{"id":9444,"date":"2020-07-23T10:56:03","date_gmt":"2020-07-23T10:56:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.milesweb.co.uk\/blog\/?p=9444"},"modified":"2020-07-23T11:10:39","modified_gmt":"2020-07-23T11:10:39","slug":"ecommerce-seo-beginners-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.milesweb.co.uk\/blog\/seo\/ecommerce-seo-beginners-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Top Tips For eCommerce SEO Beginners"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When we talk about SEO for eCommerce, most people assume we\u2019ll focus on blogging. SEO is all about infusing keywords in content, right? Your blog is where all the content is.<\/p>\n<p>Well\u2026 not quite right.<\/p>\n<p>When going through tips on eCommerce for beginners, you hear the same thing over and over again: product pages matter. So does the brand\u2019s presence on other websites. So does the entire site\u2019s structure.<\/p>\n<p>SEO is a serious, multi-layered concept that eCommerce owners often misunderstand.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re here to teach the basics. We\u2019ll list the 5 most important SEO tips for beginners. When you get these things right, it will be easy to build on that foundation.<\/p>\n<p>But before we get to that point, let\u2019s see if we understand eCommerce SEO properly.<\/p>\n<h3>What Is SEO For ECommerce?<\/h3>\n<p>SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It\u2019s the process of making your website attractive to Google and other search engines, so they would feature it in their results after the user\u2019s query.<\/p>\n<p>Google is a business on its own. Its goal is to provide an efficient service to the user\u2019s request. Information is the service. If your site provides the best information possible, it will deserve the top ranking in the search result.<\/p>\n<p>When someone uses Google to search for the exact type of product that you\u2019re selling, you want your page to appear in the results that are immediately visible. How will the search engine know? You\u2019ll use hints to inform the bots that you offer relevant resources. You\u2019ll optimize your pages, so the search engine will recognize their value.<\/p>\n<p>How exactly will you optimize your pages?<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the tricky part.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ll never know the exact ranking factors that lead Google to the results that it features.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s some of the factors we are well-known to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The domain\u2019s reputation matters.<\/li>\n<li>Meta tags make a difference.<\/li>\n<li>Links from authoritative websites are important.<\/li>\n<li>Customer engagement at your site matters.<\/li>\n<li>The quality (and especially speed) of your site is crucial.<\/li>\n<li>The relevance of your resources is something you mustn\u2019t ignore.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Yes; keywords still fit into the picture. We use them to inform Google\u2019s bots what the pages are about. But the way we fit them into the content makes a big difference.<\/p>\n<p>Okay. Let\u2019s start with the basic SEO tips.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.milesweb.co.uk\/blog\/seo\/optimize-your-website-to-avoid-seo-issues\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Optimize Your Website to Avoid SEO Issues<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>5 Essential Elements of SEO for ECommerce<\/h2>\n<h3>1. Make the Product Descriptions Perfect<\/h3>\n<p>When online sellers develop product pages, they tend to feature the same product description that the supplier has on their website. It\u2019s the good-old copy-paste technique that\u2019s fast and easy\u2026 but DOES NOT work.<\/p>\n<p>Do you know what Google hates more than bad content? Duplicate bad content.<\/p>\n<p>Even if it has all the right keywords and it\u2019s highly relevant to a user\u2019s quest, such content won\u2019t reach the first page of results. The original might, but the duplicates won\u2019t get there. Google may even penalize such content, since according to its rules, it raises copyright issues.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few basic SEO tips for your product pages:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Make the content absolutely original<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So, what if you\u2019re selling the same white t-shirt that many other websites sell? The product description can make it look like the most unique garment on the web.<\/p>\n<p>Just take a look at product descriptions at Asos and other popular eCommerce sites. The content makes those items look so original that you want to buy them right away.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the effect you\u2019re after.<\/p>\n<p>Trigger your creativity. What does that product remind you of? What\u2019s the perfect occasion for it? How will it help the user solve some of their issues? How will their lifestyle improve after they buy this product?<\/p>\n<p>Do not copy the same things from other websites. Do not paraphrase sentences. Rewriting is not unique content.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Use the right keywords<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The keywords show Google\u2019s bots what the product is. If it\u2019s a white t-shirt, make sure to clarify that it\u2019s a white t-shirt. Use the right words for the right items. You still have plenty of space to show your creativity in the content.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Make the content descriptive<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What are the features of the item you\u2019re selling?<\/p>\n<p>If the white t-shirt has sequins, ribbons, hidden pockets, or tubular design, make sure to mention it.<\/p>\n<p>When someone looks at this content, they should understand exactly what the product looks like. List all the features!<\/p>\n<p>To get inspired, look at product pages on Amazon. Most of them come with highly descriptive details.<\/p>\n<h3>2. The Images Are Part of Your SEO Strategy, Too<\/h3>\n<p>Your potential buyers will rely on images before they make the final decision. Sure,; they will read the product description. But if they don\u2019t see a nice image with all the needed details, they will assume your website is a scam.<br \/>\nYour images have to be professional-looking.<\/p>\n<p>They are content, and the same rule for uniqueness is still valid. Google will recognize duplicates with images, too.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s best to invest in a professional photo session, which will help you feature the products in the nicest way possible.<br \/>\nAnd that\u2019s not all.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The file name gives you space for keywords<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We\u2019re talking about SEO, so remember that your images have potential for optimization, too. When someone uses Google to find a product they would like to buy, they enter keywords, hit search, and head off to the image results. Those eCommerce sites that have relevant image descriptions will appear in these results.<\/p>\n<p>Use keywords, so you\u2019ll give hints to Google\u2019s bots as to what the images are about. Use hyphens to separate the individual terms in the file name, and try not to include special characters.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The images must not slow down the site<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When the bots crawl your website, they will estimate the loading speed.<\/p>\n<p>Speed is a major ranking factor, and it\u2019s one of the few ones that Google clarifies as such.<\/p>\n<p>You still need high-quality images, but you need to optimize their size. Use JPG or PNG, as those are the recommended formats for images. GIF is okay, too.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Fill in the alt tag<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The alt tag is the text displayed when the site doesn\u2019t load the image due to a slow Internet connection or server issues. For users with affected sight, it\u2019s the text they see when they want to understand what the image is about.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a small piece of text that many eCommerce sites ignore. Don\u2019t ignore it; it\u2019s important!<\/p>\n<h3>3. Develop a Great Blog<\/h3>\n<p>We already emphasized the fact that original content is one of the most important SEO tips for beginners.<\/p>\n<p>The product pages give you space for it. However, it\u2019s not enough. Your eCommerce site needs a blog section, where you\u2019ll get space for high-quality content that would attract traffic from Google results.<\/p>\n<p>You need to develop a regular posting schedule, so you\u2019ll deliver fresh content on a daily or weekly basis.<\/p>\n<p>The problem is: what will you write about? What if you aren\u2019t a good writer?<\/p>\n<p>There are solutions to everything.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Research on topics around your niche<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you\u2019re selling car accessories, you\u2019ll write about cars.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re selling clothes, you\u2019ll write about fashion.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re selling beauty products, you\u2019ll write about beauty.<\/p>\n<p>You get the picture. The site\u2019s blog has to be relevant to your niche. It gives you space to use industry-specific keywords.<\/p>\n<p>Start with general topics that every influential website in your industry covers. But add your own twist. Remember: uniqueness is the main rule to follow.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Go beyond the narrow limits of your industry<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You\u2019re not writing for the search engine alone. You\u2019re writing for your target audience. That\u2019s why you should focus on their interests.<\/p>\n<p>If people love your website because of the clothes you sell, ask yourself: what else does this specific target audience like? If you\u2019re selling fashion items that relate to rock music, write about rock music! If you\u2019re selling car accessories that cost a lot of money, write about ways to earn money and live a luxury lifestyle.<\/p>\n<p>When you go out of topics to write, it\u2019s time to hire professional writers or expand your existing team of writers. You need people who will add new perspectives to your site\u2019s content.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.milesweb.co.uk\/blog\/blogging\/start-a-wordpress-blog-beginners-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How to Start a WordPress Blog in Easy Steps? [Beginners Guide 2020]<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>4. Build Your Authority<\/h3>\n<p>If you have the best-looking website with awesome products and great content, will it matter if no one knows about it?<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a rhetorical question.<\/p>\n<p>The quality of your site is a crucial SEO factor. However, you have to establish its authority through other sources, which recommend it as a good place for people to buy products.<\/p>\n<p>Yes; we\u2019re talking about backlinks.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Get backlinks by posting awesome content<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you follow the tips for creating high-quality and unique content, it will get noticed.<\/p>\n<p>Bloggers will start linking to it as an authoritative resource.<\/p>\n<p>But you have to make it outstanding if you want genuine links and recommendations.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Collaborate with bloggers!<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can offer guest blog posts on authoritative websites. If the bloggers agree to feature a link to your site, you\u2019ll boost your brand\u2019s authority.<\/p>\n<p>You can also send them products, so they will mention the brand and offer their honest review\u2026 that brings us to the next tip:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Collaborate with influencers!<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Influencers on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok have a huge base of followers. If they mention your brand\u2019s name, people will notice it. They will come to your pages and if they see good content, they will follow. If you capture their interest enough, they will visit your website. If your content is convincing, they will make a purchase.<\/p>\n<p>But wait, does this actually relate to SEO?<\/p>\n<p>Influencers help you make your brand more authoritative. Through their recommendations, you broaden your reach. Google will take the brand\u2019s popularity into consideration when listing its results.<\/p>\n<h3>5. Structure the Website<\/h3>\n<p>Structure matters a lot. It\u2019s not the most obvious aspect of SEO, but it\u2019s an important one.<\/p>\n<p>For Google to drive organic traffic to your site, its structure has to work to its advantage.<br \/>\nThink of it this way: the search engine wants to deliver efficient results. When a user clicks on a link, they want to find relevant solutions in a single space. So if you feature multiple products in the same category, you have an advantage. It\u2019s more likely for this user to find what they are looking for. But the site has to be organized if you want<\/p>\n<p>Google to send its users your way.<\/p>\n<p>Here are a few tips on how to organize an eCommerce site:<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022 The most important content has a priority<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When a user lands at your website, they want to see the most important information first.<\/p>\n<p>If we\u2019re talking about product pages, the most important details are the photos and product descriptions. The price should also be visible above the fold.<\/p>\n<p>How-to-use info, other product recommendations, and additional details will flow below those priorities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022 Mind the categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you sell multiple products, categorize them in clear sections.<\/p>\n<p>You should do the same with the posts on your blog.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u2022 Connect the pages<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When you link to your own pages, Google\u2019s bots see how they are connected and they figure out how your site is structured.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t overdo it with the links, though. Use them only when they are relevant and add more value to your content.<\/p>\n<h3>Those Are the Basics<\/h3>\n<p>We\u2019re nowhere near covering all bases of eCommerce for beginners.<\/p>\n<p>But with the five tips above, you\u2019re headed off to a good start.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s summarize the main points of a successful SEO strategy for eCommerce websites:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You have to write brilliant product descriptions. Even if you\u2019re selling the same products as many other sellers, the descriptions can make them more appealing. Google wants to see original content; otherwise it won\u2019t feature your site in its results.<\/li>\n<li>The images have to be great not only for the website users, but for the search engine as well. Mind the alt tags; they give you space for keywords.<\/li>\n<li>Your blog gives you tons of space for outstanding content. Use it well!<\/li>\n<li>Organize the website in categories, so the connections between products and content will be clarified.<\/li>\n<li>Build the brand\u2019s authority by collaborating with bloggers and influencers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Are you ready to start?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When we talk about SEO for eCommerce, most people assume we\u2019ll focus on blogging. SEO is all about infusing keywords in content, right? Your blog is where all the content is. Well\u2026 not quite right. When going through tips on eCommerce for beginners, you hear the same thing over and over again: product pages matter&#8230;. <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.milesweb.co.uk\/blog\/seo\/ecommerce-seo-beginners-tips\/\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":828,"featured_media":9445,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,62],"tags":[1304,1303,124,1306,1305],"class_list":["post-9444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ecommerce","category-seo","tag-ecommerce-seo","tag-ecommerce-seo-beginners-tips","tag-seo-2","tag-seo-basics","tag-seo-for-beginners"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.milesweb.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.milesweb.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.milesweb.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.milesweb.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/828"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.milesweb.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9444"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.milesweb.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9446,"href":"https:\/\/www.milesweb.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9444\/revisions\/9446"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.milesweb.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.milesweb.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.milesweb.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.milesweb.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}