Every day millions of people search websites like Google and Yahoo looking for a specific product or service. It's amazing how the internet can produce thousands upon thousands of results for just about anything. However, on the one hand the internet provides a plethora of information for users to choose from, but on the other hand, most users do not browse beyond the second page of hits, full-knowing that the best service can be found at the top or at least on the first SERP. Therefore, effective products and services have the potential to be overlooked. For example, what if your company offers professional website design and development services, but search engine crawling and indexing leaves you number ten on the SERP's? What can you do and how can you ensure that your outstanding services and products do not continue to be overlooked? Search engine optimization is the best ingredient for eCommerce. By keeping content fresh and continuously updated with seo practices, eCommerce websites can gain higher seo ranking and stay on top of other competition. As a result, seo is vital for any eCommerce business and should not be overlooked, or else products and services will be!
Before explaining why seo practices are so important for eCommerce sites, first let me break a few things down.
What is eCommerce?
eCommerce or e-commerce stands for the buying and selling of products and/or services online, through online stores or marketplaces. A marketplace is an alternative for selling products and services through websites like Amazon.com and Ebay.com where sellers can upload their products and sell through those specific domains.
Who can sell online?
Anyone can sell their products online through either their own eCommerce website or through marketplaces. Popular retail stores also use their websites for online purchases.
What is the method of selling?
Online transactions are done through credit card purchases or Pay Pal, which is an electronic alternative to checks and money orders. Services similar to Pay Pal offer intermediary features where a customer can create an account and have automatic debits from a bank account or credit card for when they purchase items online.
What should every eCommerce website consider?
Every eCommerce website should be organized. Navigation tools leading to products or services should be user friendly and content should be helpful for all who visit the site. Owners should be able to monitor and manage online transactions including receipts, order forms and other product information. Digital records of accounts and orders should also be systematically managed in order to have an efficient business.
SEO and eCommerce
Grasping the basics of eCommerce is one thing, but running a successful website where sales and productivity are at its best is another task to tackle. Like I mentioned above, seo practices are the key for any eCommerce business. Considering seo practices for an online business is just as important as considering the eCommerce features in the above list. Similar to optimizing content pages, eCommerce web pages can also be optimized using some of the similar practices.
1. Keywords - Using words that best describe what your business offers and what most people are searching for is important. Using these words in your title tags and H1 tags is important for when people are searching for specific items and also vital for on-page optimization. This will allow search engines to crawl through and index those keywords, giving your website better crawling capacity.
2. Rich Content - Repetitive or lack of content concerning products or services can harm any eCommerce website. Keeping content fresh and informative will give value to customers who will appreciate your work in describing how your services can best serve them or how a product has already helped a previous customer. Try adding a blog to your website, although it takes time and effort to develop a successful blog, informative articles concerning your products will help build your credibility and also draw more attention to your business.
3. Product Reviews - Another great way for creating content is designing a review section where customers can brag about your products. Customers can share their opinions on a recent purchase and help deliver useful information for new potential customers.
4. Link Internally - It's important to optimize in every way possible, so within the content of your page create anchortext that will link to other relevant pages and even other useful information on your own website.
5. User Friendly Navigation - Customers should be able to browse your site with ease. Create links that are helpful and will directly bring customers to where they want to be.
6. Optimizing Individual URL Pages - Most eCommerce websites contain a number of pages, so it's important that all of these are recognized by search engines. The best way to get all of your URL's recognized is to have a site manager. Hudson Horizons offers sitemap managing services that will help crawlers navigate all throughout your website.
It is important that your eCommerce website is efficient so that your products and services do not go unnoticed. To see how a professional web design company can optimize your eCommerce website, check out Hudson Horizons' eCommerce web solutions and also get started today with a free seo quote, your first step towards an outstanding e-business!