Does Search Engine Optimization matter for my eCommerce website? What are some of the SEO tactics that I can apply to improve my ranks in search engine results pages? What are some of the impacts of low rankings? If you are seeking answers to these questions, then you are in the right place. As experts in Search Engine Optimization, we are here to help you improve your SEO strategies.
You might already know how significant Search Engine Optimization can be to your website and business at large. Search Engine Optimization requires that you put in place multiple strategies and practices and adhere to SEO best practices to improve the position of your eCommerce website in search engine results pages.
There are two categories of SEO that every website owner should know about- On-page SEO and Off-page SEO. On-page SEO covers all the SEO elements that are within your control.
Such factors include but are not limited to the website speed, the presence of quality keywords, and header texts. Off-page SEO refers to all the SEO elements that are not within your control. They include all the things that other websites do, which might impact your rankings on search engine pages.
Search Engine Optimization is essential because it keeps the rankings fair. It is a cost-effective marketing strategy that every digital marketer should be willing and able to invest in. Hitting the first pages of search engines is crucial to websites. Most web visitors trust websites that appear at the top of search engine results pages.
This explains why the first five organic results account for over 67% of clicks. If you want to increase traffic and increase your sales revenues, you better start thinking about having the following 9 SEO tips for your eCommerce website.
#1. Make the Right Key-Word Choices
Keywords refer to the phrases or words used to identify what people are searching for in search engines. Therefore, all topics that you write about should have keywords. Keywords are ideal because they bridge the gap between your web content and your searchers, helping searchers find what they are looking for. Before writing your web content, you must undertake thorough keyword research. Keywords research entails finding the key terms that your searchers will enter in search engines.
Keyword research is one of the most crucial SEO procedures that you should undertake. Google and other search engines usually use keywords when deciding on where to rank websites. Ahref reveals that 0.16% of the most popular keywords account for 60.67% of all searches.
I recommend that before creating your content, you should first know which keywords your searchers will use to search for your content. Understand which nouns, verbs, and adjectives your searchers often use. You should then create content that is tailored with specific keywords. In doing so, you will beat your competitors, increase your traffic and click-through rates from searchers who know what they are searching for.
#2. Mobile-Optimization
Mobile-friendliness is one element that is becoming more and more popular in SEO. Most web visitors now prefer using their mobile devices to access the internet. Most global traffic (52,2%) now comes from mobile devices. You not only need to make your eCommerce website mobile-friendly for a better User Experience, but you also need to do it for Search Engine Optimization purposes.
Google has been talking about mobile-friendliness for quite some time now. In 2013, Google announced that there would be a penalty for websites that would have a bad mobile experience. The penalty had an impact on how websites rank in the search engine results pages.
The increase in mobile usage has shifted search engines’ attention to a mobile-first index. Search engine crawlers will first read your website. Having an eCommerce that is not mobile-friendly will negatively affect your position in search engines, thereby reducing your visibility.
A website that is not mobile-friendly will have less traffic, low conversion rates and low revenues. You do not want this for your website. That is why you need to have proper measures in place to make your eCommerce website mobile-friendly. You can watch the attached video to learn how you can create a mobile-friendly website.
Before you embark on creating a mobile-friendly eCommerce website, it is also vital that you know how to establish whether your website is mobile-friendly. An easy and quick way to find out whether your site is mobile-friendly is using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool.
#3. Use the HTTPS Protocol
The Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, popularly abbreviated as HTTPS, is a web transfer protocol that allows for the safe transfer of information between two points on the internet. The HTTPS protocols use the SSL certificate to add an extra security layer to online transactions and information exchanges. Without the SSL certificate, the communication will happen through plain texts. Intruders can easily target such insecure communications to read and alter their intended meaning.
Google now uses the HTTPS factor to rank websites. Websites with the SSL certificate will appear higher in position than HTTP websites. If you need to reign in the top pages of search engines, you must start considering purchasing and installing an SSL certificate on your website. SSL certificates are not so expensive. With a cheap wildcard SSL certificate, you can purchase cheaply and quickly secure an unlimited number of first-level subdomains under the chosen primary domain.
Additionally, Google uses the SSL certificate factor as a tie-breaker when two or more websites have tied in all the other ranking factors.
#4. Improve Website Speeds
Page speed is now one of Google’s most crucial page ranking factors to rank websites in the results pages. The most accurate answer to whether page speed affects website ranking is a big YES. The speed of your eCommerce website will affect your search engine ranking directly. Websites with a high loading speed will appear on top of those that take too long to load. If you plan to hit the first pages in the search engines, you better start by optimizing your page speeds.
Apart from having a direct impact on website rankings, page speeds can also indirectly affect SEO. As you already know, most web visitors prefer using websites that load faster. If your visitors find your page speeds slow to their disliking, they will immediately exit your site.
In the end, low speeds will lead to high bounce rates and reduced dwell time, both of which negatively affect your rankings in search engines. For the sake of your users and your search engine positions, it is time you started thinking about optimizing your page speeds.
#5. Invest In Curating Rich, Relevant, Quality Content
Quality content is one of the top three ranking factors that Google considers when ranking websites. Having quality content will thus greatly help you to rank in search engines. One of the main objectives of Google is to deliver what they refer to as “Useful and relevant results” to the users. This means that if your content has to bring any SEO values to your business, it needs to benefit the searchers.
Investing in quality content that brings value to the searchers will significantly impact your SEO rankings. You must ensure that your content is as captivating as possible. It should be free from any grammar and spelling mistakes. Such valuable content is what will take you to the top of search engine results pages.
#6. Use Internal Links to Boost Your Traffic
An internal link is a hyperlink that points from one page to a specific page on the same website within the same domain. Internal linking is an important SEO factor that we ought to put into consideration. Google and other search engines use links to follow website content and to rank content in search engines. With the correct links, you will be able to guide your users through your website. You should ensure that you work with internal links to improve your SEO.
#7. UX Website Design Matters for SEO
You have probably heard of the proverb- What is good for the goose is good for the gander, Yes, and what is good for your website visitors is good for organic search performance. Users who have a great experience on your website will stay for long on your website. On the other hand, web visitors who have a bad experience with your websites will immediately exit your website. Such a website will have high bounce rates and low dwell time, negatively impacting SEO.
#8. Allow Customers Feedback and Reviews
Let us start with what is obvious. Positive customer feedback and reviews are good for a business. One of the things that users do nowadays when looking for a company is going to Google and choosing a company with a five-star rating.
The more stars your website has, the more clicks you will receive. In short, having positive reviews will increase your click-through rate and your conversion rates. If you do not have a customer review section, it is time you start planning about having one on your website.
#9. Avoid Creating Duplicate Content
Duplicate content refers to the blocks of content that resemble one another. Duplicate content might occur naturally or result because of content thefts. Either way, you should not allow it on your website because it can negatively impact your SEO.
Although Google does not impose any penalties for duplicate content, similar content does confuse Google because it would not know which content to rank top. There is a chance that the original content owner would not rank top in search engines. As you create your content, you should be keen to avoid creating duplicate content.
Conclusion
The reason you have an eCommerce website is that you want to be visible online. To be visible, you need to follow some fundamental Search Engine Optimization guidelines. It is about time you started appearing on top of your competitors.
As mentioned above, the most cost-effective and quick way to do that is by acquiring a Wildcard SSL certificate. Some of the top cheap Wildcard SSL certificates that you can consider are; Thawte Wildcard SSL, Geotrust Wildcard SSL, RapidSSL Wildcard, and Symantec Wildcard SSL. This article has given you nine practical SEO tips that will help you increase your ranks in Search Engine Results Pages.