Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the pillars of ecommerce marketing. It can drive organic traffic, increase sales, and boost a brand’s reputation.
But before you start planning those SEO campaigns for your ecommerce brand, there are a few things you need to know.
Why SEO is Important for Ecommerce
SEO is the marketing long game. A paid ads campaign can deliver instant results, but it takes time to establish yourself in the algorithm and climb to the top of the rankings. Taking the time to create effective SEO campaigns can deliver results such as:
- Traffic is organic: Paid advertising can get costly, and it isn’t always sustainable for ecommerce brands. SEO, on the other hand, produces long-term organic results,
- It forces you to think about your users: SEO is all about creating the best user experience. A good campaign, therefore, will encourage you to create a site that’s more fluid and adaptable.
- It boosts brand reputation: If you’re the brand that customers repeatedly see at the top of the rankings, they’ll respect you more.
- It’s more cost-effective: Although there is an initial expense to conduct audits and produce content, you’re not paying for every impression, click, or engagement, so it’s usually more cost-effective in the long term.
Is SEO Harder for Ecommerce Brands?
Yes, SEO is considered to be more difficult for ecommerce brands. Not only is there a lot of competition, but they have big budgets and can afford to fight for those keywords.
Ecommerce sites are also more complicated, with elements that can damage a brand’s rankings if not properly implemented, including product pages, category pages, and the need to keep everything updated frequently.
Which Ecommerce Platform is Best for SEO?
WooCommerce, which is part of the WordPress platform, is considered by many to be the best option for SEO. However, Shopify is catching up, and its user-friendly design appeals to brand owners who don’t want to deal with various plugins and widgets.
Shopify:
- Easy to create user-friendly sites
- Mobile-friendly from the outset
- Integrated blog
- Various integrated apps
WooCommerce:
- Many writers, editors, and developers are more familiar with WooCommerce
- Integrated plugins offer various customization options
- Easy to create simple structured content
Take a look at both options and see which one suits you best. Many ecommerce brands will just let the developer choose, as developers typically favor one or the other. There are alternative options, as well, including BigCommerce.
Common Ecommerce SEO Mistakes
Many of the basics of SEO also apply to ecommerce sites, but there are some key differences that require a different approach and often lead to mistakes such as:
Unoriginal Content
If you’re a reseller, you might be tempted to use the manufacturer’s descriptions for your product pages. But Google loves original content, and you’ll struggle to get the rankings you seek if you’re merely echoing content already published elsewhere.
It’s a lot of work, but you should always make an effort to create original descriptions.
Duplicate Content
If you’re creating multiple category pages and product options and adding single products to all of them, you could be creating duplicates. It’s the same content, but it’s available across multiple URLs. It’s a common mistake that could be seriously detrimental to your rankings.
Using Subdomains
Creating multiple subdomains to host your products or specific categories will weaken your main domain. You’re going to be spending a lot of time creating content to improve your standing in the Google algorithm, don’t waste that by splitting your site.
Low Page Speed
The more elements you add to your site, the longer your pages will take to load. Speed is very important to your customers and Google. The former will leave if they’re forced to wait for more than a couple of seconds, while the latter could punish you with poor rankings.
Check your page speed and make improvements by upgrading your hosting package, reducing image sizes, and getting rid of unnecessary scripts. If you’re publishing long-form content with various images and videos, you can load only the content needed at that time, preventing the site from trying to load every single element as soon as the user opens the page.
Messy Architecture
If it’s difficult for users to navigate your website, it will be difficult for Google as well.
Remember, Google’s goal is not to reward the sites that hired the most expensive SEO expert or produced the most content. It wants to provide the best possible user experience, and that begins with clean, clear, and streamlined navigation on both desktop and mobile.
Focus on clickable links and simple, fluid navigation, and don’t overload the user with too many pop-ups, sliders, and other elements that hinder the user experience.
Examples of Successful Ecommerce SEO Campaigns
At Optics In, we have been helping ecommerce brands across various sectors to build their reputations and drive more organic traffic. We provide complete SEO services (including local SEO) for ecommerce brands—here are just a few of the brands we have helped:
- Nodi – A New Zealand-based brand that sells handcrafted, natural rugs and carpets with a strong regional and national presence.
- FruitStand – A specialist vendor that sold exotic fruits and worked with local communities.
- Shakti – Shakti was founded in 2014. It sells acupressure mats and accessories based on the Indian bed of nails.
- Manukora – A Manuka honey brand that sources honey from New Zealand and ships across the United States.
- Noho – The creator of the “world’s finest dining chair”, and a brand devoted to modern, stylish, and comfortable furniture designs.
- Nampons –Nampons are used by individuals and medical professionals worldwide. These handy little products are designed to stop nosebleeds quick.
- Weed.com – Sells a variety of THC and cannabis products, including cannabinoids like CBD.
Summary: Kick-Start Your Ecommerce SEO Campaigns
Ecommerce SEO is tough, but with the right team on your side, you can avoid common mistakes, build a successful campaign, and plot your route to the top of the search engines.
Get in touch below to get your next campaigns off the ground and add your name to our list of successful projects and happy clients.
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Contact us to explore how Optics In, LLC can support you with your SEO goals and/or WordPress web design needs.