The good news about developing an eCommerce SEO strategy is that it’s something you can probably do yourself. After the initial time investment involved in getting the strategy in place, you can sit back and enjoy the far-reaching benefits for your business. Here’s how to develop an eCommerce strategy for your business:
Keyword research
Keywords are the words and phrases that people plug into search engines when they are trying to find information about products or services. Keyword research is the process of determining which of these words and phrases your target audience is typing when searching for the products or services you sell. For example, if your eCommerce store sells organic dog treats, your target audience might be searching for “best organic dog treats” or “high quality organic dog treats.”
Here are three steps to conducting effective keyword research:
Make a list of keywords
You can start your keyword research by simply making a list of keywords and phrases that best describe what you sell. Next, make another list that includes keywords and phrases that your target customers might be entering into a search engine.
Find the best options
Once you have your keyword lists, you’ll want to determine which are the best and most popular choices on those lists. You can simply type words into a search engine and see what comes up, or use the help of a keyword research tool. Google offers one Keyword Plannerwhich is free but requires you to create an account.
Consider your competitors’ keywords
Chances are, your competitors are also working on their eCommerce SEO strategy, and since you’re all fighting for the same audience, using the same or very similar keywords makes sense. Look for the top keywords you’ve created and see which websites appear at the top. Note what terms they use and make sure to incorporate some of the same keywords into your site.
Site development
Search engines like Google know which websites provide the best user experiences and these are the results people see at the top of the SERPs. Creating a well-developed e-commerce website is an important part of creating these top user experiences, which leads to more traffic and therefore more customers.
All well-developed sites contain these 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 a logical navigation pattern, provide the information they need, and feel welcoming.
Optimized for mobile: The vast majority of your target audience will do at least some of their browsing from a mobile device. As such, your interface must adapt perfectly to all different 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 is a vital part of your website development. You’ll want to have antivirus and anti-malware software in place, as well as programs that authenticate and encrypt links.
Fast loading pages: People are impatient, and this is especially true when it comes to waiting for websites to load. Having a fast loading website helps with Google algorithm rankings and improves SERP ranking.
On-page SEO
On-page SEO is the process of optimizing your website pages so that they rank well in the SERPs. Search engines quickly interpret the content of web pages to ensure that the matches they provide match what the user is looking for. Also known as on-site SEO, the goal of this technique is to help both search engines and potential customers identify the pages that are most relevant, as well as help them understand what a web page is about.
Here are the elements your on-page SEO should focus on:
Keywords
Do you remember all the steps you took for keyword research? This is where you will implement the results. Once you’ve determined the best keywords and phrases to use for your niche, start adding them strategically to relevant pages on your website.
HTML components
HyperText Markup Language (HTML) defines the meaning and structure of web content. Target words and phrases used in your page titles, meta descriptions, page headers, and page URLs help users find what they’re looking for more easily.
Visual content
Images and graphics are an important part of most websites as they provide visual appeal and help break up blocks of text. Consumers gravitate towards content designed to be scanned and are more likely to engage with brands they find visually appealing.
Architecture of the site
Site architecture refers to the elements that make up the design and organization of a website. It is the structure of product pages, category pages and links. Your home page is the most authoritative page on your site, and no page should be more than three clicks away from any other page.
Link building
Google ranks websites based on their content and links. Building high-quality links is important to an eCommerce SEO strategy because it establishes authority, which in turn helps increase your SERP ranking.
Here are some of the best ways to build links to your website:
Research your audience’s interests
Once you know who your target audience is, it’s time to find out where they like to get their information and who they consider to be trusted experts. Find the websites they frequent and add the appropriate links from those sources. The key is to use these links carefully, in a way designed to actually help your potential customers learn more about you.
Create great content
Creating quality content comes with a myriad of benefits, one of which is the opportunity for other websites to link to what you’ve created. Understanding your target audience and publishing blog posts or infographics that talk about their pain points or answer common questions is a great way to build trust and demonstrate your knowledge.
Make connections
Once you’ve figured out where your audience spends their time and created your own solid content, it’s time to connect with these other businesses. Short, polite notes via email or social media are a great way to break the ice. Approach them about the content you have available and politely ask if they’d be willing to share it.
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