An appealing e-commerce design, fast page loading, intuitive navigation, mobile responsiveness, and a clear, comprehensive product offering are key factors affecting the attractiveness of an online store. These elements are particularly crucial for users exploring its features and offerings.
But how do you attract visitors to your e-commerce site who are not yet aware of your business? One of the most effective and efficient solutions for generating quality traffic is online store optimization. Its advantages include a low entry threshold for investment and potentially high returns. So, where should you begin with online store optimization strategy?
The key to a successful online store is visibility on the web, particularly in search engines like Google. To rank highly for a wide range of keywords, you need to prioritize proper store optimization. Ideally, this should be planned even before the website’s launch, during the design phase.
Building an online store starts with choosing a platform that supports all your operational needs. While inventory management and seamless payment options are important, they’re not sufficient if your goal is to run a business that performs well in search engines. Not all platforms allow full flexibility for optimization, such as unrestricted changes to settings or template code. So, what should you focus on?
Below are the most important guidelines for online stores (including typical e-commerce sites and those promoting services).
User-Friendly URLs
Many popular e-commerce platforms still do not offer full flexibility in customizing subpage addresses. It is therefore advisable to select a platform that allows URLs to be as user-friendly as possible, for example: store-name.com/blue-baby-blanket.html instead of store-name.com/category/subcategory/123-blue_blanket_121342thbkguad7y.html.
Ability to Modify Title and Meta Description
These two elements represent your store in search engine results. The ability to customize them individually for selected keywords significantly simplifies optimization and increases the likelihood of success in search rankings. A well-chosen title and description provide users with clear expectations of what the page offers, even while they are still browsing search results.
Headers H1, H2, H3, H4
If you’re serious about optimazing your online store, get acquainted with headers! Why? No one likes reading a “wall of text”—thousands of characters merged into one block. Content should be divided into visually appealing paragraphs, separated by headers like H1, H2, and H3. This structure improves readability and signals search engine crawlers about the topic of each section, enhancing the page’s SEO value.
Keyword Research for Your Online Store
This requires analyzing competitors and identifying what matters for your business. A crucial step in an online store’s SEO strategy is deciding whether to compete head-on using popular keywords or to focus on niche terms (or long-tail keywords) to build a stronghold in less crowded areas.
Keyword Research: A Critical Component for Online Store Success
Conducting systematic and regular keyword analysis is essential for understanding customer needs, optimizing website content, and improving ranking in Google search results. Where to start?
- Define Your Target Audience
Identify the group you want to reach with your advertising messages, e-commerce offers, or services. Study their main pain points, preferences, priorities, and communication style. This insight helps tailor your offerings to meet their needs effectively.
- Create a List of Key Keywords
Compile a list of essential keywords that align with what your potential customers are searching for and what your store offers. Focus on high-search-volume keywords with low competition, as they are the most effective for SEO.
- Incorporate Local Searches
Include local keywords in your strategy to attract customers from your region, enhancing your relevance to nearby shoppers.
- Analyze Competitors
Review which keywords your competitors are targeting and use this information to develop a unique SEO strategy for your online store.
- Commit to Continuous Improvement
Remember, consistency and diligence are vital. SEO for online stores is an ongoing process. Regularly assess your keywords and adjust your content and strategy accordingly to maintain relevance and visibility.
Tools that can help in keyword research
There are various tools that enable keyword research, such as Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz Keyword Explorer, KWFinder, and many others. These tools allow you to discover popular searches, related phrases, competition, and search query volumes.
Content in e-commerce stores – key recommendations
Google is a text-based search engine, so valuable and interesting content on the page is essential. It is based on this content that search engine crawlers assess whether the website’s content matches the query entered into the search engine. It is worth mentioning here that we are referring to text available to them – visible in the page code and published on pages included in the indexing process.
Google’s crawlers prefer e-commerce websites that:
- Contain larger text blocks – the homepage should include at least 1000 characters (including spaces), while most subpages should contain 750 characters. Not every page needs this much content – it would be difficult, for instance, to artificially add this amount to a “contact” page.
The text posted in the e-commerce store should be unique and not appear on any other website, portal, directory, etc. This also applies to product descriptions, which are often duplicated in online stores (e.g., provided by the distributor and known to be approved by them). It is worth putting in the effort to create original and unique product descriptions that, in addition to their SEO advantages, can also capture the attention of a potential customer who won’t feel a sense of déjà vu (“I’ve read this somewhere before…”). Using the language of benefits is also effective.
The content posted in the e-commerce store should be separated by subheadings; this is to avoid the effect of a text “wall.” Any diversions in the form of headers, bolding sections of text, or other types of emphasis, including images, charts, links, etc., are welcomed by search engine crawlers. Of course, it is worth considering whether this fits our concept of presenting the offer. Using subheadings is certainly the easiest in terms of technical implementation and the visual design of the given page.
The text placed in your e-commerce store should be correct in terms of language, spelling, and style. It should also effectively use terms that potential customers are likely to use when searching for the products we offer – search engine crawlers will not display a website that does not contain the query in its content.
Good to know…
Google’s crawlers handle common spelling mistakes, so there is no need to introduce a variant of a word with incorrect spelling in the text published within the e-commerce store (which, in any case, would not leave a good impression on visitors to the website).
If possible, modify content and continuously enrich it – adding a new tab, description, additional information, etc., causes the website to be indexed more frequently by Google’s crawlers.
It is advisable to regularly add new texts to your e-commerce store. An obvious solution in this case is to add new products and create unique descriptions for them. Another method is to run a blog or add news to your website.
Important!
Avoid content duplication within your e-commerce store. Duplicated text brings no SEO benefits and can slow down the whole process. A duplicate is not a plagiarism. It refers to content being reproduced in different places on the internet, regardless of whether it was done voluntarily or the text was copied without knowledge or consent. Using ready-made texts provided by the manufacturer or distributor is often the most convenient solution from an organizational standpoint. However, if effective SEO is a priority, it’s worth preparing such content yourself.
Category Descriptions for the Store
A kind of “hello” directed at new users. It allows you to guide them through your world, i.e., the online store, tell its story, and create the right atmosphere. Once you get to know each other better and gain trust, it will be easier to offer solutions in the form of the products you provide.
The description of the e-commerce store category must be engaging, valuable, and… also optimized for SEO! Since the content typically spans 1500 – 2500 characters, it provides enough space to enrich the text with main keywords and headings.
Product Descriptions in Online Stores
A properly prepared product description in an online store brings many benefits, not just from an SEO perspective. It can also help users in making decisions during their shopping process.
When a customer browses through a traditional store, they rely on information from labels and tags, often basing their cart contents on a conversation with the salesperson. In the virtual world, all the information comes from the product page text.
Remember this when creating content for your website. Let it be interesting and comprehensively describe the product and the benefits of using it. Before creating the description, you may also consider what potential questions the customer might ask when typing them into the Google search bar. Make sure they find the answers on your website!
What are the characteristics of a good text prepared with the customer in mind?
- It accurately describes the appearance and functionality of the product.
- It provides answers to the most common questions and dispels popular doubts about the product.
- It is easy to read – includes headings, lists, and technical data is presented in a table. This format of information presentation is clear and positively influences the reception of the text.
When considering these same points from an SEO perspective, it is easy to see that a text written for the customer and for search engine bots is essentially the same:
- Detailed descriptions provide more space for keywords and their synonyms. A larger volume of text also allows for the expansion of the keyword pool to include long-tail keywords.
- The long-tail keywords point also connects with another aspect. Search engine users often enter questions directly into the search box. To better adapt the SERPs to their needs, Google introduced Featured Snippets, which are highlighted (above the top 10!) fragments containing an answer. By including appropriately formulated questions and answers on your page, you have a chance to appear above the competition.
- Google bots excel at reading HTML code and selecting data within it. Using keywords in headings like h1, h2, h3 indicates that these are the most important phrases on the page. In paragraphs containing the main content, keywords should be highlighted using bold text (strong). Lists and tables are additional elements that enhance the description and positively influence its reception by search engines.
A well-prepared description requires a significant amount of effort but is the right path to success in search engine results. Taking the “shortcut,” such as using product descriptions provided by manufacturers, works against you. The more popular the product, the higher the chance its description will be duplicated by competitors. Google does not look favorably on content duplication, and there is a risk that repeated duplicates may be removed from the search index. To avoid penalties, we encourage developing your own product description style and using it consistently across all product pages.
The language of benefits and clever wordplay are also invaluable. If you lack the talent for creating engaging text, you can always hire experts for content optimization.
Blog Content – Recommendations for Creating Blog Posts
A well-managed company blog is a simple (though admittedly labor-intensive) way to:
- Create content that informs Google bots about the website or store’s topics. It will help attract customers searching for information on a specific topic or product in search engines. When done thoughtfully and according to plan, it can have a positive impact on e-commerce SEO.
- Build trust and reinforce your position as an expert. A company blog with valuable information about the products offered in the store serves as confirmation that the e-commerce platform is trustworthy, and thus, it is worth using its services.
These two values are intertwined and it’s hard to determine whether a well-managed company blog increases the store’s credibility, with SEO improvement being a desirable side effect, or if, conversely, the blog simultaneously boosts the brand’s reputation as an expert and improves rankings for phrases related to the blog posts.
Content Ideas for Blogs in E-commerce:
- Comparison of top products from the same category.
- Comparison of products from the same category in different price ranges – for example, baby strollers under 300, 500, and 1000 PLN, with descriptions of their features.
- Product suggestions that address specific needs and solve concrete problems – for instance, computers for video editing, pressure washers, drones for filming, gloves for specific combat sports.
- How-to guides – how to perform a specific task using a given product/category of products – for example, rust removal from jewelry, installing security systems, and more, using products from the store’s assortment.
- Important company events – note: such posts should be published rarely and contain more than just a dry report. The truth is, even if a customer likes your store, they probably don’t care that your revenue increased by 21.37% last year or that the head of product development changed. Often, it’s better to avoid this type of content than to publish it in a stiff and uninspiring way. From an SEO perspective, such posts can potentially improve rankings for brand-related queries.
When writing blog posts, remember not only to choose interesting topics that align with customers’ expectations and interests but also to use proper structure and incorporate relevant keywords. This will help both search engine bots (and users!) find your published content. If you’re creating blog posts, make sure to do it well, for everyone’s benefit!
Subdomain or Subpage?
If you are wondering whether a subdomain or a subpage is the better option, we recommend that, from an SEO perspective, it’s better to have a blog as part of the main website, functioning as a subpage accessible under an address like www.company-name.com/blog.
Length of Blog Posts
The length of blog posts should be adapted to the topic, ensuring that the text feels complete and thoroughly addresses the given issue, while remaining concise and easy to read for the audience. Blog posts can vary in length, but as a general rule, the minimum length should be 1000-1200 characters (including spaces). The upper limit depends on the topic, its competitiveness, and the goal we want to achieve. On our blog, we occasionally publish texts that contain more than 20,000 characters with spaces!
Frequency of Publishing Blog Posts
There is no strict rule for how often blog posts should be published. They don’t have to appear daily or at perfectly regular intervals. We recommend publishing 4-7 unique posts per month, focusing more on their substance than on the frequency of publication. Longer posts that provide more information are generally better received by both readers and Google.
Using Keywords in Blog Posts
When writing blog posts, it is important to use the keywords selected for optimizing your site. Each post should contain at least 1-2 keywords that are being targeted. Avoid overusing a single keyword across multiple posts. The frequency of a keyword in a dedicated post should range from 1-3 occurrences, depending on the length of the text and the natural use of the keyword.
The keyword should be used in its base (non-inflected) form whenever possible and should not be separated by other words. Not every post needs to include keywords—use them when the post is genuinely related to the keyword you are optimizing for.
It’s also a good idea to use bold formatting for key expressions or the keywords themselves (use bold sparingly and naturally).
Text Structure
The preferred format for blog posts is to divide the text into paragraphs, blocks, and sections. A good idea is to use frames or informational boxes. The text on a blog should not visually appear as a solid block. To ensure natural and logical content division, it is helpful to use titles and subtitles (marked as h1, h2, h3, depending on the length and planned text structure). It is advisable that titles and subtitles (where possible) contain relevant keywords.
Internal and External Links
Blog posts can contain links (anchored in the text or graphics) leading to specific subpages or products related to the post’s content. If you plan to include links in your posts, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- A link does not need to be included in every post.
- It is recommended to add 1-2, and a maximum of 3 links per post; the number of links should be based on the length of the text (longer texts may have more links).
- Links can be added both in the text and in the graphics.
- If the blog contains external links (leading to other websites not owned by your company, such as other blogs or external shops), these should be marked as “nofollow.”
Adding Customer Reviews
Regularly adding unique content to your online store from an SEO perspective is a very good idea. A blog, news section, or customer reviews/testimonials section can serve as a means to update the page content.
In addition, displaying customer reviews on the homepage brings another advantage. It leverages social proof, which helps support purchasing decisions. If others have used your services and were satisfied, why not join the group of happy customers, right?
Why It’s Worth Adding New Content
Publishing new content related to the offerings presented on your website or in your online store can lead to better domain indexing by Google, which in turn can result in higher positions in the search engine results pages (SERPs). A website with more content and frequent updates is seen by Google as more valuable to users.
Including positive customer reviews within the store not only has obvious branding benefits but also allows you to incorporate industry-related keywords into the page content. It’s also a way to validate the quality of services provided, which can help customers make informed purchasing decisions.
Gathering positive reviews can also be easier and more convenient than managing a blog or news section. Not all types of businesses are suitable for blogging, but every business can receive reviews or testimonials.
Customer reviews can also be used for internal linking — these are links leading to specific subpages, products, or services mentioned in the review.
Image Optimization
Being one of the key elements addressed in the optimization of an online store. It involves adjusting the images used on the domain for search engines, ensuring they are properly displayed and processed. The goal of optimization is to improve the visibility of the website in search results and enhance the user experience while browsing the content. The latter significantly impacts the bounce rate and the finalization of transactions.
What should be particularly considered when optimizing images in e-commerce? Among others:
- File size and format – in this case, less means more! As long as there is no loss of quality. A lighter file will not burden the website and will not negatively impact the time required for it to load completely. And that’s definitely a plus! Just make sure to use the correct formats – JPEG for photos and PNG for vector graphics.
- File names and alt tags – the file name should describe the content of the image, and the alt tag should contain a brief description of the image.
- Description and tags – they should be included in the product description and tags to make them easier for search engine bots to find.
- Mobile compatibility – it is essential to ensure that images are properly optimized for mobile devices, so the website is easy to browse on phones and tablets. This is an absolute must-have nowadays.
Access to Files (FTP)
When choosing an online platform without FTP access, we are limited to what the purchased subscription allows and the goodwill of the provider’s technical support. Sometimes, this solution works, for example, when there is a need to perform a larger number of URL redirects, and cooperation proceeds without issues. Such an option can certainly be considered by small businesses not working with a team of IT specialists.
For larger stores, a better solution would be a platform that provides access to its files at any time, without being dependent on the working hours of the helpdesk.
Marika Kachaniak
Customer Success Manager
