5 golden rules of SEO for e-commerce sites

When you’re trying to improve any process, it’s best to get the basics right before you start fine-tuning. While large sites like Amazon are working hard for an extra 0.0001% improvement in sales, many small and new e-commerce sites, however, haven’t covered the basics. Here are boxChilli’s 5 golden rules of SEO for e-commerce sites to start you off.

1. Write full product descriptions

Complete product descriptions offer multiple benefits. They make it easier for customers to decide if they want your item, and they also make it easier for search engines to spot your listing and show it to a customer. While search terms like ‘boy’s bike’ might get plenty of hits, there are also people searching for ‘child’s bike unisex 12in wheels yellow with stabilizers’. A search engine can’t tell from a photo if that’s exactly what you’re selling or not, so use words.

2. Don’t copy text from press releases or manufacturers

As well as copyright implications, pasted text is often penalized by search engines. While it’s tempting to simply copy the description from the back of the box, this will make your web shop look just the same as every other one out there. In SEO terms, you’ll take a hit and your usability will fall, too. A professional copywriter can provide unique text at affordable rates if you prefer not to write your own material.

3. Use exact model details prominently

Not every visitor will be looking for a particular version of a product, but those who are looking for exactly what you’re selling are the low-hanging fruit of e-commerce SEO. Make it easy for visitors and search engines alike to find your exact product information by putting model and brand names in titles and headings. URLs and navigation should also use clear brand names and model details. These often-overlooked areas are heavily relied on by search engines and users alike when assessing the reliability of a particular website.

4. Don’t use terms that aren’t relevant

Responsive pages that throw together a collection of your products based on the terms a user searched for are great – if they’re accurate. Using terms on your webpage that don’t relate to the exact products being displayed can put a serious dent in your sales and also affect your SEO. If you have tennis rackets in your e-commerce store, it’s fine to advertise them with a link from your golfing page. It’s not OK to mention golfing if you don’t have any golf products though.

5. Avoid creating multiple similar pages

Providing search results is great, but try to avoid creating multiple similar landing pages, collections or navigational areas. Duplicate content can reduce the effectiveness of your e-commerce website in multiple ways. For users, it can be confusing and hard to find a particular product and web traffic will also be split between multiple pages, making each one look less effective.

Our SEO director Matt Atkinson knows all there is to know about SEO, and SEO for e-commerce sites. If you are a business based in Portsmouth, Hampshire or surrounding areas and would like to find out more about our golden rules of SEO, or would like find out more about other digital services available please visit our pages, view our portfolio or make contact with our web design and digital marketing team. We really like to talk.

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