SEO optimization for an online store: why and how to do it?

The success of online sales largely depends on the ranking of sites in Internet search engines. E-commerce SEO services for online stores is a set of actions aimed at improving the position of a resource in search engines, it is used to eliminate technical errors in the pages, negatively affecting the indexing in search results.

E-commerce SEO optimization benefits

Today SEO is one of the best marketing investments available for businesses of all levels. This mechanism of search engine optimization allows you to capture the potential client in the so-called marketing funnel, which is both a tool and a concept that helps in sales management. Experts often distinguish a different number of stages of movement through the funnel, but in general they could be divided into three segments: attention, desire, action.

SEO promotion is necessary to improve the visibility of your website in the network and, accordingly, to attract potential customers. Thus, with the help of online store optimization, the customer gets involved in the funnel.

In addition to directly attracting the audience to the site, SEO allows:

  • Increase audience trust. People trust companies that rank high in the search engine. This is a psychological fact that must be taken into account, since it is trust that largely determines whether a potential customer becomes a real customer.
  • Save the advertising budget. The degree of effectiveness of SEO promotion is comparable to the effectiveness of expensive media advertising and costs much cheaper.
  • Obtain a stable result. The effect of optimization has a long-term perspective because the traffic after its implementation can be maintained for a long time, while the mainstream of advertising leaves after its termination.
  • Attract the target audience. SEO e commerce optimization takes into account the wording of search queries, so people coming to your site are usually interested in the product offered.

Stages of Search Engine Optimization

Before the start of optimization, market research, analysis of competitors and an audit of the site. Here they study the data of analytical services, assess these positions in search engines, its structure and conducted a detailed analysis, that is checking the parameters of the site, which are important for its promotion in the network. The list of parameters varies and depends on the type of site, its purpose and objectives, as well as the company providing the service.

Based on all the data obtained, a technical specification with recommendations for improving the resource. If the requirements are met after a competent audit, your online resource should not only hold the existing traffic but also to attract new users.

Search for keywords

SEO promotion of an online store starts with the definition of keywords, that is, those words that users often enter in the search box when looking for a desired product or service. To do this, you can use the search engine itself, paying attention to the autocomplete function.

At the bottom you can also see similar queries:

In addition, there are special services and professional tools to search for keywords.

The correctness of the selected keys is characterized by their relation to the following characteristics:

  • Frequency. Higher frequency of queries, more traffic.
  • Competitiveness. Lower competition for the word increases the likelihood of ranking for that key.
  • Relevance. The relevance of the products or categories presented on the page with the key.
  • Target. It is recommended to use keywords that indicate the commercial purpose of the site.

Creating the structure of the site

The site should be adapted for search engines, as well as for the user. The structure tends to become more complex as the store grows, so it is useful to build everything competently from the very beginning.

It's important to keep the structure simple and still have the potential to scale. Note that the fewer clicks separating each page from the main page, the better. 

The optimal structure should have the following:

  • Logic. Goods should be placed intuitively and very simply.
  • Shallow directories. Enough of 2-3 levels of nesting.
  • Clear names. Try not to use highly specialized terms.

SEO optimization of pages

After finding the keywords, structuring, and staffing the site, you need to optimize the pages. Below we will present you with some effective tips.