When running an e-commerce store there are a million things to consider – from brand guidelines to product categories, price ranges and delivery costs, the list is endless. But one of the most important things on that long list, which also encompasses all of the above, is on-page SEO. On-page (and off-page) SEO techniques vary depending on the type of store you have and the type of audience you’re targeting.
Whilst trial and error is the only definite technique to determine what will work best for your individual store, this article will provide a general list of the best ten techniques that work for businesses across the board.
Product Descriptions
Sell your product with the best copy you can. Whilst the product descriptions need to utilise keywords for the search engine, you should avoid using generic SEO copy or saturating it with keywords. Your copy needs to be unique to catch the search engine’s eye but also useful for your customers.
Product descriptions need to include the technical details for each induvial product. If a customer is dedicating time to looking through your products, you want them to find every tiny bit of information they need to help them make a decision. This includes relevant information about the materials or ingredients, size guides, weight, warranty, product functionality, and purpose.
Each product page should also have general information about delivery and your returns policy, so customers don’t have to leave the page to search for it.
Show Related Products
If people like what they see on your site and decide it’s something they want to buy, there’s a good chance they’ll check out some of your other products before they make the purchase. This is the perfect opportunity to upsell, and you can do this without the buyer even knowing you are.
Each product page should have a section of links to related products that your buyer might be interested in. Places like Amazon are experts at this, with sections of previously viewed products, buyers also bought this, and you might like…
Having links between related products allows customers to smoothly transition between pages and increases the likelihood of multiple products being purchased in one transaction.
Optimise Images
We all know that images attract web users better than any other tool, so you probably already have photos for every product page on your site. But we’re here to tell you that one image isn’t enough.
A series of detailed images from every side and angle of a product allows a buyer to feel like they have a good understanding of the product they’re purchasing. The more confident and informed they are about their purchase, the less likely they are to seek a return in future. By including a number of images the buyer experience goes up and customer loyalty increases.
Whilst it is crucial to include several images per product page, you need to keep usability in mind. Large pictures take up a lot of space and can slow page speed so make sure you monitor this and adjust when necessary.
Create Product Videos
Just like with images, videos allow customers insight into the product and also your brand.
If you are selling clothing, then include a video of a model wearing it. If you are selling tools, a video of them in use. Videos can be made about any and every product, but make sure you get creative and avoid generic ones that customers will have seen many times before.
Videos provide a unique opportunity to offer additional insight into a product, highlight what is unique about it, show how to use it and offer comparisons between related products.
Videos can also put a face to your brand, so customers feel more inclined to trust your shop, especially if it exists in the online space only.
Feature Customer reviews
Every good e-commerce store has customer reviews somewhere (whether that’s through paid advertisement, homepage, videos etc).
Including customer reviews on product pages are a great way to gain user trust without having to do any hard work. It’s essentially optimising user-generated content that is already available to you.
It’s also a good idea to interact with the reviews – i.e. respond to them, thank customers, answer any questions – so users can see engagement.
Be mindful to keep your customer reviews an authentic space. Don’t try to cheat the system by writing your own reviews, and make sure your reviews are unique and crawlable so the search engine can take advantage of them too.
Start a Live Chat
Whilst this might not seem like a very important tool on your site, it can be the difference between a sale and a user leaving your site.
Real-time customer support through a live chat means customers aren’t required to dedicate time to find out extra information about a product by calling or emailing. Not many customers are likely to do this.
Once your live chat is up and running pay attention to user experience and make sure you ask for feedback on wait time and the help that is offered.
Show Authenticity
Buying online can be a risky thing given the number of scammers lurking on the web. Providing extra details about your company (and putting a face to the brand if possible) will increase user trust.
Include details such as:
– An about us page
– Your company address
– Credit card security
– A phone number
– Delivery details
– Refund policy
Put these details somewhere clear and accessible for customers to make your site legitimate.
Keep Product Pages Up To Date
Keeping your product pages up-to-date may seem obvious, but it’s not always on the top of the priority list. Keeping pages up-to-date is especially important on on-site e-commerce product pages that list a lot of products – new releases, discontinued items etc can all cause problems if you don’t keep content up to date on the page. Be specific about release dates for different items, discontinuation dates of sold-out items, specific availability on backorder items.
You can’t do on-page search engine optimization on product pages on your e-commerce site if the information on them is outdated – so remember to update them on a regular basis. Doing this regularly will help you give users the best possible on-site experience. You want people who come to your products page to feel like they can trust the information provided so they can buy with confidence.
Manage Your Page’s Speed & Responsiveness
No web user is going to wait around for a site to load. The competition is too fierce, and for every product you have, there’s a similar one to be found on another site.
Managing your page speed and responsiveness (i.e. does every button or link work) ensures high customer satisfaction, loyalty and sales.
Have A Clear Call To Action
Whether you are an e-commerce store or not, every website needs a call to action. Have a clear idea of what you want your customers to do, and make it the common-sense thing.
If you’re selling a product, make sure the “buy” button is in the most visible spot. Give it a bright colour and readable font so that it’s eye-catching and easy to click. This is especially important on mobile.
If your e-commerce store takes bookings, provide a calendar that is easy to use and up-to-date.
And finally, include easy to see social media links to encourage your customers to follow your brand and stay up-to-date with new product releases, media campaigns, special offers and sales.
For more information about e-commerce on-page SEO or to see how AMS Digital can help you, contact us here.