SEO Practices E-Commerce Businesses Should Adopt in 2018
Like any type of search engine optimization, e-commerce SEO involves a series of techniques designed to increase online visibility. The difference is that e-commerce SEO is centered on organic search results. Specifically, there are three main goals associated with e-commerce optimization: getting more organic traffic to online store product pages, generating organic sales without having to invest in paid ads, and boosting organic brand/product awareness. The San Diego SEO service providers at Saba SEO share some of the best search engine optimization practices for e-commerce businesses in 2018.
Attract Attention with Title Tags
Title tags are the clickable headlines that show up when organic results are displayed on search engine results pages (SERPs). Because title tags are highly visible, you’ll have a better chance of generating clicks back to your site if you optimize your tags with:
• One or two of your primary keywords
• Latent semantic indexing (LSI) keywords, if applicable
• Text limited to 50-60 characters (longer titles are cut off)
• Title tags unique for each product page or category
• A mention of your company’s name at the end to boost brand awareness
Hook Potential Buyers with Meta Description Tags
Meta description tags are positioned just below titles tags on SERPs, and they give you a chance to explain more about your products in a way that’s likely to catch the attention of your target customers. Adding keywords to description tags won’t help you much with SEO, but well-crafted content can give you a decent click-through rate. You can create unique and compelling meta description tags by:
• Using your primary keyword or appropriate keyword variations
• Keeping your descriptions clear, concise, and compelling
• Excluding irrelevant content just to generate clicks (click bait)
Optimize Your URLs
One of the most overlooked e-commerce SEO tactics is to add some SEO power to URLs. Optimizing your URLs also provides another opportunity for searchers to get exposed to your business. To make your URLs SEO-friendly, you may have to:
• Include your main keyword
• Optimize URLs that show the entire address (absolute URLs)
• Be consistent with your URL format for the different pages of your online store
• Keep URLs short and direct
Provide Useful Information in Your Product & Category Pages
You’ve only achieved half of your SEO goals if you’ve managed to effectively direct traffic to your product or category pages. The content on these pages encourages conversions and sales. For optimization purpose, include the same primary keywords or variations you used in your tags and URLs.
When it comes to content, your objective should be to provide sufficient information without overwhelming your visitors. Set up a product page with truncated descriptions that only expand to provide more text when a visitor clicks a specific product.
Embrace Rich Snippets
A rich snippet is structured data markup that enhances existing HTML. For e-commerce SEO, rich snippets include details such as product info, review ratings, pricing, relevant keywords, and images. You can also reference things like availability (e.g. “limited offer”) to further generate interest.
Use Redirects for Expired Product Pages
Product pages can expire for many reasons. For instance, a limited-edition product may no longer be available. However, removing such pages won’t stop them from being linked to another site or showing up on SERPs. Use 301 redirects to take searchers from expired product pages to active ones.
Choose the Right Platform for Your Business
When choosing your e-commerce platform, there are many possibilities. For instance, you could partner with a marketing firm to create an e-commerce site. Another option is to use one of the many e-commerce platforms available for this purpose, like Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, or the WordPress plugin WooCommerce. Yet another possibility is to sell your products directly via Amazon, which is the world’s largest e-commerce company.
Lastly, determine how well your e-commerce site is optimized for conversions. Take a look at your customer feedback to see why some customers weren’t satisfied with your website. For instance, you might discover visitors are having difficulty with your site’s navigation, or you may not be making shipping costs clear enough. Remember, you’re more likely to get a steady flow of conversions if you’re consistently creating a good user experience.
If you’re managing an e-commerce platform and you need help with any aspect of search engine optimization, turn to Saba SEO. We are the leading San Diego SEO agency. For over ten years, our team has designed focused and results-oriented SEO strategies for businesses all over the globe. With our help, you can boost your search engine ranking, increase your online revenue, and build a strong brand image. To talk to one of our professional SEO Managers, give us a call at 858-277-1717 today.