Boost Your E-commerce Site’s SEO with These Must-Have Features

In the fast-paced world of e-commerce, having a website is not enough. You need to have a website that is optimized for search engines to make sure that your customers can find you. With so much competition out there, it can be challenging to get your website to rank high in search engine results. However, there are certain SEO features that your e-commerce site must have to rank higher. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at these features and explain why they are so important.

Short URL Structure

The URL structure for your product pages should be short and must have some primary keywords related to your product to generate high click-through. The shorter your URL, the easier it is to share and remember. URLs with primary keywords tend to rank higher on search engines. For example, let’s take a look at the following two URLs:

http://www.freeridepowersports.com/catalog_product_detail.asp?cat_9781-107864-111049_product_2176989.Garmin_Montana_680T_GPS.htmhttps://www.rei.com/garmin-montana-680t-gps

The first URL structure is long and cannot be shared easily. The second URL structure is simple and keyword-rich, making it easier for Google to understand what the page is about.

Optimized Title Tags

Your title tag is one of the most important factors affecting search rankings. You must include important product keywords like Brand Name, Part Name, Color, etc. It should be easy to understand and can be a little long. For example, the title tag given below has all the important details related to a specific product, making it easier for the user.

 

You must also pre-plan your product category (by colour, size, or other features) and then add your pages to an e-commerce site.

Mobile-Friendly Product Pages

With so many reliable smartphone options, most people shop using their mobile devices. Your site must have a mobile-specific design or should be AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) compatible. Don’t ignore your potential customers who use mobile devices. Take Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to ensure you are not losing business. You can also use SEO audit tools to detect issues on your site.

Sitelinks Search Box

High-ranking e-commerce sites use the site search feature to help customers find what they are looking for. Adding a search box to your site can help improve the user experience and display relevant results from your site. To add the search box to your site, read the details provided by Google. Also, to monitor what people are searching for, set up Google Analytics Tracking for your search box.

 

Unique Product Descriptions & Images

Online retailers must avoid using product descriptions and images supplied by the manufacturer. Duplicate content is very easily detected by Google and Bing and will not show up in top search results. Nowadays, many companies offer multiple photos of a single product from different angles, and these images can also be zoomed-in for better clarity. Some even add short videos. Image optimization can also get you more traffic and hence, more sales.

Simplified Version Of Product Data

Product specifications are very important to customers. If you provide clear, easy-to-read information, your customers will trust you and possibly return to your site again. The added advantage is that Google loves specification tables and includes them in search results as a snippet.

 

Question & Answer Section

Having an FAQ or Q&A section on the product pages helps your customers to clear their doubts or confirm the details with previous purchasers. The users can make their purchase decisions faster.

 

 

Rich Results

Customers prefer enhanced results or rich results. Rich results include additional details like pictures, reviews, prices, showtimes, etc. To generate rich results, use Schema formatted Structured Data Markup of your website content. Microdata & JSON/LD are the two main options. Google prefers JSON-LD! Try out http://schema.org/Product to get started.

Reviews That Influence Your Customers

Every customer now checks the reviews before purchasing a product online. Guidelines given by Google are as follows:

• The reviews on your site must not be taken from other websites.
• Both positive and negative reviews must be posted.
• Only genuine, independent, and unpaid reviews are allowed.
• Every review must be specific to a particular product or location.

To learn more, read Google’s Review Guidelines.

Video Content

Videos are a powerful tool that can help you engage with your customers and answer their questions in a more visually appealing way. Some videos are designed to answer most of the frequently asked questions in a single go. Hence, videos save users’ reading time and help in making online purchase decisions. The only disadvantage is the page load time. Using an image link that opens on a new page with the video can be an easy way to reduce the load time.

 

Single Product Page With Many Options

Products are combined into a single page mostly when they differ in few specifications like size, color, etc. For example, a trouser that is available in various sizes and colors. The selection of a specific size or color generates a unique number or SKU. Such pages are preferred by customers and give better results.

 

Easy-To-Follow Product Details & Ordering Process

Adding unwanted information or complex functions can drive your customers away. The customers must easily understand the options and receive what they have ordered. Redesign your page and make some internal changes if needed to improve your online sales conversion rates. Also, your ‘Buy now’ or ‘Add to Cart’ buttons must be optimized (location, color, button text, size, and shape) to improve the click rate.

Quality Signals

Quality Signals are very important for every e-commerce site. The basic requirements are:

• A DV (Domain Verification) certificate
• A 100% HTTPS secure site (all pages)

These certifications will help you rank higher and assure your customers that your company is reliable & valid. A shopping site must include Payment Policies, Exchange Policy / Information, Return Policy, easy to find Full Contact/Customer Service Information, Secure Server, etc. Check out the Google Quality Raters Handbook (PDF) for more details.

Fast Loading Website

A study shows that for every 1-second delay in page responsiveness, conversions can suffer by 7%. Also, Core Web Vitals will be included in page experience signals. So, Fast Loading Pages will be ranked higher.

The Marketing Team & Keywords

The marketing team that spends time learning about their products, their target customers, participates in Online Forums, joins various groups, attends shows, etc., can form highly optimized keywords & excellent sales copy. This will help make the business highly profitable.

Conclusion

There are many SEO features that your e-commerce site must have to rank higher. By optimizing your website with these features, you can improve your search engine rankings, drive more traffic to your site, and increase your sales. Whether you’re just starting out or have been in business for years, it’s important to stay on top of the latest SEO trends and techniques to stay ahead of your competition.