Have you ever wondered why online stores are seemingly everywhere and why some flourish while others fail? That’s typically because of Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. So if your store is great, but no one can find it, how can you sell? With the continuous activity in the online world today, an online presence alone isn’t really enough anymore. You need to stand out. That’s where SEO comes in. For internet businesses, SEO is more than a plan to get more people to your site. It’s not about having everyone, it’s about having the right people – people who are ready to buy. Solid SEO will lead to more sales for online stores. It’s the difference between your products being discovered by willing buyers and being drowned out by the vast online sea.
At its base, e-commerce SEO makes your online store more visible on sites like Google. It’s all about helping you make every part of your online store work better to attract visitors, convert them into customers, and ultimately generate more sales. It’s not just technical computer work. It’s figuring out how to really get inside the heads of your customers, what they want and how they search for what you provide. Smart SEO, when done right, converts browsers into long lasting customers. Below, I’m going to discuss some of the steps you can take to do just that and use SEO to maximize your online sales.
SEO Fundamentals to Boost Sales
If you really want to take your online sales through the roof, you’ll need a strong foundation of SEO. If you get these right, more people will see your store, and more people will come to your store.
Smart Keyword Research
Think of keyword research as learning the words your customers use when they search for what you sell. It’s all about finding profitable keywords, search phrases that indicate a strong intent to purchase. This may include product names, product overviews, product descriptions, and even long descriptions. These longer, more targeted phrases are usually less competitive and bring in buyers who are very interested in the product. The key here is to align the content on your website with what buyers are seeking. In this manner, when people are looking for a solution, you’re what they find.
On-Page Optimization
Once you’ve determined what words or phrases your customers are using, then make certain your website speaks their language. On-page optimization is adjusting your own website’s pages to attract both people and search engines. On product and category pages, provide clear descriptions that highlight the benefits, not just features. Optimize product images by having good descriptions (alt text) and a clear file name. Inspect your meta-data, the titles and short descriptions you see in search results. They need to be inviting and of course, contain your main keywords. Also your blog posts are significant. By publishing useful articles that answer common questions or compare products, you can attract new visitors and subtly funnel them toward your products.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO is the engine of your online store. It ensures search engines can read and understand your website, and gives people a clean shopping experience. Begin with a clear and clean structure of your website. That is, clear categories that both people and search engines can navigate easily through. Website speed is super important; slow pages cause people to click away. Size your images down, enable caching, and make sure your site works well on phones. A lot of people are shopping on their phones these days. Use schema markup so that search engines know what it is on your pages. For online stores, that may be product data such as price and reviews. It does make your products stand out in search results, which means more clicks, which means, ultimately, more sales.
Building Customer Trust
In addition to the nuts and bolts, when it comes to getting your online store to rank and attract visitors, you also need to show some personality and let everyone know that you’re the expert in your field.
Content for Sales
Your ecommerce blog is a fantastic way to engage, educate, and convert visitors into customers. Write informative blog posts, not just product listings. Consider what questions your customers are asking, what problems they have and what they are interested in. How-tos, product comparisons, gift ideas and tips for everyday life can also draw in new visitors seeking solutions. Point out links in these stories that lead folks to downstream product pages or other useful material. This nudges them closer to the purchasing end of the spectrum.
Off-Page SEO
Whereas on-page and technical SEO are all about what happens on your website, off-page SEO is all about things that occur off your website, and yet help with your search ranking. The lynchpin of off-page SEO is backlinks – links from other quality sites to yours. Consider links as votes of affirmation. The more up votes your site receives, the more reputable search engines consider it. This directly benefits your store’s reputation and how it appears in searches. Figure out how to get those links in a positive way, making content that people want to share, talking to influential people in your field, maybe even fixing broken links on other websites.
Tracking & Improving
SEO is not one-and-done. It’s all a constant feedback loop of checking, seeing results, making changes. The true way to improve your online sales is to forever pay attention to how you are performing and make them better as you figure out what you did wrong. Look for key numbers to follow that indicate sales. This includes purchases that are generated through search engines, how many people are buying, and then what kind of SEO work you have to do. Getting to the top of search results is great, but concentrate on what those high rankings actually result in cold, hard cash. Leverage tools such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console to get a sense how your website is faring. By staying on top of this information, you can discover new ways to grow, repair mistakes and fine-tune your SEO plan to get your business on the path to steady and lasting sales increases.
Working with Experts for Faster Sales Growth
It is hard and time-consuming to set up and manage a full e-commerce SEO plan. It also requires an intimate knowledge of how search engines operate, constantly monitoring new trends and being willing to turn on a dime when necessary. A lot of businesses attempt to handle SEO on their own but usually they will get the best results by hiring somebody who has that kind of knowledge and skill. For companies that are truly serious about scaling their online sales, collaborating with the special e-commerce SEO agency might be really helpful. These firms bring specialized expertise, cutting-edge tools and a past track record of success in tackling the tricky aspects of online retail SEO. They can conduct deep inspections, make custom plans and launch sophisticated campaigns that the advertisers themselves may not be in a position to conduct. Discover how professional hands from an experienced e-commerce SEO agency, such as working with experts like True North Social, could provide you the secret knowledge and tools that will make your online sales hit the ceiling and achieve your business dreams. Their know-how can also give you a leg up when slogging through noise to focus on what really matters and ensure your SEO efforts always point to your number one goal: more money.
Conclusion
Increasing your e-commerce sales with good SEO is no secret. It’s an intelligent path that combines prudent technical work, inventive content, and always making adjustments. As you start to read about keyword research, improving your website pages, your technical site SEO, making cool content, and trusting building outside your website, you build a solid foundation for slow and steady growth over the long haul. The road to e-commerce sales success is attainable. It takes hard work, a deep appreciation for your customers, and a commitment to employing these strong SEO tactics. Whether you attack this work yourself or get assistance from an e-commerce SEO agency, the general principles are identical: focus on giving value, make things good for both search engines and people, and never stop pursuing improvement. Begin implementing these tactics today and see an increase in your online sales!
