Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for any ecommerce business looking to drive more traffic, leads, and sales online. As an ecommerce store owner, implementing SEO best practices should be high on your priority list.
Through working with various brands over the years, I’ve seen firsthand how dramatically SEO can impact visibility and bottom-line revenue when done right.
And when done wrong, it can severely limit your growth potential.
That’s why I want to provide some tangible, actionable ecommerce SEO tips you can start implementing right away to take your online store’s success to the next level.
Set Yourself Up for SEO Success
Here are a few overarching ecommerce SEO best practices to nail down first:
- Conduct thorough keyword research to identify high-value search queries aligned with your products. Understand search intent and volume for each keyword using tools like https://keywordtool.io/.
- Optimize product detail pages with keywords naturally incorporated throughout descriptions, titles, images, captions, etc. Craft compelling copies that convert.
- Improve site speed and user experience (UX) through image compression, minimized scripts, and a reliable host. Quick load times and seamless UX are essential.
- Implement schema markup to help search engines better understand your content. For ecommerce, focus on product, review, availability, and FAQ markups.
- Create link-worthy, engaging content like “How to Clean Leather Shoes” for shoe brands to build organic links and provide value.
Granular SEO Tips to Execute
Now let’s get into the actionable SEO items you should tackle for your ecommerce site:
Tweak Product Detail Page Elements
Consider doing the following…
- Add more relevant images – Showcase products from various angles with detailed captions.
- Incorporate video – Include short video overviews to reduce bounce rate.
- Curate customer testimonials – Sprinkling in social proof builds trust.
- Display badges – Calling out awards, certifications etc next to pricing gives customers confidence.
Go Beyond Head Terms with Long-Tail Keywords
Though lower in individual volume, what I’ve seen many successful brands to is…
- Identify multiple long-tail variants around each core term.
- Incorporate long-tail keywords naturally into page titles, meta descriptions, image names, URLs, content etc.
Doing so taps into very specific searches with higher conversion potential.
Develop Linkable, On-Page Content
Creating resources like…
- Step-by-step tutorials
- Ultimate guides
- Size and fit explainers
- Quizzes
- Infographics
Can help not only build links but provide immense value to customers.
Start Implementing Ecommerce SEO Best Practices
As you can see, ecommerce SEO encompasses many moving pieces. While it may seem overwhelming to tackle everything at once, maintaining focus on the most impactful efforts outlined above is key.
I aimed to provide actionable tips for core elements you should optimize right away.
Of course, there are many additional ecommerce SEO tactics to layer on over time. But doing SEO ultimately comes down to understanding customer search behavior and tailoring your site experience to meet those needs.
Now you’re armed with several solid pointers – at least enough to get the wheels spinning.
Just remember: SEO is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. You need to be persistent with it for the long-term to see success. Search algorithms change, but one thing has proven itself – if you consistently create quality content that resonates with your audience, your SEO efforts will pay off.