Let me guess: You opened an e-commerce store because you realized the internet is slowly but steadily replacing local stores and shopping malls. However, you must recognize that in the e-commerce sector, huge competition exists with stores like Amazon, and regional multivendor e-commerce companies are ruling the market. Additionally, depending on the product, profit margins can be low, and online marketing differs significantly from offline marketing.

Having an e-commerce store offers benefits, including lower investment requirements. However, internet trends are constantly changing, and you must update your marketing strategy rapidly to stay ahead of your competition. That’s why, in this post, we’re going to explain the basics of one of the most effective online marketing strategies for E-commerce stores, namely Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Basic SEO Guide for E-commerce Companies and Online Stores

SEO is not just about acquiring new customers, it’s about establishing a strong brand for your e-commerce store. It’s the most effective online marketing strategy for increasing revenue and attracting purchasing visitors to your website. With SEO, you can navigate the competitive e-commerce landscape and carve out a successful niche for your store.

The primary obstacle to the success of an e-commerce store on the internet is the large number of competitors and the dominance of companies like Amazon, eBay, and Walmart. However, fear not; with solid planning and the implementation of professional SEO strategies, you can outrank your competitors and develop a successful e-commerce business.

Here are some of the most essential E-commerce SEO components you need to act on to make your online store outrank your competitors.

1. E-commerce Keyword Research

Keyword research for E-commerce is one of the most important SEO factors. It involves a thorough analysis of words and phrases related to your business and products that attract new customers and drive sales.

Here are the basic steps to perform keyword research for an E-commerce store:

• Step 1: Make a list of essential products in your E-commerce store.
• Step 2: Create a list of keywords relevant to your products.
• Step 3: Research topics related to your product keywords.
• Step 4: Create a list of low-competition, long-tail keywords (e.g., “handmade leather wallet for men”).
• Step 5: Analyze your E-commerce competitor’s website for keywords.
• Step 6: Use Google Keyword Planner (in Google Ads) to find the best keywords.

2. Analyze Your E-commerce Competitors

Knowing what your E-commerce competitors are doing right and what they’re doing wrong is crucial. You must analyze their website, keywords, and content to identify their weaknesses and create an SEO strategy accordingly to outrank them.

3. Create Descriptive content for All Product Categories

Many E-commerce store owners make the mistake of not creating descriptive content for their product category pages. Pages without content don’t offer any value for ranking high on search engines. That’s why you must create highly informational and descriptive content for the category pages so that they pass link equity to the product pages.

Example: A category page for “Men’s Running Shoes” should include a 300-word paragraph discussing factors like stability, cushioning, and terrain, alongside the product listings.

4. Your Products Must Have Original Descriptions

Instead of just specifying the features of the product, create unique descriptions for the products you’re selling in your E-commerce store. Analyze the product descriptions used by your competitors and create more informative content that effectively describes the products.

Example: Instead of “Cotton T-shirt, Blue,” write a narrative that includes details like “Eco-friendly Peruvian cotton, moisture-wicking technology, ideal for summer wear.”

5. Display Related Products

Displaying related products on the product landing page is crucial for improving your sales. It not only helps increase sales for your E-commerce store but also passes ranking authority from popular product pages to other product pages, improving their ranking on search engines.

Example: On a page selling a camera body, display links to compatible lenses, memory cards, and cleaning kits.

6. Add Structured Data

Structured data is your secret weapon in the SEO game. It helps search engines understand and display your content more effectively, leading to richer search results. You can easily add structured data to your product pages using Schema markup, enhancing the visibility of your products in search results.

Here are five most important E-commerce Rich Snippets for Your Store:

1. Product Schema: Identifies the item as a product.
2. Reviews and Rating Schema: Displays star ratings in search results.
3. Price Schema: Shows the current price and currency.
4. Product Availability Schema: Indicates “In Stock” or “Out of Stock.”
5. Video Schema:  Helps videos on the page appear in richer formats.

7. Encourage Customers to Leave Product Reviews

Customer ratings and reviews are not just testimonials, but powerful tools for building trust and credibility for your e-commerce store. With the help of the Reviews and Rating Schema, you can display your customer reviews directly in search engines, encouraging users to visit your product page instead of your competitors.

8. Use Infographics and Videos

Videos and infographics are essential tools for increasing conversion rates. Search engines like interactive content, and the addition of videos and infographics helps improve your E-commerce store ranking on Google.

Example: Use a short video demonstrating how to assemble a piece of furniture, or an infographic comparing the technical specifications of three laptop models.

9. Don’t Ignore Long-Tail Keywords

An effective keyword selection for E-commerce stores is all about finding the right balance between search volume and difficulty. Long-tail keywords might bring you less traffic, but they’re usually more targeted, and they’re easier to rank.

Example: Targeting the short-tail “running shoes” is hard. Targeting the long-tail “lightweight waterproof trail running shoes size 10” captures a user with high buying intent.

10. Implement Responsible Link Building

High-quality backlinks are a crucial component of SEO for E-commerce stores, and they are essential for achieving a high ranking on Google. Implement a professional link building strategy and earn links from authority websites in your niche.

11. Optimize Product Images

You must optimize the images with proper alt tags or titles and ensure they aren’t too large, as this can affect page load time. Faster loading pages usually rank higher on Google.

Example: The image file name should be descriptive (e.g., red-silk-tie-closeup.jpg) and the Alt Tag should describe the image for visually impaired users.

12. Promote the Website on Social Media

Social media marketing plays a crucial role in boosting the popularity of your E-commerce store and enhancing its SEO ranking. A large number of social media mentions can also help generate valuable backlinks, thereby supporting your link building strategy for your E-commerce store.

13. Analyze and Adjust Strategy

You must continually analyze traffic, conversion rates, and search rankings (using tools such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console) to identify trends and refine your SEO strategy for sustained growth.

Example: If traffic is high but conversions are low on a specific page, analyze the content quality and Call-to-Action placement for necessary adjustments.

Conclusion

Implementing these 13 vital SEO elements will help you create a highly successful marketing plan for your e-commerce store. Focus on your customers, create high-quality content, and establish a solid technical foundation to achieve a first-page ranking on search engines.