For e-commerce businesses based in Toronto, Canada, attracting more traffic is crucial. However, how can you drive visitors to your online store without investing heavily in advertising and marketing? The answer lies in mastering e-commerce search engine optimization (SEO) techniques.
E-commerce SEO involves making detailed adjustments to your website to align with search engine best practices and updating content to reflect consumer search behaviors. Implementing SEO strategies offers benefits such as increased traffic, enhanced brand visibility, and higher sales. However, with the constant updates to search engine algorithms, understanding how to perform effective search optimization can be challenging.
This article covers the basics of e-commerce SEO, including keyword research, website structure optimization, and creating product page content. If you aim to achieve short-term exposure quickly, consider using PPC advertising services. You can refer to this article: Want to Reach New Customers Through Pay-Per-Click Advertising? Do You Really Understand Google Ads and Instagram Paid Promotions?
What is E-commerce Search Engine Optimization?
E-commerce SEO aims to improve the visibility of online stores on search engine results pages (SERPs). SEO techniques are varied, with on-site methods including creating content that meets search engine keyword queries. Other e-commerce SEO practices include enhancing page load speed, writing detailed product descriptions, and obtaining links from authoritative websites. SEO is one of the strategies to attract more traffic by encouraging visitors to enter queries related to your products and brand.
How to Develop an E-commerce SEO Strategy
1. E-commerce Keyword Research
The first step in any e-commerce SEO strategy is identifying high-value search terms that potential customers are using.
You can achieve this through various methods. E-commerce keyword research differs from traditional keyword research. Most websites focus solely on informational keywords, but you should combine informational keywords with commercial ones, such as “how to fold t-shirts to prevent wrinkles.” One of the simplest methods is using search engine predictions:
When you enter a search query in Google, the autocomplete feature suggests related queries. These autocomplete suggestions are a valuable source of keywords. (Don’t forget to check the related searches at the bottom of the SERP.) If you need to focus on products, pay attention to long-tail keywords, which are longer and describe products more specifically. The longer the keyword, the more specific it is. This means lower competition and often higher conversion rates.
Key Points for Keywords:
- Precision:
No e-commerce site can target every keyword. Based on your customers and products, decide which keywords to attempt ranking for. - Traffic:
The higher the search volume of a keyword, the greater the potential traffic to your site. - Competition:
The lower the competition, the higher the likelihood of ranking for the keyword. SEO tools display keyword difficulty or competition levels. - Relevance:
How relevant is the search term to your product or category page? This is an often-overlooked important ranking factor. Avoid adding irrelevant content just to capitalize on trending topics. - Intent:
Consider what users might search for to find your store. Think from the user’s perspective.
2. E-commerce Website Structure Optimization
The organization and structure of your website pages affect search engine rankings and user experience (UX). You need to make it easier for both visitors and search engine bots to navigate your store’s content. As products and categories are added or modified, the website structure can become overly complex. Before developing your website, ensure that the structure is simple and effective, and can easily expand as the store grows. Each page on your site should be accessible within a few intuitive clicks. Visitors rely on the back button to browse the site, and if they have to circle around to find what they want, they may become impatient. Additionally, overly complex website structures, slow loading times, and poor user experiences can hinder achieving higher rankings.
3. Technical Search Engine Optimization
Technical SEO is a method within SEO that works behind the scenes. Both consumers and store owners may find it difficult to notice, but it is indispensable. Ensure that your website is optimized for search engine crawling, has an ideal website speed, and functions properly on mobile device screens. A fast, accessible website naturally attracts more organic traffic.
Ways to Improve Technical SEO for E-commerce:
- Use menus to create logical internal links.
- Submit a sitemap to Google Search Console.
- Optimize images for faster loading.
Tip: Hire a technical SEO expert to build your website, ensuring a solid foundation.
4. E-commerce Product Page Optimization
Once you have completed keyword research and optimized the website structure, it’s time to optimize the website content itself.
Preliminary On-site Optimizations:
If you are using a CMS like Shopify, it already incorporates several SEO features: canonical tags, sitemap.xml and robots.txt files, title tags that include the store name, social media links, and sharing options.
However, other elements still require manual optimization: titles, meta descriptions, etc. Edit the alt text of product images to accurately describe the visuals and ensure URLs for products and individual pages are optimized.
When optimizing title tags and descriptions, remember that they are primarily for Google. The main goal is to rank on the first page. The secondary goal is to persuade searchers to click into your site. Including terms like “sale,” “20% discount,” or “free shipping” in meta descriptions can improve rankings and help you leverage long-tail keywords effectively.
E-commerce Product Description Optimization:
Google and other search engines determine which keywords to rank based on page content and the ranking of each keyword. If a product page has only a brief description without additional content, Google has little basis for ranking. Copying and pasting descriptions from manufacturers or suppliers, or repeating the same content, is not advisable. Instead, write unique, comprehensive descriptions that engage readers and include detailed information about the product.
High-quality page content helps improve product page rankings and reduces the overall thinness of the store’s content. Strive to include relevant keywords and subheadings in every section of the page to help Google understand the content’s intent. The more you write, the more accurately the webpage will rank.
Internal Linking Optimization:
The longer visitors spend browsing content, the greater the opportunity for sales. Relevant internal links to other pages on your website help potential customers navigate and discover information or products. Internal links can direct customers to related product pages, category pages, and promotional content. However, avoid excessive use of internal links, as it can be counterproductive.
Professional Advice: Hire a professional web designer to optimize your website structure.
5. Blog Writing
Blogs are a form of content marketing that use on-page and technical SEO strategies to enhance a website’s search visibility. High-quality content that is trustworthy allows search engines to rank specific keywords based on the audience’s interests and needs.
Writing blogs requires a long-term, sustained strategy. Each blog post published can help build your reputation, increase the website’s authority, and enhance organic search exposure.
E-commerce businesses often struggle with blog development due to the significant time, effort, and resources required. Randomly publishing blog posts each month does not drive traffic to the website. Blogs should be SEO-oriented, aiming to rank in search engines while creating a friendly and reliable image. Blog posts typically highlight problems readers encounter and provide solutions, balancing marketing and valuable content.
When starting a blog, focus on the following aspects:
- Choose Appropriate Keywords:
Conduct keyword research before writing blog posts to identify the terms and phrases your target audience is searching for. These keywords should be relevant to your products or services and have high search volumes. - Develop a Content Calendar:
Plan your blog post publishing schedule to ensure regular content updates. This helps build reader anticipation and signals to search engines that your website is active. - Create High-Quality, Valuable Content:
Content should be original and sufficiently detailed to attract readers and keep them on the page. - Use Headings and Subheadings:
A good structure helps readers quickly scan the article and makes it easier for search engines to understand the article’s topic. - Internal Linking:
Include internal links in your blog posts to guide readers to other relevant pages on your website, enhancing page authority and search engine rankings. - External Linking:
If possible, include external links to authoritative websites to increase your site’s credibility. - Social Media Marketing:
Share your blog posts on social media platforms to attract more visitors and potential customers. - User Experience (UX):
Ensure your website and blog are user-friendly, load quickly, and are easily readable on small screens, as these are important factors for search engine rankings. - Patience and Consistency:
SEO is a long-term process that requires time and ongoing effort. Do not expect significant results overnight.
Conclusion
Alstra is dedicated to providing high-quality SEO services to businesses in Toronto, Canada. From the initial stages of website development, we integrate SEO strategies to ensure your site performs well in search engines from the outset. Our goal is to significantly increase your website’s traffic from organic search results, helping your business connect with consumers seeking your products and services.