If you run a site on the internet, whether it’s a blog or a company website, SEO should be a way of life. If you run an eCommerce store on the internet, these principles also apply to you. Why?
As a site owner, your ultimate goal is to drive unbounded traffic towards your site in order to achieve whatever your main site mission is. If you’re a blog owner, then you need traffic so readers can enjoy your content and advice. If you’re a marketing company, traffic to your site can lead to potential new clients and customers.
If you’re an eCommerce company, then your ultimate goal is sale conversions. A conversion that is also driven by the amount of traffic your site receives.
And what do all these sites have in common? The need for site traffic! And one of the most valuable and feasible ways to drive traffic to your site is through SEO.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and in short, it translates to optimizing your site and making it better for users and robots, so that Google can understand what your site is about. Because when Google understands what your site is about, it makes it that much more likely that you’ll end up on the first page of Google!
Ending up on the first page of Google for a valuable search term can feel like stumbling upon a gold mine. The amount of traffic driven to your site will increase tenfold. And that’s because most people never make it past the first page of Google when making a search in a search engine. Being on the second, third, fourth page of Google – forget it, you know no one’s looking there. If you really want to see results, you need to optimize your site for Google.
Top 5 SEO Changes to Implement for an eCommerce Business
Ready to take the next step and lead your site to page one of Google? Luckily, we’re here to help. Below are our top recommended eCommerce SEO updates that when made to your site, will help Google better understand what your products and pages are about, so that you can continue the journey to the first page of Google’s results.
1. Optimize Product Page Titles
Search engine users are less likely to click on a search result that looks sketchy or unappealing to the eye. There are a couple of ways to ensure that your page title is both intriguing and perfect for Google’s search results.
First, check to make sure that your page title is no more than 60 characters. This is because Google typically only displays the first 50-60 characters of a title tag. Any more than that is likely to be cut off. To ensure all the important parts of your title are shown to the user, be sure to stay in this respective limit.
Second, place the more important keywords towards the beginning of the title tag. User experience shows that users often will only scan the first two words of a headline before deciding if the search result fits what they are looking for, before moving to the next available option. Avoid placing your company name towards the beginning, unless you are a large brand with name recognition.
2. eCommerce Product Meta Description
Just like your page titles, your meta description plays a role in the appearance of your page’s search result. Every single page on your website should have a meta description, and this especially applies to your product pages.
When a page does not have a meta description tag, if the search result appears, Google will decide on its own what description is shown for your page. It could be accurate, or way off. Because you know your product and your customers the best, it is important to tailor your meta description into what would lead to a click through by users.
In order to optimize your meta description and have potential customers more likely to click on your search result, be sure to include a call to action. Calls to action such as “shop”, “join”, or “call now” tell the user what the page is about and what needs to be done. Be sure to also restrict your meta description to a maximum of 160 characters, or else the description will be cut off. In addition to these tips, try to include secondary keywords in your meta description. The reason for this is because sometimes a search query will not include the main keyword you are targeting for your page, but a similar search result led the user to your result. The keywords of the search result will be bolded in the meta description, making it easier for the user to decipher what the page is about, and that it includes what they’re looking for, all before even clicking on the page.
3. Redirecting 404 Error Pages
All sites incur 404 error pages. They appear when you delete content. For eCommerce sites, this is an event that happens often, with product pages that are no longer in season or are no longer in stock. However, having 404 pages is bad practice, and it’s important to use a 301 redirect on these pages to redirect users to the next most relevant page.
If you’ve ever stumbled upon a 404 Error Page, you know that it can be frustrating, especially when you think you’re about to land on the content you were looking for but it no longer exists. To see what 404 errors exists on your site, you can check through your site’s Google Search Console data to find these pages.
Implementing the three steps outlined above will help get your eCommerce site headed in the right direction. However, if you a majority of your time requires you to focus on the business end of your company rather than the marketing, or you have a large website that would require a large amount of time to implement these changes, it can be helpful to hire an agency that specializes in eCommerce SEO services. SEO agencies that specialize in eCommerce will know what to do with every single page and product page on your website and how to improve them, so that you can improve your page search rankings and get to page one!
