5 Basic Ecommerce SEO Tips Every Store Owner Should Not Miss

Search engine optimization (SEO) is unfamiliar territory for the majority of ecommerce store owners. However, this process is essential in helping you gain visibility and increase engagement on your website. Learning SEO is one way to take a step ahead of the competition and thrive in your niche.

Below, we’re sharing five basic tips for ecommerce SEO. You won’t need advanced knowledge to implement these strategies in your content. Done right, our tips can give you the edge that gets you noticed by potential customers. Keep reading to learn more!

Tip 1: Do Keyword Research

You may have learned that the key to creating relevant content is using keywords. However, it’s not as simple as simply adding keywords related to your product or service. You need to be deliberate and use phrases that are relevant to your target audience. So, how do you determine which keywords to use? Through keyword research.

Keyword research is one of the most fundamental steps in SEO, so we must stress its importance. This process involves finding the phrases used by your target audience in search engines. By incorporating the right phrases into your content, your pages become more relevant to visitors. The search engine will more likely show your website on the search engine results pages (SERPs).

More than making your content relevant, keyword research helps you understand the pulse of the market. You’ll be able to see what customers currently want through search volume. Having this knowledge helps you pivot your content strategies to trending topics. This benefit is essential in ecommerce, which is a dynamic industry.

Keyword research will require tools and software to facilitate the process. Some popular tools are:

• Google Keyword Planner
• Semrush
• TopicRanker
• Keyword Tool

Once you have your phrases, we recommend focusing on using long-tail keywords. These are the ones with four words or more. The people who use these phrases are usually the ones nearest to converting. Plus, you’re more likely to rank high since search volumes for long-tail keywords are usually low.

Tip 2: Add Keyword-Rich Title Tags for all Categories

The second of our ecommerce SEO tips is to include your chosen keywords whenever and wherever possible. One important element that needs keyword phrases is your title tag. Also called a meta title, the title tag is an HTML element that serves as a preview of the topic or product your page will have. This preview will appear on the SERPs, giving the site visitors an idea of what they’ll read about on your page.

A title tag should have a keyword for two reasons. First, a keyword-rich title tag helps improve your SEO results. Search engines will have an easier time crawling and indexing your page, making them more likely to show it on SERPs. So make sure to add title tags to all your product pages and categories. The second benefit is user experience. Since the visitor can get an idea of what the page will have, they’d be more likely to engage.

When creating keyword-rich title tags, we recommend using short-tail keywords. You need to stay between 50 and 60 characters so the entire title tag will show on SERPs. This means shorter phrases. After using the keyword, add the category for an even better user experience.

Tip 3: Create Thorough Product Descriptions Using Keywords

Product descriptions aren’t just there to inform customers about your offerings. These elements can serve as a way to increase your SEO rankings by incorporating the right keywords. With the phrases you found during keyword research, you can turn your product descriptions into engaging and converting content.

Focus on providing informative descriptions that address your customer’s pain points. For example, discuss the feature of a product then add a benefit statement that appeals to the reader. On the flip side, avoid using keywords too much. This practice is called keyword stuffing, and such acts could lead to penalties from search engines.

Tip 4: Write Content on Category Pages Using Keywords

Don’t neglect your category pages. Many ecommerce website owners focus on product pages, ignoring category pages when the latter is just as essential for SEO. Category pages are, in fact, much easier to optimize than product pages. You have freedom on the type and style of content, and you can add internal links that boost indexing.

The easiest way to incorporate more keywords into your category page is by creating blog post content. This format allows you to talk about various topics, giving more room for incorporating long-tail keywords. Another format is an informative guide to the items under the category, which allows you to discuss your products in a more general manner.

Tip 5: Plural and Singular Keywords Matter

Last on our list of tips for ecommerce SEO — nuance in keywords is important. You’ll want to optimize category pages with plural keywords and product pages with singular keywords. For example, the category page for men’s shoes can use “men’s running shoes” as a keyword. A product page, on the other hand, needs to be more specific. You can use specific brand names like “Adidas Samba OG” or “New Balance 530.”

These differences are connected to user intent. Those who use “men’s running shoes” in the search query may be in the earlier stages of the buyer journey. People who search for specific shoes are likely at the end of the purchase stage. It makes more sense for them to visit the specific product pages than a category page.

Tips for eCommerce SEO: Final Thoughts

Even the most basic changes to your SEO strategy can make a huge impact on your visibility and engagement. Implementing these five ecommerce SEO tips can significantly improve the visibility and performance of your online store in search engine results.

If you need help with keyword research and other steps, Kreidman is here to help. We’re your trusted ecommerce marketing partner offering an array of solutions. Contact us today to learn more.