It has become increasingly difficult to position yourself on the global eCommerce market in 2020 due to the rising accessibility of creating new WordPress websites. Whether you aim to sell handmade arts ‘n’ crafts items or act as a global reseller, optimizing your eCommerce website’s SEO is highly recommended.
According to HubSpot, 65% of total eCommerce engagement has been generated through search engines, with global eCommerce sales expected to reach $4.5 trillion by 2021. Data by Impact BND indicates that 61% of marketers made SEO their top inbound marketing priority, with 70% claiming it is more effective than PPC.
Proper SEO of your WordPress eCommerce website is no longer a welcome addition but a necessary element which will allow your online storefront to thrive. With that, let’s take a look at what makes SEO worthwhile in 2020, as well as ways in which we can take advantage of it.
Why SEO Still Matters in 2020?
Let’s discuss SEO itself before we dive into ways in which it can be implemented for eCommerce WordPress website optimization. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) represents the pillar of search engine visibility for websites across the globe. SEO is centralized in Google which maintains its algorithms and ensures that site owners can optimize their content based on the latest search trends. In eCommerce, this translates to creating content and selling products which your target audience really needs at that moment.
Matthew Gilliam, Head of Content Optimization at Subjecto spoke on the matter recently: “Creating content for living website visitors is important. However, abiding by the rules and trends of SEO algorithms is just as essential if you wish to position your site in an optimal manner. Be there for actual customers and optimize content post-publishing to follow SEO guidelines – the rest will be up to your ability to sell through writing.”
By creating original multimedia, choosing the right keywords and maintaining your website at peak performance, you are able to garner several important benefits going forward:
- Higher brand awareness and global eCommerce industry positioning
- Higher traffic, engagement and subsequent conversion rates
- Access to relevant visitor analytics for further UX improvements
- Lowered costs of lead generation once your eCommerce marketing strategy is set up
Here are some e-commerce marketing tips to optimize your eCommerce WordPress Website
- Choose a Reliable WordPress Theme
The first item on your agenda of optimizing the eCommerce website is to choose a reliable WordPress theme for it. The theme you settle on will represent the skeleton of your website and effectively serve as a baseline for future content publishing and SEO.
You can choose free or premium themes based on your business goals, but make sure that your choice reflects the kind of website you want. The flashiest and most expensive theme might not be the best choice for your eCommerce business, so take your time and explore the market.
- Define and Publish your Sitemap
Once your theme is up and running, the next order of business should be to create and publish your XML sitemap. Sitemaps are used to communicate directly with global search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing, allowing them to quickly determine your website’s contents.
Your sitemap should be made public in the footer of the landing page to allow potential customers quick and easy access to the website’s map. Don’t disregard XML sitemap creation as it will substantially improve your SEO ranking and ensure that more people find your website than they would otherwise.
- Write & Format Original Product Descriptions
Writing original content is what makes or breaks a website and the same rule applies for eCommerce platforms. As such, you should make it a priority to write product descriptions for each of the items on sale and format them for better readability.
Remember – write textual content for real-world people, not for search algorithms, as the former will make up your customer base and bring revenue to you. Writing platforms can be utilized to write, edit and format product descriptions prior to their publishing.
- Optimize your Multimedia
Online eCommerce platforms are notorious for the amount of multimedia (images and videos) which makes up the majority of content on the website. Given that multimedia is a must for your WordPress website; you should make it a habit to optimize each content piece prior to its publishing.
It’s good practice to use external hosting platforms for multimedia, such as Image Shack or YouTube, and thus lower the bandwidth requirements for your website. Likewise, each content piece should be original and fall under no copyright infringement in addition to being lightweight and optimized for online viewing. Once you settle into a routine of creating, optimizing and publishing multimedia for the purposes of eCommerce sales, the process will quickly become second nature.
- Implement Keyword Grouping
Depending on the types of products you want to sell via your eCommerce platform, you will need to cater to different categories and customers. To sell services online effectively, you should rely on keyword grouping and integrate trending words and phrases into your product descriptions per individual category.
Platforms such as Google AdWords and SEM Rush can be used to find which keywords are trending in your industry, allowing for greater optimization versatility.
- Eliminate Broken & Duplicate Content
Given the sheer scale of eCommerce WordPress websites, broken links and duplicate content are bound to rear their heads from time to time. The more content you create and the wider your product portfolio becomes, overlaps in content and keyword density will inevitably happen.
To avoid unnecessary drops in SEO ranking, make sure to audit your website periodically and look for broken content in need of fixing. This will ensure that each of your product categories and pages remains wholly original, improving your SEO as a result with SEO services.
- Balance External & Internal Links
Lastly, it’s good practice to strike a healthy balance between external and internal links in your website, regardless of its eCommerce nature. External links to case studies, original manufacturers, influencers and other valuable media will showcase that you are an open and professional platform.
On the other hand, internal links can be used to keep visitors engaged and ensure that their browsing time is extended as much as possible. The longer someone stays on your website, the more likely they will be to purchase products or subscribe to newsletters.
The Long Game (Conclusion)
Look for ways to express your creativity through WordPress plugins, a visually appealing theme and content which reflects your business goals. Once your SEO pipeline is set up, you will have to maintain the same level of dedication to content optimization for the foreseeable future. In doing so, you will signal to both search engines and eventual visitors that you are committed to high quality and professional, pro-consumer ethics.
