It can be difficult to imagine what the world would look like without the internet. It is so intertwined with all of our lives that it connects to everything we do. The shopping industry has been completely revolutionised by this technology, and even though it is now integral to how commerce is conducted, not every company understands how to make their site work for their business. The term “eCommerce” immediately brings to mind sites like
Amazon and Wal-Mart. How many products these sites manage to ship out each year is incredible, and it may make you wonder how your business can replicate their success, even in a small way.
Now many different factors contribute to the success of an
eCommerce website, but all that success relies on making sure you are selling your product. You may be able to bring traffic to your site, but if you aren’t getting those visitors to become customers, then you are not doing your job as effectively as you could. Here is how to make your online business more profitable and successful.
SEO plays a key role in your online business’ success. Your SEO needs to be geared to ensuring that customers are constantly pouring into your site and that they are making purchases. Ecommerce marketing and SEO strategies work much the same as they would for other kinds of websites, but
lead generation needs to be thought of in a different way.
Using Keywords
The role of keywords in SEO is always changing. People using search engines online use specific keywords most of the time. If you want to attract the right kind of people to your site (those who are going to become customers) then you need to research the keywords to use. Find out which keywords translate to the most sales for sites like yours. If you aren’t using keywords correctly, then your keyword use could actually hurt your site. With your eCommerce site, you have to make many different aspects of keywords into consideration. You might be tempted to go for the generic keywords with the high search volume, but that may not connect the visitors with the pages they are actually looking for. Consider using long-tail keywords as well as branded ones. That way you can attract people who are actually looking for what the page contains. You should also be careful about reusing keywords for different pages. Many eCommerce sites make this mistake, and it can cause them to lose out on revenue and customers. Keep in mind that your products and what you offer may evolve over time, and your keywords should be changing to keep up with that evolution. Make sure your customers aren’t ending up on a page that is no longer relevant to the search terms that are tied to that page. This can give your website the air of irrelevance.
Make Content Unique
Another key aspect of SEO for any site is to make content that is unique. Your site can achieve higher search engine rankings if you have unique,
high-quality content. This is just as true for eCommerce sites as it is for any other site. But you should be implementing this differently than conventional websites.
You don’t want to just post the manufacturer’s content under your product descriptions. This is not going to make your site stand out at all. Each of your products has a role when you sell it online. Each one has the potential to bring in customers, but only if you optimise that content and ensure it is unique. Search engines can penalise you for copying content, even if it is product descriptions. You can even be penalised for duplicating the same content within your site. You want to try to make all of your content as unique as possible while still ensuring that it is of good quality and that it addresses customer needs. Product descriptions are content just like everything else on your pages, and you want to put as much effort into them as you do all other aspects of your site. It may take a lot of work to create unique and engaging product descriptions for all the products you offer, but it is definitely worth it to maximise each product and each page’s potential.
URL Usage
URLs need to be optimised for search engines and easy for customers to use. If your URL looks suspicious, customers may not click on it. Speaking URLs are a vital part of ensuring your eCommerce sites’ success. What is meant by speaking URLs is that your product’s name is part of the UR. This takes a little extra work to pull off, but it makes your page seem trustworthy and relevant to consumers searching for what you are selling. With this tool, your customers know what the link will take them to because it is there in the URL. You can put keywords in the URL too if you like. It may not have the same importance in search engine rankings as it once did, but it can help you a little bit. Making your URL stand apart and not embedding it in the text helps your customers to see what is contained in the URL. This means they don’t have to be suspicious about what they are clicking on.
Making the Most of SEO
Your SEO strategy may vary from other sites, and you may be just as successful, but the guidelines detailed above apply to all eCommerce sites, and you can integrate them into your current strategy to help ensure your site’s success. These are universal guidelines, and any eCommerce site can benefit from them. Of course, you will want to modify and personalise these points to make them work with your company, your site and the products you are offering. Using SEO properly can create a huge boost to your return on investment and ensure a steady stream of visitors and revenue for your site.
