fb
  • Home
  • /
  • Blog
  • /
  • SEO For eCommerce: Getting Organic Traffic To Your Store

by Mike Vestil 

SEO For eCommerce: Getting Organic Traffic To Your Store

Building an eCommerce brand is challenging. But with a well-executed SEO strategy, your eCommerce site can reach the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs) and drive more qualified traffic to your storefront.

SEO is one of the most effective digital marketing techniques for eCommerce brands. When done correctly, it can help you improve your site's visibility, organic search traffic, and even conversions.

seo for ecommerce

Image Credit: http://vintank.com

But with so much information available online, it can be challenging to know where to start when it comes to SEO for eCommerce. In this article, we'll walk you through the basics of SEO for eCommerce sites and provide some tips on how you can improve your strategy.

Let's dive deep into this topic.

On Page-SEO

This is the first aspect you need to consider when setting up your SEO for an eCommerce site.

Let’s review the various aspects involved.

Start With Doing Keyword Research Right

When it comes to the starting point of your eCommerce SEO strategy, keyword research is critical. However, it has to be done right, as many eCommerce brands make the mistake of targeting the wrong keywords.

One way to avoid this is by using a tool like Ahrefs. This tool will help you find keywords relevant to the products you want to sell on Amazon and that they have a high search volume.

It would help if you also ensured that the keywords you target are relevant to your products and services. 

Once you have targeted a few good keywords, it's time to optimize your site for them.

Understanding the user intent behind your target keywords is essential for creating effective SEO content. You can create content that better aligns with what users are looking for when you know the intent.

For example, if your target keyword is "running shoes," you would want to create content that is relevant to the user intent behind that keyword. This could include topics like "the best running shoes for beginners," "how to choose the right running shoes," or "the benefits of running shoes."

Creating content around these topics will help you attract more traffic from people looking for information on running shoes. And since they are relevant to your business, this traffic is likely to convert into customers.

You can use other tools such as SEMrush, KeywordTool.io and Moz Keyword Explorer to identify additional relevant keywords that you can target.

You can also use Amazon to further research the keywords that your target customers are using. Amazon's algorithm considers a variety of factors when ranking products, including keyword relevance. So, by looking at the keywords used to rank your competitors' products on Amazon, you can get a good idea of the keywords you should be targeting.

You can also look at reviews on Amazon to help build up the list of keywords for your eCommerce SEO. These reviews will often contain long-tail keywords you may not have considered targeting and might help you when it comes to getting your product on the first page of Amazon.

Implement On-Page SEO For Ecommerce Product Pages

On-page SEO can be defined as the practice of optimizing individual web pages to rank higher and earn more organic traffic in search engines. On-page SEO is essential for ranking your product pages when it comes to eCommerce.

You can do several things to optimize your product pages for SEO. But some of the most important aspects include:

  • Title tags and meta descriptions
  • Header tags (H1, H2, etc.)
  • Images and alt text

Let's take a look at each of these in more detail.

Title Tags And Meta Descriptions

The title tag and meta description are two of the most important on-page SEO elements for eCommerce sites. The title tag is the text that appears as the headline in the search engine results pages, while the meta description is the text that appears under the title tag.

These elements are essential for SEO because they help tell search engines what your page is about. If they are optimized correctly, they can also help improve your click-through rate (CTR).

The title tag and meta description should be keyword-rich and relevant to the page content. They should also be brief and to-the-point, as users will only see a limited amount of text in the search engine results pages.

Title Tags And Meta Descriptions

Image Credit: http://mangools.com

Here's an example of a good title tag and meta description:

  • Title Tag: The Best Running Shoes for Your Next Marathon
  • Meta Description: Looking for the best running shoes for your next marathon? Look no further than our list of marathon runners' top 10 running shoes.

As you can see, the title tag and meta description are both relevant to the page content and include a few target keywords.

Header Tags

Header tags are another important on-page SEO element for eCommerce sites. Header tags (H1, H2, etc.) help define the structure of your content and indicate to search engines which features are most important. They also help improve your website's readability for users.

The H1 tag is the most important header tag, as it is the title of your page. It is generally good to include your target keyword in the H1 tag. The other header tags (H2, H3, etc.) can also have your target keywords, but you don't need to include them in every tag.

Images And Alt Text

When it comes to SEO, images are often forgotten, but they can be a powerful tool for improving your website's SEO. One of the most critical aspects of image SEO is using accurate alt text.

Alt-text is the text that appears when your webpage can't load an image (as well as can help visually impaired people understand what an image is all about). Search engines still rely (to a certain extent) on alt text to understand what the image is about. This means that it's essential to use accurate and relevant text for all of your pictures.

Make Sure Your Site Is User Friendly

Having a layout that is easy to navigate is also essential for SEO. If your website is challenging to go through, users will be more likely to leave your site and go to a competitor's site. This is known as bouncing (hence the term bounce rate), which can hurt your site’s SEO.

An excellent way to keep your website layout user-friendly is to use menus that are easy to navigate. Make sure all of your links are easy to find and avoid using too many pop-ups and ads.

Another thing to keep in mind is that users scan websites rather than read them word-for-word. So, it's essential to use heading tags and layout your content in a way that will catch their attention.

Furthermore, having the right category pages on your website will help both your eCommerce keyword research (since you can cluster keywords together) and how easily your visitors can find what they're looking for.

Landing on the right category page will show users a list of products relevant to their search, rather than just the homepage, which could have a mix of products and services.

Don't Forget About Long-Tail Keywords

Having the right mix of short-tail and long-tail keywords is essential for SEO. Short-tail keywords are general terms used to describe a product or service. Long-tail keywords, on the other hand, are more specific and targeted.

Long-tail keywords are a great way to improve your website's SEO because they are less competitive and easier to rank for. And since users are more likely to use long-tail keywords when searching for something specific they want to buy, it's essential to include them in your content.

Generating long-tail keyword ideas can be difficult, but there are a few ways to do it. You can use Google's Keyword Planner tool as a guide to help you come up with ideas. Even though it’s not created for SEO, you can still generate some interesting angles related to the product you’re selling. You can also use any of the tools mentioned above.

Google Autocomplete

Google Autocomplete can help you to find all the long-tail keywords you desire. To use it, start typing in your target keyword in Google, and Google will show you a list of related keywords that people have searched for. These are all potential long-tail keywords that you can add to your content.

Google Autocomplete

Image Credit: http://blog.google

Use A Simple Url Structure

An excellent way to keep your URL structure simple is to use descriptive keywords in your URLs. This will help users understand what the page is about, and it will also help improve your website's ranking in search engines.

The opposite of a simple URL structure is a long URL. A lengthy URL is difficult to remember and often contains irrelevant information. Long URLs are also difficult to type in, especially on mobile devices.

If you want to improve your website's SEO, it's essential to use a simple URL structure. This will make it easier for users to find your pages and search engines to index them.

The Importance Of Schema Markups

This is something that not many eCommerce website owners know about and use. Schema markups are codes that you can add to your website to help search engines understand what your content is all about.

Schema markups are essential because they provide search engines with more information about your website, helping their algorithms rank your site and its content. This can help improve your website's ranking in search engine results pages (SERPS).

You can use schema markups (or structured data as it’s sometimes called) to describe a wide variety of things, including products, events, reviews, and recipes. There are several different schemas that you can use, so it's essential to find the relevant ones for your website.

Adding schema markups to your website is a great way to improve your SEO. 

Technical SEO

Technical SEO refers to the practice of optimizing your website's technical infrastructure to improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results pages. Let’s have a look at how this can help.

Run A Crawl And Analyze The Report

You can do several things to improve your website's technical SEO. One of the most important is to run a crawl of your website (many keyword research tools have this functionality) and analyze the report. This will help you identify any potential problems with your website's infrastructure that could be affecting its SEO.

The report will show you a list of errors and warnings as well as information about how well your website is performing from an SEO standpoint. It will also show you which pages are getting the most traffic and ranking highest in search engines.

If you want to improve your website's SEO, it's essential to regularly rerun and review your crawl report and address any issues it identifies. This will help improve your website's visibility and ranking in search engine results pages.

Acting On The Results Of A Crawl

You can do several things to optimize your website for technical SEO. Some of the most important things include:

  • Ensuring that your website is fast and responsive
  • Creating a sitemap and submitting it to Google
  • Setting up 301 redirects
  • Optimizing images
  • Ensure there are no duplicate pages
  • Ensure there are no broken links

Let's have a look at each of these.

Ensuring That Your Website Is Fast And Responsive

One of the essential aspects of technical SEO is ensuring that your website is quick and responsive. A slow website can frustrate users and cause them to leave your site. This can also hurt your website's ranking in search engines, especially after the Core Web Vitals update.

There are several things you can do to make your website faster and more responsive. If you want to improve the speed and responsiveness of your website, it's essential to optimize its technical infrastructure. This includes optimizing your images, minimizing JavaScript and CSS, and using a caching plugin. It would help if you also considered using a CDN to improve your website's performance.

Creating A Sitemap And Submitting It To Google

A sitemap is a file that contains a list of all the pages on your website. Search engines can use this file to better understand your website's structure and content.

Creating A Sitemap And Submitting It To Google

Image Credit: http://reliablesoft.net

It's a good idea to create a sitemap for your website and ensure that this is updated automatically when you release new content. This will help Google index your website's pages, which can help improve your website's ranking.

You can create a sitemap using various tools, including XML Sitemaps and Yoast SEO. Once you have completed your sitemap, you should submit it in your Google Search Console.

Setting Up 301 Redirects

301 redirects tell search engines that a page has been permanently moved to a new location. This can help prevent 404 errors (page not found) and improve your website's ranking in search engine results pages.

You can set up 301 redirects by editing your website's .htaccess file or through various plugins on your website.

Optimizing Images

Another important aspect of technical SEO is optimizing your images. This includes optimizing their size and adding relevant keywords and descriptions.

While you can do this manually, there are various tools you can use to get this done. The tool you use will compress your images and remove any unnecessary data, which will make them smaller and faster to load. You can also add keywords and descriptions to your photos by using the "alt" attribute as we saw before. This will help Google understand the content of your images, which can help improve your website's ranking in search engine results pages.

Ensuring There Are No Duplicate Pages

Duplicate pages can hurt your website's ranking in search engines. Duplicate pages can confuse search engines, and they may not determine which page is the most relevant for a particular query.

You can avoid duplicate pages by using canonical tags. These tags tell search engines which page is the original version of a particular page.

Ensuring There Are No Broken Links

Broken links can also hurt your eCommerce website's ranking in search engines. Broken links can cause users to leave your website, and search engines may interpret this as a sign that your website is unreliable.

You can avoid broken links by googling the term “Broken Link Checker.” Such a tool will scan your website for broken links and help you fix them. You can also use a plugin like Ahrefs or Yoast SEO to check for broken links and fix them automatically.

Technical SEO is an integral part of any successful SEO strategy. It involves optimizing your website's technical infrastructure to improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results pages.

Review Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a crucial tool when it comes to SEO for eCommerce. By using Search Console, you can see how your website is performing in search engine results pages and identify any potential issues affecting your SEO.

You can use Search Console to do the following:

  • View your website's search traffic and performance
  • Identify errors that may be affecting your website's visibility and ranking
  • See which keywords your website is ranking for
  • View your website's backlinks and anchor text
  • Monitor your website's crawl status and crawl errors
  • Submit a sitemap for your website

If you're not already using Google Search Console, I highly recommend signing up for it. It's a free powerful tool that can help you improve your website's SEO.

Off-page SEO

Let's now speak about off-page SEO. This can be defined as the measures you take outside of your website to improve your site's ranking.

Analyze Your Backlink Profile

An important part of off-page SEO is your backlink profile. This is a list of all the websites linking to your website. By analyzing your backlink profile, you can identify any potential issues affecting your SEO.

Analyze Your Backlink Profile

Image Credit: http://unamo.com

You can use a tool like Majestic to analyze your backlink profile. This tool will show you the number of links pointing to your website, as well as the quality and authority of those links. You can also use it to find potential link partners and improve your website's ranking in search engine results pages.

Link Building For eCommerce

Link building is one of the most important aspects of off-page SEO. By building links to your website, you can improve your site's ranking in search engine results pages and increase traffic to your site.

There are several different link-building strategies that you can use to improve your website's ranking. Some of the most popular strategies include:

  • Guest blogging
  • Article marketing
  • Link directories
  • Web 2.0 sites

Each of these strategies has its own advantages and disadvantages, so you need to choose the ones that will work best for your website. It would help if you also made sure that you only built high-quality links, as low-quality links can hurt your website's ranking.

Let's go into more detail about the top two ways to build backlinks to your website.

Guest Posting

This is one of the best ways to build links to your website. By writing guest posts for high-quality eCommerce websites, you can improve your website's ranking and increase traffic to your site.

The key to successful guest posting is finding high-quality websites relevant to your niche. It would help if you also ensured that the website is reputable and has a high Domain Authority.

Also, remember that asking for guest posts is all about offering value. You need to provide high-quality content relevant to the website's audience. The website owner will be more likely to publish your post if you can do that.

Article Marketing

Article marketing is another excellent way to build links to your website. By submitting articles to article directories, you can increase traffic to your site and improve your website's ranking in search engine results pages. 

Just ensure that the article directories are somewhat related to your niche and provide value as a whole to their reader base.

Stealing' The Links Of Competitors

A great way to get high-quality links is to 'steal' your competitors' links. This is a process where you find the websites linking back to your competitor's website and ask them to link to your website instead.

The key to successful “link stealing” is identifying the right websites to contact. You need to find websites relevant to your niche and have a high Domain Authority and provide them with a compelling reason to link to your website.

If you can do that, you will be able to get high-quality links from some of the best websites in your industry. This also means that you’ll be able to profit from your competitors’ work, only having to see the sites that are linking to them (rather than finding such sites from scratch). 

This will improve your website's ranking and increase traffic to your site.

Use Google Analytics Data

While SEO is usually associated with Google Search Console, taking the data from Google Analytics and analyzing it can be insightful for eCommerce sites.

By looking at the Acquisition > Channels report and sorting it by Goal Conversion Rate, you can see which channels are most effective at driving conversions. If you have a low conversion rate from a particular channel, that indicates that your site is not optimized for that channel. You can then use that information to improve your site's SEO for that specific channel.
Use Google Analytics Data

Image Credit: http://neilpatel.com

Similarly, by looking at the Behavior > Site Content > All Pages report, you can see which pages on your site are receiving the most traffic. This can help you identify which pages are performing well and should be optimized for SEO.

Conclusion

SEO for eCommerce is a complex process, but you can improve your website's ranking and visibility in search engine results pages by following these tips. Implementing an effective SEO strategy can help you boost your sales and increase your ROI - whether you are doing eBay SEO or simply looking to start a blog and make money through eCommerce product recommendations.

Remember that it takes time and effort to see results when it comes to SEO for eCommerce. You need to be patient and keep working on your SEO strategy until you start seeing organic traffic coming to your site due to your hard work.

Learn how to make passive income online

I've put together a free training on *How We Used The Brand New "Silver Lining Method" To Make $3k-$10k/mo (profit) With Just A Smart Phone In As Little As 8 Weeks

About the author 

Mike Vestil

Mike Vestil is an author, investor, and speaker known for building a business from zero to $1.5 million in 12 months while traveling the world.

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}
>