In today’s fast-paced world, where instant gratification is increasingly valued, conducting business online has been a necessity to stay competitive. It offers customers a convenient and instant way to purchase the services and goods they are looking for. However, the more businesses appear online, the harder it can be to stand out in the saturated market.
Regardless of what type of business you run online, whether it be a small boutique or a massive e-commerce marketplace, understanding how to drive and convert new business with SEO is a critical competency to master.
Key SEO Strategies To Drive E-Commerce Traffic
SEO for e-commerce helps optimize the content on your online business website to rank higher in search engine page results. The stronger your SEO efforts, the higher the quantity and quality of your web traffic can be. Some of the most common SEO tactics to implement to help drive this traffic include:
Keyword Research
It’s often said that keyword research is the backbone of all successful SEO strategies. It’s an important step to do upfront, as before you can start optimizing your product pages and blog posts, you need to understand what keywords and phrases your ideal clientele is searching for. You want to start by identifying a mix of high-traffic and long-tail keywords directly relevant to your product or service.
For example, if you are selling eco-friendly skincare products online, you might consider targeting high-traffic keywords like “natural skincare” or “organic face cream.” These are very common phrases in this space that many competitors are likely also targeting. You want to use them to compete, but you also want to include long-tail keywords that are easier to rank for, such as “best vegan moisturizer for sensitive skin or “affordable cruelty-free sunscreen.”
Optimize Product and Service Pages for Maximum Impact
All of your product and service pages need to be intentionally created and designed to ensure that web visitors can access the information they are looking for and comprehend how your offerings can help them. This can be done by ensuring your product and service titles, descriptions, and meta tags with keywords are strategically executed.
For example, a well-optimized product page for a pair of hiking boots could include:
- An informative, keyword-rich product title like “Waterproof Hiking Boots for Men | Best for Outdoor Adventures”
- A detailed description of the boot’s features, benefits, and unique selling points that differentiate it from the competition
- High-quality images with alt text to help with your site’s image search rankings.
- A place for customer reviews to help build trust, including third-party experiences with your brand.
Create a User-Friendly Experience With Quality Site Architecture
How your website is structured directly influences how a search engine will crawl and index your pages. A clean and logical architecture helps search engines scan your website and know when to rank your pages for a user’s Google search.
One of the easiest ways to do this is to rank your products into clear categories and subcategories. For example, if you run a clothing store, one logical step to categorize your product skews is by “Men’s Clothing,” “Women’s Clothing, “Accessories,” etc. You can then add as many subcategories as necessary, like jackets, bags, and shoes.
Optimize Your Website for Mobile Use
With so many consumers using their phones to make purchases these days, having a mobile-friendly website is necessary to capitalize on as much opportunity as you can in the market. It’s important to know that Google conducts “mobile-first indexing,” which means that mobile websites are used as the primary version of a site for web rankings. This means that any site that isn’t mobile-optimized risks losing potential new business.
To ensure a quality mobile experience, create a responsive design that adjusts to different screen sizes. Your website should load quickly, be easy to navigate on the phone, and not have any clickable elements that are too small for mobile use. Reduce the number of steps it takes to complete a purchase as much as possible to prevent customers from dropping off during the purchase cycle.
Leverage Content Marketing for SEO and Engagement
There are many ways in which a solid content marketing plan can help boost your SEO and better engage your audience. Blogging is one of the most effective content strategies, as it’s a proven method to target long-tail keywords and answer common questions that your prospective customers are asking on search engines. It can help to make sure that your company is answering their questions and not your competitors.
Some blog topics to consider if you are running a skincare website include:
- How to Choose the Right Moisturizer for Dry Skin
- Five Benefits of Using Organic Skincare Products
SEO is not a one-time task but rather an ongoing effort that all businesses should consider daily. The more you can optimize and update your website, the better your chances are to maintain and improve your search engine rankings. Contact Imagine Monkey today to get started.
