The competition between eCommerce websites is tougher compared to the competition between other websites.
Attracting visitors and raising awareness is not enough. You actually have to drive sales. This amplifies the need for search engine optimization, or simply SEO.
This article explores the role of SEO in eCommerce. Beyond learning about its importance, you will also learn some effective strategies you can use to drive organic traffic and sales.
How big is the role of SEO in eCommerce websites?
People use the internet to look for products that they need. It is more convenient than driving around the city looking for shops. The problem with that is it also makes it easier for a person to find your competitors’ shops.
Considering human behavior, they will click on the website that is at the top of the results pages. If they can’t find what they need there, they will go to the next website.
But what if they find what they need on the first eCommerce website, and it is not yours? It increases the chances of you losing potential sales. The only things that can save you at this point are the product price and product reviews. But you should not rely on that.
Those customers may also become returning visitors to that website. They may also tell their friends and family about it. In turn, that will boost your competitor’s reputation.
What’s the lesson here? You should aim to make your website the top eCommerce website in your niche. By doing so, you can enjoy all the benefits mentioned above. Your website’s reputation will improve, and you will see an increase in organic traffic and sales.
SEO in eCommerce ensures that all website elements are optimized so search engines will recommend your website to people.
1. Effective SEO strategies
This section will help you reach the top spot in search engine results pages, commonly referred to as SERPs.
Each item on the list will increase the chances of search engines recommending your page to people. Then, once your website is more optimized than your competitors, it will outrank them in the SERPs.
Here are some tips for effective SEO strategies. What we will include here are simple things that you can do yourself. Please note that besides these, there are other factors that you need to optimize. They may require more knowledge about SEO in eCommerce. That’s why you may want consider hiring a digital marketing agency to ensure things will be done properly.
2. Make intuitive interfaces
Make your website easy to navigate. You should be mindful of button placements, website structure, and accessibility. Use attractive colors and easy-to-read fonts. If you aren’t comfortable with your web design capabilities, you can use website templates. They have things figured out for you. You just have to edit them a little to personalize them.
User experience (UX) is a ranking factor. Therefore, by ensuring your website is user-friendly, you can improve your ranking. This is one of the foundational principles of SEO in eCommerce.
3. Improve website speed
Website speed is a make-or-break factor. Your eCommerce website should finish loading in three seconds. Otherwise, your visitors will leave quickly, which will hurt your ranking.
Here are some simple things that can help you improve your website speed:
- Choose only from the best web hosting services.
- Reduce the number of images in pages and compress the remaining ones.
- Remove plugins that are no longer useful.
Fast-loading websites are critical for successful SEO in eCommerce, as search engines prioritize speed when determining rankings.
4. Build backlinks
You need to build a good reputation for your eCommerce website to make people visit it. One fantastic way to do it is through backlinks building.
Picture a person reading an educational article on a reliable website. Within the article, they found a link to one of your products. Because the website where they come from has a good reputation, the user will trust your store. That will make them more likely to purchase.
On top of that, it will improve your website’s ranking. Search engines see backlinks as votes of confidence.
5. Create high-quality content
At the heart of an effective SEO campaign is keyword research. It allows you to find the terms users input into search bars to find products. By identifying the right primary keywords, you can increase your online visibility.
The thing is that you can’t just select any keyword to use as the primary keyword. Some keywords are not as effective as others. Then, some keywords are being targeted by so many websites. If you use that, reaching page one will not be easy. Keyword research allows you to find the keyword that generates a lot of traffic but does not have tight competition.
So, how to use those keywords? You create high-quality, highly educational content around them. You can add them to blog posts, case studies, and even to alt text for images.
Quality content is a cornerstone of SEO in eCommerce because it helps attract organic traffic and keeps users engaged.
Conclusion
SEO plays a big role in eCommerce. It increases the likelihood of users clicking on your website first. The increase in organic traffic will lead to an increase in sales.
The best thing is that SEO in eCommerce is a cost-effective marketing strategy. You pay for some factors or services once, and then they’ll help drive traffic to your website for as long as it is up.
