Search Engine Optimization Tips: Going Beyond Keywords

Search engine optimization plays a key role in keeping any online store running successfully, and it's a task that has many critical components that Web shop owners have to continually address. This is due to both the sheer amount of time it takes to keep the basics in order and to the ever-changing search landscape.

Still, with a checklist in hand, you can figure out what type of SEO service makes sense for your business. Or, you can use it to prioritize these jobs and with a bit of time set aside each week, do it yourself and keep your site optimized for the best search results.

To help, we spoke with Julian Chu, director of client success at Demandware, who provided his list of "Top 10 SEO Must Dos."

1. Create relevant, keyword-rich product and category names, titles and descriptions.
Often e-tailers wonder if it's best to use manufacturer descriptions, or write their own. Chu's advice: "It's always better to have content that is directly relevant to what people are searching for, so if your own product descriptions and attributes are better, you'll get better results." But you have to decide where you want to spend your time. If you have hundreds of products, you should focus on the top sellers, what's driving people to the site in the first place."

2. Add relevant, keyword-rich content to the site.
Chu said there is a fine line between stuffing your copy with popular keywords and making copy flow. "I think you need to start with writing the best copy you can for your target audience, then step back and look at it from an SEO perspective, not just a marketing perspective," he said. "Any place where you can modify the language and add wording for keyword phrase, is an opportunity, because sometimes in the context of the copy, you might not add it because it would already be understood."
He added that at the same time, you don't want to keep repeating the product name, for instance, too many times, because then the copy is awkward and unreadable. Still, he said, there are synonyms and phrases you can use in place of the product name that can give your site more chances of showing up in searches.

3. Populate SEO-relevant attribute fields in your product catalog.
Often, busy Web shop owners fail to fill out attributes in their catalogs, and Chu said this can be a costly move. He advises that you include both short and long descriptors and landing page URLs. By devoting a bit of time, e-tailers can boost their optimization by making sure the catalogs are complete.

4. Ensure proper redirects from legacy URLs.
Chu said e-commerce sites typically have lots of external links back to the site, whether from affiliates or other related pages, and making sure these are updated is paramount to SEO. "If you change a platform, or where a product is located, and people can't find it, that's obviously bad for business," he said. "You need to set redirects from the old URL to the new. Unfortunately, this is one of those tasks that can take an inordinate amount of time if you do it one by one manually, so if you have an SEO platform, be sure to set rules based on the data to have this done automatically and you'll save a lot of time."

5. Configure 404 error pages.
Nothing turns off a prospective buyer more than getting hit with a "404 Error" page, and yet Chu said it is bound to happen from time to time. "You can't manage all the external links to your site perfectly, so the best thing is to be prepared for when some other site generates a broken link to your site. The backup plan is to capitalize on the opportunity by customizing and merchandising the error page. Don't just show the dreaded generic error page."
He said you can configure the page with your own brand elements, so it looks like an integral part of your site, and you should include a search box, links to product categories and even a humorous line about the glitch. "At a minimum, you should show some products there, and humor always helps, anything to draw the customer back in once they've found you through a search link."

6. Submit Sitemaps to search engines and directories.
Many e-tailers aren't even aware that there are two types of sitemaps. One is the kind commonly found at a site that helps visitors find what they're looking for by outlining how site content is arranged and organized. The other form, usually with a captial "S" and in XML format, is what Chu basically calls a "blueprint" of your site that is used to show search engines, namely Google of course, exactly how your site is set up.
"This is another thing can have a huge impact on your search ranking, but something that takes a lot of time to do right, so if you have an SEO platform, you want one that can automatically generate a Google Sitemap," he said. "It's like submitting a roadmap to the Google crawler of what the key pages are in your site, what the structure is, so it can crawl your site effectively. You can also tell Google how often your pages change, so the robots know how often to come back. Essentially it ensures Google always has updated information on your site set up."

7. Analyze site for broken links.
Chu said checking your site frequently for broken links is just "good site hygiene," and again, something that can be automated in an SEO platform if you're not finding the time to do it as often as you should.

8. Fix landing pages.
In addition to keeping standard pages updated, Chu said it's wise to give your landing pages some extra special care and nurturing. "Follow similar practices as you do for standard pages, but be sure to keep landing pages up-to-date, for instance, if you sell seasonal products. Think of specific topics for landing pages that will cause them to show up high in search results. You can even make them dynamic, meaning that the content that shows up depends on the search words used, tailored to that more specific search."

9. Add tags to images and video.
Another way e-tailers can sharpen their SEO is by adding tags to video and images. Chu said you should consider pictures in the same way as text. "These objects have keywords like any other page, so if you put in tags, they'll be more likely to be found."

10. Keep abreast of major changes in the search engine market landscape.
The search engine sector is constantly undergoing change. For instance, the addition of video and images in Google's main search results, could impact your rankings. Or, Changes in search patterns, such as shoppers often entering sites on product pages instead of home pages, can also influence decisions you make about your site, but if you're not aware of these trends, you can't capitalize on them.



source:- ecommerce-guide.com/