lesson learned? Use the above chart as a guide; not every level of your site’s structure is worth indexing and optimizing.

Pro tip: To make your website easier for customers and Google to navigate, use breadcrumbs on your product pages. Breadcrumbs inform Google about the layout of your website and help users navigate your store.

Take note of how Allbirds directs people to its product pages through the use of breadcrumbs. Anyone can simply go back to Men’s Shoes or the site and search for another product if they decide they do not want to buy the everyday sneakers.

To display to your consumers the route they have taken through your category tree, use third-party software such as Category Breadcrumbs.

3. Technical SEO

Technical search engine optimization (SEO) is a more technical kind of SEO. Although buyers cannot see it, it guarantees that your website is mobile-friendly, crawler-friendly, and has the best possible speed. Technical SEO results in:

• Increased interaction with your website as a result of its speed and ease of use
• Increased organic traffic as a result of your website’s crawlability

The following are some strategies to enhance your technical SEO for e-commerce:

1. Establish rational internal connections between your menus.
2. Submit your sitemap to GSC.
3. Optimize images to load quickly.

4. On-page SEO for e-commerce

Once your site structure is solid and you have completed your keyword research, it is essential to improve the content on your two highest-value page types:

• Product category pages
• Product pages

E-commerce product descriptions

Google and other search engines utilize the content on your page to determine which keywords to rank your page for and how highly to rank it for each phrase when it comes to e-commerce SEO.

Google does not have much information if a product page only has a brief description. It is not advisable to copy and paste a description straight from a manufacturer or provider; this is known as duplicate information.

Instead, craft intriguing, in-depth descriptions that pique readers’ curiosity while providing a wealth of information about your products. Reducing the overall thin content on your site and raising the ranking of your product pages are two benefits of high-quality on-page content.

Because of this, longer product pages with reviews, descriptions, and other content are frequently found among search results that are ranked higher.

To assist Google in deciphering the meaning of your material, make an effort to incorporate pertinent keywords and subheadings into each portion of your website.

If you are unable to produce material for every product, concentrate on those that are now near the bottom of the first page of results. Since these results do not need to go as far up in the rankings, increasing them can have the most effect on conversions.

Google can rank your page more accurately the more content you write. The extra product information will not bother your customers either. It could even convince them to make a purchase.

Take advantage of latent semantic indexing (LSI) keywords

LSI keywords and your primary keyword are tightly associated. Use Google Keyword Planner to enter your keyword and discover associated terms and phrases to target with your content.

LSI keywords can also be located by conducting an Amazon search. Search for secondary keywords that come up frequently after your primary keyword.

Let us take the case of someone attempting to market a blender. The terms “48 oz Glass Jar,” “450W,” and “14 Speed” are all repeated, suggesting that they are popular search terms and potent selling points.

If you’re getting traffic from a main keyword, try to slide onto the first page for related secondary keywords as well. Use LSI keywords in your content whenever they make sense.

Create internal links

Your chances of closing a deal increase with the length of time you may have people perusing your material. Potential buyers can browse and find information or products on your website with the use of pertinent internal links to other pages.

Be sure you include the target term exactly in your anchor text (the text that contains the internal link). Customers can be directed to pertinent product pages, category sites, and instructional materials via internal linking.

When it comes to internal connections, be cautious. It is adequate to have one or two links every few hundred words.

Pro tip: You can create content that guides your audience through the many phases of their purchasing journey if you are aware of how they make decisions.

5. Blogging

Increasing your website’s search exposure through on-page and technical SEO techniques is known as content marketing through blogging. It makes sure search engines regard your website as reliable enough to rank for targeted keywords that fit the needs and interests of your target audience. When you blog, SEO is what drives a continuous, long-form content strategy.

Each published blog article has the capacity to:

• Build your reputation as a credible source
• Improve your site’s authority
• Increase visibility in organic search

Assume you were launching a running apparel company. Your goal is to assist prospective buyers in comprehending your goods, making better use of them, and finding solutions to their fitness and running issues. Blogging can assist you in gaining visibility in search engines such as Google.

A well-written blog provides consistent, unique content for your store. You will become a more trustworthy information source as more people find your content. Consequently, this raises your ranking. Because blogging requires a lot of time, energy, and resources to get right, e-commerce businesses frequently struggle with it. Regularly posting blog entries at random will not increase website visitors.

Nonetheless, a lot of e-commerce companies excel at blogging. For instance, Au Lit Fine Linens, a shop, offers everything you need to have a restful night’s sleep, including plush bedding, pillows, bath linens, and more. Additionally, the company maintains a blog called Between the Sheets, where readers may find insightful posts on how to get better sleep.

The blog’s goal is to rank well in search engines because it is SEO-oriented. Posts frequently strike a nice balance between marketing and information by highlighting a problem that the reader is experiencing and offering Au Lit Fine Linens products as the answer.

Pay attention to these three components when you launch a blog for an SEO e-commerce website:

• Examine the terms you want to rank for. Post material that focuses on terms that people are probably going to use to find solutions to issues or make purchases.
• Make blog entries SEO-friendly. For SEO purposes, make sure every blog focuses on a single term.
• Offer your products as a fix for the issue. It is not necessary for every post to focus on your goods. However, when it makes sense, do not hesitate to include links to one or more product pages.

6. Link building

PageRank is one of the more traditional parts of the Google algorithm. It is a technique that looks at how many links a webpage receives from other websites in an attempt to determine its quality.

Google evaluates a page’s credibility based on the quantity, caliber, and relevance of its links. Search engines therefore view new websites with minimal links as having less authority. While this can be fixed with time, constructing high-quality backlinks helps expedite Google’s recognition of your authority.

When they provide you with a backlink, reputable.com,.gov, and.edu websites typically offer the highest authority. The most profitable links come from big, highly regarded websites in your industry.

Concentrating on partnerships is one of the strongest strategies for creating connections. Decide what kinds of material you can produce that will benefit other websites. People will typically cite your work with a link if you can create something they wish to use.

Guest posts

Building backlinks through guest posting is possible as long as the information you write for other websites’ audiences is pertinent to them. Use Ahrefs to assess backlinks and conduct some e-commerce keyword research to identify websites in your niche that are open to guest posting.

Press mentions

Press mentions are another strategy to increase backlinks to your online store. Here’s a quick growth hack that anyone can implement because building a press list or working with a PR agency can be costly.

Get a daily email digest of reporter requests by subscribing to Help a Reporter Out or Help a B2B Writer. Contact the given email address when a lead fits your brand and offer a story. Make sure to request a hyperlink to your website during any interview you receive.