4 crucial tips for ecommerce SEO today
How is ecommerce SEO different from SEO for other sites?
While the underlying principles of optimization are the same no matter what website you have, running an ecommerce store requires a different set of fine-tuning to reach the top of SERPs (and convert that traffic into buyers).
If you want to maximize organic traffic this year, here are 4 crucial tips to implement ASAP:
1) Fix your URL structure
Replace long, sloppy URLs with clean ones that incorporate your core keywords. That rule applies to your entire site, but it’s especially important for your product pages.
If you edit existing URLs, be sure that the old URLs still redirect to the new ones. Otherwise, the 404 errors could hurt your search rankings.
2) Optimize for long-tail keywords
Long-tail keywords are incredibly important for ecommerce SEO.
While short tail keywords (i.e. “dog leashes “) are still vital across your site and especially on category pages, the long-tail keywords are essential for product pages. For example: “blue dog harness for large dogs.”
Use keyword research as a guide, but as a rule of thumb: describe every product in detail on product pages.
3) Get SSL / HTTPS
SSL is crucial for any online store. It encrypts your customers’ payment information when making a purchase, protecting it from falling into the wrong hands.
Google doesn’t like sending users to unsafe ecommerce stores, which is why sites with SSL rank higher. If you’re not protecting your users’ data, chances are your site is being penalized in search too.
4) Make your store faster
Faster load time.
Faster product searches.
Faster checkout.
All of this contributes to a better user experience, which can translate into higher placement in search. Plus, the increased speed will almost guarantee better conversion rates too.
