ecommerce is big business. 2019 is set to see UK online spending grow further, on top of the predicted 14% growth of 2018.
We’ve prepared a list of tips that’ll ensure your site meets the most up to date requirements for SEO.
Stock item pages
- Offer alternatives for out of stock items – these could be the same product but by another brand, a newer or older models or colour variants
- Display information that helps your visitors know how soon they can expect re-stocking, offer email notifications or even voucher codes to encourage them becoming customers
URLs and links
- Use URLs of old models to drive users to the most up to date products, consider a 301 permanent redirect once the interest in legacy versions has dropped off
- Find relevant URLs that you can 301 redirect to to categories or subcategories
- Reuse old URLs where appropriate, such as for generic products that have the same purpose as the page’s original product
- Once a URL becomes useless, re purpose the product page as an informational page where visitors can find FAQs
- Hidden URLs and categories can still be found by search engines, so issue the URL with a 410 ‘gone’ header.
Search engines
- Don’t expect search engines to find new products, link the new URL from your homepage, and use the ‘Fetch as Google’ function in Search Console.
- Add coming soon pages for seasonal products. Include the year in the URL slug for products that are annual
- Provide unique content such as quotes, testimonials and reviews to products. Don’t just rely on using manufacturer provided copy
- Asses whether your keyword volume is adequate to justify multiple pages. If not, then a single page with a drop down menu is more suitable
- Write bespoke meta descriptions for important pages – flag up your unique selling points such as price, delivery and service
Category pages
- Treat category pages as something more. Go beyond boilerplate “this is category name page” copy, offer something genuinely useful. Ensure products benefit from content, architecture and internal linking
- Employ breadcrumbs on product and category pages that will help users
- Liberally use internal links to high priority pages as much as possible, but avoid auto-linking
Searching on your site
- Remember your internal site search! Track it with Google Analytics, work out which terms are being searched most often and use this to tailor your navigation
- Treat internal search pages as landing pages – from a user perspective. Ensure that products are relevant and internal links to other pages are available
- Ensure your page titles include the name of the category along with intent keywords, such as buy or online
Imagery and security
- Add valuable and original imagery if possible. Always remember to optimise them with descriptions and alt text and readable file names
- Leave visual clues to users on how legitimate you are – logos, review site badges, encryption verification, security and valid payment methods
- Ensure your server is properly configured to display your SSL certificate. Update internal and external links and third party tools to look at the correct version of your site
- Reduce file sizes of images without compromising the look to make sure pages load quickly
Text
- Use template text carefully! If information needs repeating on every page, create a single separate URL and link to there instead
- Where appropriate, write as long a description as you need. Descriptions on Amazon can be 2000+ words, and Google likes long form content
- However, keeps URLs as short as possible whilst retaining readability. Include primary keywords but avoid synonyms or repetition
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Nemo’s Momentum ecommerce solution, is equipped on the great online ecommerce opportunity. It’s a powerful, feature rich and user-friendly solution, helping you sell more.
