Are Rankings Important for Your Business Website?
When it comes to an eCommerce store, rankings and conversion rates are crucial factors that directly impact its success. Since an eCommerce store operates online, it relies heavily on attracting attention from internet users.
Given that the store exists solely on the web, it is essential to optimize it for search engines. This optimization ensures that search engines view your store favorably and direct targeted visitors to your site. As a business, your primary focus should be on conversion rates.
eCommerce SEO: The Significance of Rankings
In today's competitive landscape, it is vital for your website to appear on the first page of search results, ideally in one of the top three organic positions, in order to capture users' attention. A research study by Optify, shared by Search Engine Watch, revealed the following:
- Websites that appear on the first page of Google, especially in the top three positions, receive 58.4% of all clicks from users.
- The website ranked number one experiences an average click-through rate (CTR) of 36.4%, while number two has a CTR of 12.5%, and number three has a CTR of 9.5%.
- Securing the number one spot on Google is equivalent to receiving all the traffic that goes to the site ranking in the second through fifth positions.
In other words, if you fail to optimize your web store for search engines, you will miss out on significant sales and click opportunities. Another study by Gabe Donnini highlighted that the first 10 search results on Google's pages perform significantly better than those on the second page.
While aiming for the number one spot is ideal, even ranking between numbers 2 and 10 puts you in a favorable position.
eCommerce SEO Strategies
Now that we understand the importance of first-page rankings, let's explore some strategies to ensure your eCommerce website ranks well in the search engine results pages (SERPs).
1. eCommerce Keyword Optimization
Begin by optimizing your website pages using highly targeted keywords that are relevant to your business niche. These keywords should attract organic traffic from the SERPs. Tools like Google's Adwords or Moz's keyword tool can assist you in finding suitable keywords.
It is crucial to be specific with your keywords and focus on long-tail keywords. According to Moz, while popular keywords attract a significant portion of search volume, the majority of search demand comes from unique, less frequently searched long-tail keywords. Once you have exhausted the list of long-tail keywords, you can incorporate low-volume keywords into other pages or blog posts.
2. Research Competitors
Keyword research can provide valuable insights into your competitors' strategies. Identify businesses and websites that may discuss your products or services, including industry blogs and other platforms. These websites can be both competitors and opportunities for collaboration, where you can contribute content in exchange for product shout-outs.
3. Main Keywords
Analyze the keywords your competitors are focusing on and ranking for. Assess their domain authority and determine if their pages have higher domain authority than yours. Tools like Moz can assist in performing these searches and providing valuable insights.
When evaluating keyword gaps between your website and your competitors', consider targeting keywords with high search volume and lower competition. These keywords will be easier to obtain compared to highly competitive ones.
Additionally, consider incorporating secondary keywords related to your primary focus keywords. These secondary keywords can support the breadth and depth of your content.
4. Important Links
Compile a list of websites from which your competitors receive inbound links. Linking is crucial, but it is essential to focus on credible websites when building links. Assess the spam score of these sites and avoid those with a high spam score. Associating your eCommerce store with low-quality or spammy sites can negatively impact its reputation and search engine perception.
5. Site Navigation
Thoroughly analyze the navigation of competing sites. Observe how they structure their site architecture, including product pages, categories, and descriptions. Understanding these key elements will help you identify and address any flaws in your own store.
Ensure that your site navigation is smooth and vertical. Is your checkout process streamlined? Are your products well-organized and easily accessible? Study your competitors closely to learn from their successes and apply innovative approaches to differentiate your website. Avoid complex site architectures that may confuse or discourage visitors from exploring your pages. Keep everything straightforward and easily accessible.
How Can You Stand Out?
Examine your competitors' strategies to identify areas where you can improve or differentiate your eCommerce website. Take note of actions you can take to offer a unique website experience. Today's users are savvy and are more likely to choose a store that provides something distinct.
6. Checking Site Errors
After conducting thorough keyword research, it's time to audit your site and address any existing flaws that may be holding it back. This includes identifying and rectifying site errors. Tools like Screaming Frog can help survey your site, checking links, images, CSS, and other elements from an SEO perspective.
Pay attention to 404 redirect pages, consider changing 302 redirect pages, and eliminate any duplicate content. Additionally, website speed is critical, as research shows that users tend to abandon sites that take longer than 3 seconds to load. Assess your site's load time and explore methods to optimize it, such as buying more server space, using a different platform, employing a content delivery network, and optimizing image and media sizes.
7. Usability & Mobile Optimization
Usability plays a significant role in the success of your eCommerce business. If your site visitors have a positive experience, it will enhance your SEO efforts. Great usability leads to repeat visitors, which signals credibility to search engines like Google. To evaluate the usability of your site, consider running usability tests to ensure that all elements function smoothly.
Mobile optimization is another crucial aspect that directly affects usability. With the rise of mobile shopping, it is essential to optimize your website for mobile devices. Statistics indicate that a significant portion of internet users primarily access the web through their mobile phones. Moreover, customers are likely to switch to a competitor's site if they encounter a mobile-unfriendly experience or difficulties during the checkout process. Mobile optimization is imperative for the advancement of your eCommerce business.
8. Blogging
While optimizing your main site with primary keywords is important, your blog can host additional keywords that may not fit into your primary website content. Blogs provide an opportunity to optimize individual posts for specific keywords. Although the tone may be more casual, blogs remain connected to the main site. Use your blog to share your business strategy, tell stories, and create informative articles that help users. You can either write the blog posts yourself or hire a professional writer experienced in SEO content creation.
Integrate your blog with your main website to create a seamless user experience. Additionally, consider creating an e-book that compiles valuable posts over time. Avoid keyword stuffing in your posts, as this can result in penalties from Google.
Additional eCommerce SEO Tips
- Craft unique product descriptions and utilize this space to incorporate strong keywords.
- Place emphasis on product photos and videos, as they have a lasting impact on customers' minds.
- Utilize keywords in title tags, reviews, and product categories.
- If you want to improve your site's rankings and maximize its potential, the experts at Media Masters Plus+ are here to help! As a full-service web design company, we specialize in creating and optimizing eCommerce sites to increase your online revenue and capture the attention of your target market. Contact Media Masters Plus+ today for a free consultation!
By incorporating these strategies and tips into your eCommerce SEO approach, you can enhance your site's rankings, attract more targeted traffic, and increase conversions. Remember that SEO is an ongoing process, so continue to monitor and adapt your strategies based on the latest trends and search engine algorithms. Visit Media Masters Plus+ and schedule a free consultation today!