The good news about developing an e-commerce SEO strategy is that there's a good chance you can do it yourself. Once you have made the initial investment of implementing a strategy, you can sit back and enjoy the wide-ranging benefits for your business. Here's how to develop an e-commerce strategy for your business.
keyword research
Keywords are words or phrases that people connect to search engines when searching for information about a product or service. Keyword research is the process of determining what words and phrases your target audience is typing when searching for the products or services you sell. For example, if your e-commerce store sells organic dog treats, your target audience might search for “best organic dog treats” or “high quality organic dog treats.”
Here are three steps to performing effective keyword research:
Create a list of keywords
Start your keyword research by simply creating a list of keywords and phrases that best describe the products you sell. Next, create another list containing keywords and phrases that your target customers might type into a search engine.
Find the best option
Once you have a list of keywords, it's time to determine the best and most popular options from that list. You can simply type the words into a search engine and see what comes up, or you can use a keyword research tool. Google offers a keyword planner. It's free, but you need to create an account.
Pay attention to your competitors' keywords
It makes sense to use the same or very similar keywords since your competitors are likely also working on e-commerce SEO strategies and are all fighting for the same users. Search Google for the top keywords you came up with and see which of his websites come up at the top. Pay attention to what terms are used and try to incorporate the same keywords into your site.
site development
Search engines like Google know which websites provide the best user experience and display those results higher in the SERPs. Building a well-developed e-commerce website is an important part of creating the best user experience, leading to more traffic and, in turn, more customers.
All well-developed sites include the following components:
- User-friendly interface: This is a fancy way of saying that your website is easy to navigate. Customers want the e-commerce sites they visit to follow logical browsing patterns, provide the information they need, and feel engaging.
- Optimized for mobile: The overwhelming majority of your target users will be doing at least some of their browsing from a mobile device. Therefore, the interface must adapt seamlessly to all types of screens and browsers.
- Strong security: Consumers want to know that their information is safe when shopping online, so having a strong security system in place is an important part of website development. In addition to programs to authenticate and encrypt links, you should also install antivirus and antimalware software.
- Fast loading pages: People are not patient. This is especially true if you wait for the website to load. When your website loads quickly, it ranks better in the Google algorithm and improves your SERP rankings.
On-page SEO
On-page SEO is the process of optimizing your website's pages to rank higher in the SERPs. Search engines quickly interpret the content of a web page to ensure that the matches provided match what the user is looking for. The purpose of this technique, also known as on-site SEO, is to help both search engines and potential customers identify the most relevant pages and help them understand what your web pages are about.
Here are the elements to focus on for on-page SEO:
keyword
Remember all the steps you took for your keyword research? Now it's time to implement your results. Once you've determined the best keywords and phrases to use for your niche, start strategically adding them to relevant pages on your website.
HTML component
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) defines the meaning and structure of web content. Targeted words and phrases used in page titles, meta descriptions, headers, and page URLs can help users more easily find what they're looking for.
visual content
Images and graphics are an important part of most websites because they provide visual appeal and help break up blocks of text. Consumers are drawn to content that is designed to be scanned and are more likely to engage with brands that they find visually appealing.
Site architecture
Site architecture refers to the elements that make up the layout and organization of a website. This is the structure of product pages, category pages, and links. The home page serves as the most authoritative page on your site, and no page should be clicked more than three times from any other page.
link building
Google ranks websites based on content and links. Building high-quality links is important for your eCommerce SEO strategy because it helps establish authority and improve your SERP rankings as a result.
Here are some of the best ways to build links on your website.
Research your audience's interests
Once you know who your target audience is, it's time to figure out where they want their information to come from and who they consider to be trusted experts. Find out the websites they frequently visit and add appropriate links from those sources. The key is to use these links sparingly in ways designed to help potential customers learn more.
create great content
Creating high-quality content has countless benefits. One of them is the opportunity for other websites to link to the content you create. Understanding your target audience and publishing blog posts or infographics that address their pain points or answer frequently asked questions is a great way to build trust and demonstrate your knowledge.
make connections
Once you understand where your audience spends their time and create solid content of your own, it's time to collaborate with other businesses. Writing short, polite notes via email or social media is a good way to break the ice. Approach them with available content and politely ask if you can share it.
