Written by: Joerg Weishaupt, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Have you ever considered what lies behind a surge in sales and increased visibility for online stores? The answer often lies in three simple letters: SEO. But this isn't just about technical jargon or fleeting trends. At its core, SEO is about meaningful results that genuinely bolster your business's bottom line.
Central to this strategy is the concept of "organic traffic" - a term that means customers discover your online store without you spending a dime on ads. And here's the clincher: not only is this method cost-effective, but it's also geared towards long-term success.
According to research, 53% of all website traffic comes from organic search. In contrast, paid search accounts for about 15% of traffic. Organic traffic isn't entirely free. It takes time and effort in areas like content creation and SEO. But the effort pays off. Once you're set, your website can keep attracting visitors. With paid ads, when you stop paying, the traffic stops, too. And people who find you organically often become loyal, long-term customers.
Finding the balance: Organic and paid traffic
We seek a balanced strategy that not only captures attention swiftly but also builds trust over time. Paid ads serve as quick boosts and are essential for immediate visibility, especially for new campaigns. But they're short-term. On the flip side, organic traffic is a long-term investment. It's like planting a tree that will give shade and fruits for years.
Many successful e-commerce businesses invest in both. They build a strong foundation with organic strategies and then use paid ads for special promotions.
Here are some tips for finding the balance between organic and paid traffic:
Set goals for your traffic and sales: What do you want to achieve with your traffic? Do you want to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or drive sales? Once you know your goals, you can start to develop a strategy to achieve them.
Track your results: It is important to track your results from both organic and paid traffic so that you can see what is working and what is not. This will help you optimize your campaigns and get the most out of your investment.
Be flexible: The optimal balance between organic and paid traffic can vary depending on your business, your industry, and your budget. Be prepared to adjust your strategy as needed.
General SEO vs. E-commerce SEO: What’s the difference?
Everyone who runs a website has heard of SEO. It's how you make sure your site shows up when people search for something related to what you offer. But SEO for online stores, or E-commerce SEO, has some unique features.
General SEO is focused on improving the visibility of your website for any type of search query, including informational, transactional, and navigational. This means optimizing your website for a wide range of keywords, including both broad and specific terms.
E-commerce SEO, on the other hand, goes a step further. It focuses on improving the visibility of your website for transactional search queries, which are searches that indicate the user is ready to make a purchase. This means optimizing your website for keywords specific to the products or services you offer.
Here are some specific tips for e-commerce SEO:
Optimize your product pages for relevant keywords: Make sure that your product pages include the keywords that people are using to search for products like yours.
Use high-quality images and videos on your product pages: This will help to make your product pages more visually appealing and informative.
Write engaging and informative product descriptions: Your product descriptions should be well-written and informative, and they should include the keywords that people are using to search for products like yours.
Get customer reviews: Customer reviews can help to improve your website's SEO and ranking in the search results.
Build backlinks to your website: Backlinks are links from other websites to your website. Backlinks are a signal to search engines that your website is authoritative and trustworthy.
Keyword research for e-commerce
When running an online store, finding the right keywords is like picking the right location for a physical shop. It helps your customers find you easily. There are a number of different ways to do keyword research for e-commerce.
Start with a list of seed keywords: These are the broad, general keywords that you think your target audience is using to search for products or services like yours. For example, if you sell running shoes, your seed keywords might include "running shoes," "sneakers," and "athletic shoes."
Use keyword research tools: There are a number of different keyword research tools available, both free and paid. These tools can help you to identify additional keywords, as well as the search volume and competition for those keywords.
Consider the intent of your target audience: When you're choosing keywords, it's important to consider the intent of your target audience. Are they looking for information, or are they ready to buy? For example, the keyword "running shoes" could be used by someone who is looking for information about running shoes or by someone who is ready to buy running shoes.
Use long-tail keywords: Long-tail keywords are more specific and less competitive than short-tail keywords. They are also more likely to be used by people who are ready to buy. For example, the long-tail keyword "women's running shoes with arch support" is more specific and less competitive than the short-tail keyword "running shoes."
Why buying-intent keywords matter?
Buying-intent keywords, often referred to as transactional or commercial intent keywords, are search terms that signal a user's readiness or intention to make a purchase or complete a transaction. These keywords typically align with users who are at the bottom of the sales funnel and are almost ready to buy.
Here are some examples:
Info keywords
These are keywords used by searchers who are looking for more information about a particular topic, product, or service. While they might not indicate immediate purchase intent, they signify that the user is in the research phase, which could eventually lead to a transaction.
Comparison keywords
Searchers using these keywords are typically comparing two or more products or services. They're a step closer to making a purchase but want to ensure they're making an informed decision.
Product keywords
These keywords indicate that the searcher is looking for a specific product or brand. They're often very specific and can include model numbers, brand names, or product categories.
Bargain-hunting Keywords
Searchers using these keywords are looking for deals, discounts, or special offers. They're price-sensitive and are seeking the best bang for their buck.
In the context of e-commerce or online marketing, understanding and targeting these buyer intent keywords can be highly beneficial. By aligning your content and advertisements with these specific search intents, you can guide potential customers through the buying journey more effectively.
Tools to help you find the right keywords
Finding good keywords is easier with the right tools. Here are some you can use:
Google Keyword Planner is a free tool provided by Google Ads, and it's a valuable resource for e-commerce businesses to pinpoint the right keywords.
Start with Broad Ideas: Simply enter a product or service description, and Google Keyword Planner will provide a list of keyword suggestions. These are great jumping-off points to delve deeper into specific keyword niches.
Analyze Search Volume: For any keyword or phrase, the tool displays average monthly search volumes, helping you gauge the popularity of terms. For e-commerce businesses, targeting high-volume keywords can lead to more potential customers.
Discover Keyword Trends: Stay updated on seasonal trends or emerging product interests by checking the monthly search volumes over time. This can help e-commerce stores prepare for seasonal sales or new product launches.
Understand Keyword Competition: While the tool primarily serves Google Ads, the "Competition" metric can provide an overview of how many advertisers are bidding on each keyword. A high competition level might indicate that a keyword is profitable.
Filter by Location and Language: For e-commerce businesses targeting specific regions or languages, this feature ensures you're focusing on the most relevant audience.
Get Bid Estimations: If you're considering paid search campaigns, the tool provides an estimated bid for top positions in Google Ads. This can guide budgeting decisions.
Grouped Ideas: Apart from individual keywords, the tool offers 'grouped ideas' based on themes. For e-commerce businesses with a wide range of products, this feature can help in categorizing products and optimizing category pages.
Refine by Brand or Product Type: If you sell branded goods or specific types of products, you can tailor your keyword research by adding brand or product terms. This can help in finding more precise keywords, essential for niche markets.
Extract Keywords from Competitor's Website: You can input a competitor's website URL to extract keyword ideas. It's an excellent way to discover potential keyword opportunities that might have been overlooked.
Download and Integrate: Once your research is complete, you can easily download the list of keywords. They can be integrated into your e-commerce site's content, product descriptions, meta tags, and more to boost organic visibility.
Google autocomplete
Google Autocomplete, often referred to as Google Suggest, is the auto-suggestion mechanism you see when you start typing into the Google search bar. It's a goldmine for e-commerce businesses aiming to uncover valuable keywords.
Real-time Customer Insight: Google Autocomplete suggestions are based on real searches that people are actively conducting. This means the keywords you see are genuine terms your potential customers are using.
Long-tail Keyword Discovery: Autocomplete often suggests longer, more specific search phrases. These long-tail keywords can be beneficial for e-commerce as they often have clearer user intent and lower competition than broader terms.
Identify Related Products and Categories: By typing in a primary product name or category, the suggestions might offer insights into related products or subcategories you might consider adding to your store or emphasizing in your marketing efforts.
Uncover Geographic Specificity: If you start typing a product followed by a city or region, Autocomplete might provide location-specific keywords, crucial for businesses serving specific areas or looking for local SEO advantages.
Gauge Keyword Popularity: The sequence of suggestions in Autocomplete can give you a rough idea of the popularity of specific keywords, as more commonly searched terms tend to appear higher.
Understand Questions and Queries: Often, users type questions into Google. Autocomplete can show you these questions, allowing you to create content or product descriptions that directly answer potential customer queries.
Benefit from Continuous Updates: Google Autocomplete is dynamic. As trends shift and new products emerge, Autocomplete suggestions adapt, offering fresh keyword opportunities.
Combine with Other Tools: Use the keywords from Autocomplete as a starting point, then plug them into keyword research tools to gain deeper insights like search volume and competition.
Insight into Negative Keywords: For e-commerce businesses running Google Ads, identifying irrelevant Autocomplete suggestions can help in pinpointing negative keywords, ensuring you don't waste ad spend on non-converting terms.
Ubersuggest is an SEO tool that helps boost your website's traffic. With it, you can understand your competitors' SEO strategies and find long-tail keywords for your content.
Keyword Overview: Enter any keyword relevant to your products, and Ubersuggest provides an overview. It includes search volume, SEO difficulty, paid difficulty, and even a cost-per-click estimate. This gives you a clear picture of the potential of each keyword.
Keyword Ideas: Ubersuggest suggests many keyword ideas based on your initial query. This can reveal unexpected long-tail keywords or related terms that could be crucial for your e-commerce product listings or blog content.
Content Ideas: Wondering how to use those keywords? Ubersuggest lists popular web content related to your keywords, which can inspire your product descriptions, blog topics, or FAQ sections.
Competitor Analysis: Just like you'd type in a keyword, type in a competitor's domain. Ubersuggest will show you the top keywords they're ranking for, giving you insights into potential keyword opportunities for your own e-commerce store.
Seasonal Trends: Ubersuggest's keyword data includes monthly search volumes. For e-commerce stores with seasonal products, this helps in understanding when certain products might have a spike in demand.
Keyword Filters: Easily filter keyword suggestions by search volume, paid difficulty, CPC, or SEO difficulty. It helps you target keywords that align with your e-commerce strategy, be it capturing high-volume searches or focusing on low-competition niches.
Backlink Data: While it's not directly related to keywords, understanding who's linking to competitor e-commerce sites can offer insights into promotional or content strategies that could bolster your keyword rankings.
Localization: E-commerce often caters to a global audience. Ubersuggest allows you to adjust your keyword research by region, ensuring you’re targeting terms relevant to each of your target markets.
Historical Data: Track how the popularity of a keyword has changed over time. This could be pivotal in spotting emerging trends in your e-commerce niche.
Track Your Progress: With Ubersuggest, you can monitor how your keywords perform over time, giving you actionable insights into refining your e-commerce SEO strategy.
SEMrush is a prominent digital marketing toolkit with a variety of features that can assist e-commerce businesses in enhancing their online visibility.
Comprehensive Keyword Research: SEMrush's Keyword Magic Tool offers a broad database of over 20 billion keywords. By inputting a seed keyword related to your product or niche, you can obtain a list of related keywords, their search volume, keyword difficulty, and more.
Analyze Your Competitors: With the Domain Overview and Organic Research tools, you can inspect which keywords your competitors rank for. This helps you understand the market's keyword landscape and discover potential keyword opportunities that competitors are utilizing to drive traffic.
Question-Based Keywords: SEMrush's Topic Research tool can help you identify the questions potential customers might ask about a product, providing insights into long-tail keyword opportunities.
Keyword Gap Analysis: The Keyword Gap tool allows you to compare your domain with competitors to identify keyword opportunities you might be missing. This can unveil high-potential keywords that competitors are targeting but you aren't.
Local SEO: If your e-commerce business also operates in brick-and-mortar locations, the Local SEO toolkit can assist in understanding local keyword trends, helping you attract nearby shoppers.
Keyword Difficulty Assessment: SEMrush not only shows keyword volume but also how tough the competition is for each keyword (Keyword Difficulty). This helps in strategizing which keywords to prioritize, especially if you're starting SEO efforts or working with a limited budget.
Track Keyword Performance: With the Position Tracking tool, you can monitor how your selected keywords perform over time in terms of rankings. This aids in understanding if your SEO strategies are effective or if adjustments are needed.
Organic Traffic Insights: Combine your Google Analytics data with SEMrush's extensive database to understand which keywords are driving traffic to your e-commerce site, even if they're not being tracked as a direct referral.
Ahrefs provides insights into content marketing, letting users see competitor strategies and popular keywords. With Ahrefs, you can also analyze backlinks, which includes finding opportunities for internal links.
Comprehensive Keyword Research: Ahrefs' "Keywords Explorer" tool provides extensive data on keyword difficulty, search volume, click metrics, and more. For e-commerce businesses, this means you can pinpoint terms that potential customers are actively searching for.
Competitor Analysis: Enter your competitor’s URL in the "Site Explorer" tool, and discover the keywords they rank for. It's an effective way to identify keyword opportunities you might have overlooked.
Identify Long-tail Keywords: Long-tail keywords often have a clearer intent and lower competition. Ahrefs helps you discover these gold mines, essential for e-commerce businesses to target niche product categories or specific product types.
Questions & Queries: The "Questions" feature within Keywords Explorer shows queries related to your keyword. This is particularly useful for e-commerce businesses to create FAQ sections, product descriptions, or content that directly addresses common customer questions.
SERP Analysis: For any keyword you research, Ahrefs provides a snapshot of the top-ranking pages. This allows you to gauge the competition and see what kind of content or product listings are resonating with searchers.
Content Gap Analysis: By comparing your website with competitors, Ahrefs can highlight keywords they're ranking for, but you're not. It's a direct way to find opportunities to expand your product range or create new content.
Historical Keyword Data: Ahrefs allows you to view the historical performance of specific keywords. This can help e-commerce businesses identify seasonal trends or emerging product demands.
International Keyword Research: For e-commerce businesses targeting multiple countries, Ahrefs provides keyword data for over 150 countries, ensuring you choose the right keywords for each market.
Featured Snippet Opportunities: With Ahrefs, you can identify keywords where a featured snippet is displayed but your website isn’t winning it. Targeting these can get your e-commerce store a prime position on the search results.
On-page SEO for e-commerce
On-Page SEO refers to optimizing individual pages of an e-commerce website to rank higher on search engines and earn more relevant traffic. This involves both the content of the page and the HTML source code.
Let's go over some basics to help you get started.
Making your product titles and descriptions work: Your product title should clearly say what the product is. Keep it clear and simple, but also include important keywords that customers might use to find your product. The product description is your chance to provide more details. What does the product do? Why is it useful? Remember to keep the language simple and include relevant keywords.
Images matter, so does alt text: High-quality images help customers see what you're offering. But for search engines, the image's alt text is vital. This text describes what's in the image. It's a good practice to add short, clear alt text to every image, especially if it contains important information or keywords.
Using structured data and schema markup: Structured data helps search engines understand specific details about your products, like prices or ratings. By adding schema markup to your website's code, you can tell search engines exactly what each part of your product listing means. It can help your product details show up directly in search results.
Mobile and speed: They’re essential: Many people shop on their phones, so your site needs to work well on mobile devices. It should also load quickly, on both mobile and desktop. A fast, mobile-friendly site can keep customers engaged and encourage them to buy.
Link building for e-commerce
Online stores need to be seen by customers. One way to do this is by link building. But what is link building, and why is it important for online stores? Think of backlinks as virtual streets leading to your online store. If more quality streets (or links) point to your store, more people can find and visit it. These links also tell search engines like Google that your store is useful, so they rank it higher in search results.
Getting quality backlinks isn't just about quantity, but about getting the right ones. Here's how you can do it:
Create useful content: Offer information or insights that people find valuable. This makes other websites more likely to link to yours.
Reach out: Talk to other websites that are related to what you sell. You can share your content or find ways to collaborate.
Join online communities: Websites, forums, and social media groups related to your products can be places where you can share your expertise and get links back to your site.
Write for other websites: Offer to write articles for other related websites. It’s a trade - they get free content, and you get a link back to your site.
Work with influencers: People with many followers can help your store get noticed. You can offer them your products to review.
Find partners: Team up with other businesses. If you both help each other out, it's a win-win!
User experience and SEO
When you're online, you want things to be simple and clear, right? The same goes for websites. Let's talk about how a good website feels to use (that's User Experience or UX) and how easy it is to find (that's SEO or Search Engine Optimization).
UX and SEO Work Together: Think of it this way: SEO helps people find a website, while UX makes sure they enjoy their stay. If a website is hard to use, people leave quickly. Search engines notice this and might rank the site lower. So, a better user experience can help a site rank higher in search results.
Navigation and Structure: A good website is like a well-organized store. Everything is in its place, and signs help you find what you're looking for. If users can easily move around a website and find what they need, they'll likely stay longer. That's good for them and good for the website's search ranking.
The Value of Customer Reviews: Have you ever tried a new restaurant because a friend recommended it? Online reviews work the same way. They tell others what to expect. For a website, having positive feedback from users can make new visitors trust it more. Plus, search engines see these reviews as a sign that the website is helpful and reliable.
Content marketing for e-commerce SEO
To succeed in the online marketplace, your e-commerce store needs to stand out. One way to do this is through content marketing. Here's a simple guide to help you get started.
Blog Content: Offer Valuable Information: Blogs are essential for any content strategy. Why? They provide helpful information for consumers. For instance, if you're selling hiking gear, consider writing articles about the best hiking trails or essential safety tips. This not only offers value but also positions your store as a trusted resource.
Long-Tail Keywords: Be Specific: Consider the difference between searching for 'shoes' and 'men's winter running shoes size 10.' Specific searches, known as long-tail keywords, might have fewer searchers, but those people are more likely to buy. Try to use these specific phrases in your content to attract ready-to-purchase customers.
Use Visual Content: Make It Engaging Videos and images can make your content more interesting and easier to understand. Think about creating product tutorials, infographics, or user reviews in video format. They can keep your visitors engaged and can even help them make a purchase decision.
Understanding technical SEO
To ensure your website performs well in search results, it's important to consider not just the content but also the technical details. Let's break down some key aspects of technical SEO.
HTTPS & SSL: Keeping Your Website Secure: Online security is vital. For users, a secure website means trust. For search engines, it can mean better rankings. By using HTTPS and getting an SSL certificate, you're making sure any information exchanged on your website is protected.
Using XML Sitemaps and Robots.txt: Think of your website as a book. An XML sitemap is like a table of contents, showing search engines where everything is. The robots.txt is a guide, telling search engines which pages to read and which ones to skip. Both help search engines understand your website better.
Handling Out-of-Stock Products: If you run an online store, sometimes items go out of stock. Instead of removing the page, consider offering similar product suggestions or giving users an option to know when the product is available again. This way, you don't lose customers or the SEO value the page might have gained.
Monitoring and analyzing performance
Business decisions, especially in marketing, often come down to return on investment (ROI). By monitoring your SEO performance, you can quantify the value of your SEO initiatives against the costs, proving its worth or identifying areas to adjust for better returns.
What should you be looking at?
Organic traffic: This metric showcases the number of visitors who land on your site via unpaid search results. A growing organic traffic count indicates that your SEO strategies are bearing fruit and that your online visibility is on the rise.
Conversion rate: It's not just about attracting visitors, but turning them into customers. This metric evaluates the percentage of visitors who take a desired action, be it making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or any other goal you've set.
Bounce rate: Here, you gauge the percentage of visitors who navigate away from your site after viewing only one page. A high bounce rate could signify issues with your site’s content, user experience, or relevance to the search query.
Average session duration: How long are visitors staying on your site? A longer average session indicates that visitors find your content valuable and are spending more time exploring your offerings.
How to adjust based on what you find
Once you've tracked your SEO performance for a while, you'll start to see trends emerge. This data can help you to identify areas where your SEO strategy is working well, as well as areas where it needs improvement.
For example, if you see that your organic traffic is increasing, but your conversion rate is decreasing, it could be a sign that your website is attracting more visitors, but those visitors aren't finding what they're looking for. In this case, you might need to focus on improving your website's content and user experience.
On the other hand, if you see that your organic traffic and conversion rate are both increasing, it's a sign that your SEO strategy is working well. In this case, you can continue to focus on the same things that you're doing right.
The digital landscape changes constantly, so it's important to stay flexible and adjust your SEO strategy based on the latest trends and data. By regularly monitoring and analyzing your SEO performance, you can ensure that your website is always visible to potential customers.
Here are some additional tips for adjusting your SEO strategy based on your findings:
If your organic traffic is low, focus on improving your keyword research and on-page SEO. Make sure that your website is optimized for the keywords that your target audience is using to search for products or services like yours.
If your conversion rate is low, focus on improving your website's content and user experience. Make sure that your website is easy to navigate and that it provides visitors with the information they need to make a purchase.
If your bounce rate is high, focus on improving your website's homepage and landing pages. Make sure that your homepage is clear, concise, and engaging. And make sure that your landing pages are relevant to the keywords that visitors are using to search for them.
If your average session duration is low, focus on creating more in-depth and informative content. Make sure that your content is well-written and that it provides value to your visitors.
Conclusion
In the online shopping world, competition is high. This is why it's essential to stand out, and using SEO tailored for e-commerce can help. E-commerce SEO is not just about using the right keywords. It's understanding how online shoppers search and buy products. By focusing on their needs, you can create a strategy that connects with them, builds trust, and increases sales.
The big takeaway? Implementing what you've learned can make a difference. While understanding SEO is important, using it effectively can help grow your business.
Big companies, like Amazon, started with just one step. By investing time and effort in your SEO now, your online store can also see success. With a solid SEO plan, you can navigate these changes and help your business grow. So, start today, adjust when needed, and watch your efforts pay off.
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Joerg Weishaupt, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Joerg Weishaupt is a highly experienced software developer, and IT services professional with over 30 years of experience in the industry. He is the founder and managing director of Sites & More, established in 2022, which is dedicated to helping founders and entrepreneurs launch their online business. Jörg has a proven track record of success in the industry, having previously founded and run successful IT companies in Germany, Armenia, USA and the Philippines. With a deep understanding of the software development process, he has been able to lead Sites & More to become a reputable and reliable all-in-one solution.
