Welcome to the present-day world where online shopping has become a norm. Most people shop online because today, you can shop comfortably from your sofa using your mobile device.
Due to this very thing, by 2027, it has been estimated that almost half of all the items sold globally will be through online sources. Yes! This comes to 41% of all sales from eCommerce websites. This number was a meager 18% seven years back in 2017. That is a significant change!
Look at this table to see how quickly online shopping has grown since 2021:
| Year | Retail E-commerce Sales Globally (in US Dollars) |
| 2021 | 4.98 trillion |
| 2022 | 5.29 trillion |
| 2023 | 5.82 trillion |
| 2024 | 6.33 trillion |
| 2025 | 6.86 trillion |
| 2026 | 7.41 trillion |
| 2027 | 7.96 trillion |
(Source)
This significant jump in online shopping means making your eCommerce website the best it can be, which is more important than ever. Want to know how to succeed? Keep reading, and I will share some great tips to aid your online store stand out!
Copy These Success Mantras to Krack the Code for eCommerce Website Optimization
Let us dive into the success mantras to help you ace the eCommerce website optimization process.
1. Get Smart with Your Keyword Research
ECommerce websites fail to prove their potential because every other online store uses the same old tactics. Remember, SEO is dynamic, and strategies keep evolving with time. What worked great earlier might not be the best practice for your store today.
Most people will advise you to research keywords using a tool like Google’s Keyword Planner or locate keywords with the highest search volume and CPC terms. But that will not win the race.
- Use Search Intent-Based Keyword
We advise you to find the search intent behind every keyword you plan to use on your online store. This will aid you in ranking better on SERPs.
Even Google has started to give high priority to search intent-based keywords. The reason was to ensure that eCommerce stores do not abuse using keyword-spammy articles with little value or by paying for low-quality backlinks to their website.
- Synchronize the pages based on the Search Intent
While trying to create new webpages on your eCommerce store, the best thing to do is include search intent-based keywords for particular pages. For example, you can include keywords like Jewelry store that describe your business on the Homepage.
Next, use mid-funnel keywords for category pages to give users a fair idea of the type of product they shop for, such as gold earrings. You can even include long-tail keywords here. You can include product-specific modifiers like golden earrings on the product pages.
Keep the keywords that help resolve users’ problems in the articles and blog posts. For example, you can create a post like – 5 Most-Preffered Jewelries to Gift Your Partner This Valentine’s Day.
- Look Out for Keyword Opportunities
Try to answer specific questions that will help you get the essential keywords to target your customers and the store, like:
- Who is likely to search for jewelry?
- What occasion makes them search for jewelry?
- What words are they using to search for jewelry?
- Are there more searches performed on mobile devices or desktops?
- What is making people search for jewelry?
- Where is the exact location of the target audience?
The answers to these questions can help you find the pertinent search intents and topics to help you target your online store. You can commence by linking the existing web pages with every topic and intent. Then, start searching for keywords that can be used on every webpage.
- Use Keyword Research
Now that you have a fair idea of associating keywords for each webpage, the next step is to use a keyword research tool to commence a list. We suggest using Semrush, Ubersuggest, and Ahrefs for keyword research.
You should even use a Google search bar to suggest long-tail keywords that people use for jewelry. Next, use a Surfer SEO plugin to check the estimated monthly volume, CPC, and keyword difficulty.
For already existing content, you can perform a content gap analysis to locate the keywords it is already ranking for and those it can use from competitor sites in the future.
- Give Priority to Your Keyword Targets
Once you have a list of keywords and their associated long-tail keywords, the next step is to examine the competitor keywords from the analysis done in the earlier step.
2. Optimize Your Product Pages to Climb on Top of SERPs
How often have you seen product pages on an eCommerce store that are not getting enough conversion rates? It is all because they are not appropriately optimized for search bots and their ultimate users. Here are some of the things that will help your product pages on an online store to get on top of SERPs:
First, you should use relevant, search-intent-based keywords that reflect the product page you are showcasing. You can use Google Search to get a fair idea of the right search-intent keyword for your specific product page.
- Use Different Titles for Different Product Pages
However, never make the mistake of using similar titles for different product pages. This confuses Google’s algorithm, and they might penalize you over a long time.
The best resort is to ensure that no two titles are identical for any product page. Also, check whether the titles on the product pages are short and to the point. It should give readers a fair idea about your product in one glance.
- Write Creative CTAs
The CTAs on your product pages should be engaging and prompt users to take immediate action. However, do not use long sentences, as they do not help retain users’ attention spans for a long time. Never make your online store’s meta title and description long and confusing.
Ensure the H1 title you use resonates with the user’s search intent. Product descriptions should be search-optimized.
- Use HTTPs in URLs
Finally, using HTTPs in URLs is a must to ensure your website’s security. Uppercase letters and special characters should be avoided at all times. Make sure that you optimize the eCommerce website for mobiles.
Encourage users to post reviews and ratings on your eCommerce store. Put customer photos and testimonials on your online store.
Always use canonical tags to ensure no duplicate content on your eCommerce store. Link related products and categories properly. Your store should have proper indexing for it to get reflected on search engines.
3. Design a User-Friendly eCommerce Site That People Love to Stay For Longer Durations
The first impression of your user is formed after looking at the design of your online store. Hence, it is best to design it considering your brand identity. Ensure that your store’s most critical data is above the fold.
- Excessive White Space
Lots of white space can distract the users, and they might stop browsing your online store. Hence, consider bringing items close together. Also, ensure that your online store has a minimalistic design so that it does not sound like an advert. Use industry symbols to ensure that your users are on the same page.
- Popup Windows
Popup windows are a thing of the past because they distract users’ attention. So, never allow a popup window when your users are about to shop from your online store.
- Seamless Product Search Feature
The product search feature should be so seamless that users find the product of their choice effortlessly. This will help them stay longer on your store. To do that, enable auto-search functionality, sorting, and filtering results on your store.
- A Simple and Straightforward Checkout Process
Finally, ensure that your online store’s checkout process is hassle-free. Most of the time, eCommerce store owners are guilty of having a lengthy checkout process that makes the users back out at the last minute. Don’t let this affect your sales figures!
Keep the checkout process simple with a few steps. Do not ask the users to log in to pay for the products. Provide different payment options so that users find their preferred payment method easily. These steps help users return to the store and see a repeat value.
4. Get Ahead with Technical SEO Enhancements
In 2024, we learned that technical SEO is one of the best tools to strengthen your eCommerce store’s global outreach. This includes crawlability and indexability. Everyone knows a page cannot rank until and unless it is indexed. Crawlers are software search engines like Google that are utilized to discover content online. Here are some ways to strengthen technical SEO on your online store.
- URL Structure
First, pay attention to your store’s URL structure. Integrate keywords in the URL to ensure SEO optimization.
For example, if you have a jewelry store, we suggest using the term elegant jewelry to improve the URL structure of your store. The eCommerce store should be responsive using a mobile-friendly design. This is the last thing you can do for your online store.
- Optimize Image Size
Optimize image size so that your store does not take long to load. Also, avoid unnecessary scripts and plugins.
- Caching
We recommend using caching to reduce page loading time. Remember, Google considers these technical aspects crucial to ranking your store online.
- Meta Title and Description Optimization
Using appropriate heading tags and optimizing your meta title and descriptions are essential. Use image tags, including alternative text, specifically to depict images.
Internal linking should also be done correctly. Use descriptive anchor text so that users know beforehand what they can expect after clicking on the URL.
Structured markups and schema.org are crucial aspects of technical SEO. Remember, reputed search engines like Google consider an online store without a sitemap dead.
- Perform Local SEO
Remember to do local SEO, which helps your store appear domestically. You must provide your contact details and list your online store on local directories to do that. Add SSL certificates to ensure that any online hacker does not threaten your site.
5. Great Content is Like Holy Gospel for Your eCommerce Website
Writing quality content is essential for e-commerce stores that are moving hard. This includes writing informative and persuasive blog posts to drive more website traffic.
Is using lots of keywords to rank your blog higher on SERPs no longer mandatory? o! The most important thing is to provide genuine answers to customers’ queries by resonating with their problems.
When discussing the word count ideal for online content, it is interesting to note that long-form content typically ranks better on SERPs. If you search for any blog on Google, you will find the top ten blogs, with more than 2000 words taking the top spot.
The best thing you can do as a store owner is to affiliate with writers to create buying guides, listicles, and trending blogs that will enrich your audience and attract customers to your eCommerce store.
6. Build Credibility with Quality Backlinks for Your eCommerce Website
Backlinks are vital to making your content authoritative, relevant, and quality-driven in the eyes of your target audience.
So, the key is approaching authoritative domains in your industry and requesting that they exchange links with your content.
The most important thing here is the relevance factor. There was a time when SEO professionals used to request any Tom, Dick, and Harry company to exchange links, but that practice is gone out of the wind today. Here are some white hat techniques to help you build quality backlinks for your eCommerce site.
- High-Quality Content
Generate high-quality content to create curiosity in the minds of other players in your industry to associate with your brand. As suggested earlier, writing long-form blogs is the right approach to building the authority of your eCommerce store in your domain.
- Outreach to Reputed Bloggers
You can even contact bloggers in different niches and exchange links to build your credibility in the market.
- Perform a Competitor Analysis to find Broken Links
We suggest you take this approach to the next level by performing a competitor analysis and seeing whether there are any broken links. If you find several, approach the company and suggest how you can help them create quality-driven backlinks in exchange for replacing the broken ones.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Let us now look at some common mistakes eCommerce shop owners make while performing SEO on their online stores:
Not Keeping a Close Watch on Your Online Credibility
It is vital to monitor what people say about your brand, both positively and negatively. We do not mean to suggest that you always open the Google search bar to see what others are saying. But by setting a simple Google alert with your brand’s name or even your website address, you can receive notifications anytime someone speaks about your brand online.
This helps you stay vigilant about your brand’s happenings and respond quickly to reduce any damages caused by anyone.
Ignoring to Respond Negative/Neutral Reviews
It is typical for an eCommerce store to receive negative or neutral reviews. However, not replying to them or considering them might prove to be damaging to your online reputation.
The best thing you can do is to respond to the user and guide them so that you can achieve an amicable resolution. Once satisfied, you can ask them to delete the negative or neutral review.
Making the Purchase Process Overly Complex
Most eCommerce stores today are guilty of making their checkout process very complicated by including multiple steps. They even prompt the users to register. This wastes their valuable time and makes them move to another online store.
The best thing you can do to ensure this does not happen is to make the checkout process only a few simple steps. This will make the users enjoy shopping and visiting your online store repeatedly.
Improper Audience Segmentation
Every person has preferences, so an eCommerce store owner needs to consider them. Do that by using AI tools to set automatic product recommendations and provide suggestions to users based on their previous interactions on your online store. You can even set automatic recommendations like people also buy and best-selling products to make it easier for users to make the purchase decision.
Drive More Conversions by Making Your eCommerce Website SEO-Friendly Today!
Now that you know how SEO can help your online store, it’s time to start using these ideas. By making your website better for SEO, you’re not only making it easier for people to find, but you are also helping it sell more and do better. Every small change you make improves how people use your site and makes it more trustworthy. This ultimately results in more sales and happier customers. So don’t delay…Improve your website today and see your online store succeed in the busy online world!
