Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of helping search engines find your content online and present it to the right consumers in their search engine results. SEO applies to most online content, and it can be slightly different in each scenario. Case in point: ecommerce SEO.
Ecommerce SEO uses many similar SEO elements, like keywords and linking. However, user intent plays a large role. While ecommerce SEO should still encompass the entire funnel and target top and middle of the funnel terms, it often narrows in on the consumers who are already considering making a purchase at the bottom of the funnel.
This isn’t easy, as you’re engaging with Individuals further down the sales funnel. Competition over product pages is also fierce, and your digital marketing must remain in lock-step with things like processing and inventory capabilities.
Ecommerce SEO requires special attention to work well. It must effectively present products and their details through good site structure, on-site content, and back-end information. If you want to integrate SEO into your ecommerce digital marketing, here are five ecommerce SEO tips to help you do so.
Technical SEO is a critical first step for effective commerce SEO. There is a distinct difference between technical SEO and other forms of SEO. Technical SEO refers to optimizing your content on the back end. These are things like a meta description, title tags, site speed, and even site structure.
Technical SEO considers the user experience from a unique angle. In the context of ecommerce, it provides specific pieces of information that can help you not just rank in search engine results but put your best foot forward.
Simply showing up in search results can help with traffic and search volume, but when you’re selling a product, you want search engines to be able to provide more than a blue link to click on. Structured data is an effective way to maximize Google Search. Structured data includes things like:
With ecommerce, you also want to help search engines display rich search results. These are SERP results that flesh out text results with things like images, carousels, and videos. You can test your current pages to see if they support rich results using this tool.
Good SEO is always backed by a strategy. This gives it consistency and direction to help support your goals. For a ecommerce SEO strategy, there are a few key areas to focus on:
Once you have your strategy in place, make sure you have analytics and SEO tools set up to help you track effectiveness and make needed adjustments over time. Google Search Console shows you search-result-focused data, while Google Analytics sheds light on user behavior. Get both SEO tools set up and check them regularly!
SEO factors into the content that you put on and around your ecommerce site pages. (Usually, this is your company blog or resources section.) The key here is to create helpful content that prioritizes readers first and search engines second. Since Google’s Helpful Content Update, its E-E-A-T content (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) standards have become critical to SEO success.
Demonstrate authority, credibility, and knowledge throughout your ecommerce site’s content. Make sure everything remains topically relevant to your main service areas, too. Google’s document leak in early 2024 revealed that site-wide topical relevance is important for being seen in SERPs.
As a final note on content, make sure you are using your non-ecommerce content to address all of your top, middle, and bottom funnel keywords. This gives you a more comprehensive content library, all of which should link together and connect to your bottom-of-funnel, rich ecommerce content.
SEO takes place off of your ecommerce website, as well. Backlinks, for instance, are a major factor that can boost your site’s credibility. These signal to search engines you have authoritative, helpful content.
Digital PR is another component of a good backlink strategy. As you seek opportunities to have third-party sites link to your content, make sure to spread some of the benefits to your ecommerce pages, too.
Linking aside, brand mentions in online publications are also a big deal. They signal to search engines that you are genuinely impacting your target market and industry for the better, and you have the social proof to back it up.
Even social media can help with offsite SEO. By posting on social outlets, you can increase brand awareness, grow organic traffic, and gain backlinks. When you share category and product pages, this can impact ecommerce SEO, in particular.
SEO is a major factor in a good growth marketing strategy. It can improve your rankings, drive traffic to bottom-of-funnel content, and boost sales.
As you implement SEO solutions for your ecommerce website, make sure to track your analytics. Watch your conversion rate, in particular, to ensure that your SEO efforts are positively impacting ROI.
If you aren’t seeing the results you want from your SEO efforts (or you’re struggling to get started with ecommerce SEO in the first place), we can provide a free strategy session to help your company get organized, efficient, and profitable through its online sales channels. Let’s talk!
