Having an e-commerce website and expecting to succeed without SEO is like charging into battle with an empty gun and being shocked when your enemy invariably defeats you.

It’s not advised.

That said, just because you need SEO to thrive, it doesn’t mean that everything has to be overly complicated or expensive.

In fact, provided you follow the basics & best practices for SEO, you can quite easily take your e-commerce website to unimaginable heights.

Here’s everything you need to know…

1. Page load speed is more important than you think

Do not underestimate the importance of page load speed. In fact, not only will the speed at which your website loads impact your SEO, but your conversions as well.

Be honest, if you click on a website and you find yourself starting at a blank page for too long, are you going to stick around and spend your money?

The fact is, the first five seconds of page load time are paramount. However, the highest e-commerce conversion rates occur on pages that have load times between 0-2 seconds!

The good news is that the average mobile web page takes 15.3 seconds to load – which means that many businesses are seriously underestimating its importance.

2. Focus on the right keywords

Your chosen keywords are critical for the overall success of your SEO campaign. If you are focusing on keywords that are either too broad or competitive, then you’ll be making life much harder for yourself.

Carry out a thorough competitor analysis and see what your rivals are working on and then look at any gaps that you can start to fill.

Also, remember that user intent is an important consideration when it comes to choosing your keywords. For example, if you sell Cowboy hats and clothing in Dallas, you’ll need to get specific so that you aren’t confused with the world-famous Dallas Cowboys American Football team (e.g., “western Cowboy hats from Dallas”).

3. Create a powerful homepage

The homepage is essentially the shopfront of your online store. This should be designed and optimized carefully and with the intention of converting as many of those clicks to customers as possible.

Think carefully about your:

• Title tag
• Meta description
• Homepage content / sales copy
• Imagery
• Customer reviews
• Ease of navigation

The more time and effort you put into your homepage, the more likely your visitors will be to stick around and explore what your store has to offer.

4. Simplify your website

Your website’s architecture also plays a vital role in your SEO. Ideally, you want a seamless hierarchy of navigation that promotes an effortless journey from your home page, to your product categories, to the products listed within them, and finally to the checkout.

You need to make it as easy as possible for page visitors to find their way to the “Insert credit card details here” section.

5. Provide exceptional product descriptions

Your product pages will quite literally be the lifeblood of your e-commerce website and they should be given as much love and devotion as any other pages.

• The name of the product should be clear and concise and included in the URL (slug) of the page).
• The image/s should be optimized accordingly with the relevant alt tags and descriptions.
• You should size your images well and provide the various colour style options for the best results.
• Why not go one further and provide an educational video?
• Featured product reviews from previous customers go down a treat.
• FAQ content is the best way to overcome objections and keep visitors on the page.
• Add a thorough product description and bullet point all of the critical features.
• Make sure the “Add to basket” button is large and prominent.

Summary

While the above 5 e-commerce SEO tips are critical to your success, they’re not the only things that you should consider. SEO for e-commerce stores is far broader and requires greater research, however, the one thing that you will notice they all have in common is making things clear, concise, and easier for your customer. No matter what the future of e-commerce may hold, simplicity and user-friendliness will always remain a priority.

Think of the least tech-savvy person you know and optimize your e-commerce website with them in mind.

Feeling overwhelmed? Find yourself a reliable digital marketing agency that provides e-commerce SEO in Dallas and let the professionals to do all the hard work for you.