SEO (search engine optimization) for shopping carts / e-commerce is not easy. Today, it is relatively easy to put up a store today (in most cases) but the part that isn't easy... is getting your products to rank in search engines.
The big mistake people make right off the bat is they think they can copy and paste product descriptions from other websites into their products. They do that, they launch the website and wonder where the traffic is. Shouldn't there be orders?
It doesn't work that way. Google sees the same products with the same images with the same description and sees there's no value there, so it doesn't get ranked. Since it's so easy now to put up online stores, you have to do more - MUCH more than what your competition does. You have to provide value - above all.
What does that mean?
It means things like:
Look at what your competition does and then plan to triple the amount of value your top competitor puts out. Yes, you are now in the content publishing business if you're selling online. Don't be scared by that but recognize it and embrace it because being lazy here will not prove to be successful. You'll have to work, so plan on it.
And yes, social media is a part of that.
There's TONS of technical details for any website but even more so for e-commerce websites. Don't believe me? Well, here's an article that you can skim over. It's 7000+ words and, in my opinion, doesn't even come close to showing the amount of work that needs to be done. He lists the general steps but with each section there, there's a LOT more you have to do than just what he says:
The Ultimate On-Site SEO Guide for Your Online Store (incomediary.com)
If you didn't go check out that page, seriously... go there now. The link opens in a new tab. You need to take at least 30 seconds and skim that page to get an idea of what I'm talking about here.
Monitor and AdjustI've been to places like India and it's interesting how things work there. When you need a computer, you don't go down to Best Buy, you go to a certain section in town where all the computer shops are. Yes, they'll all in one area. How it works is, they're small shops. Sure, they compete with each other but usually each store will specialize in something and all the other shop owners know it. So if they don't sell a certain part, they'll tell you to go to the guy two doors down. The same for motorcycle tires and other things - they'll all in one area.
It's kind of a crazy system but somehow it works. I bring this up because, just like those guys, you need to monitor your competition and then make adjustments. Keep an eye on what everyone else is doing in your industry. Sign up for their email newsletters to get notified of sales and promotions they do. You'll learn things and it's fine to copy their ideas... why not? Copy them and make them your own.
When you're just starting off with e-commerce, you may not have the budget to hire someone full or even part-time to help you with the technical issues and cover everything that needs to be done but those issues still need to be addressed. Later on, once you're successful and can afford it. you can bring on someone part-time to help you. Until then, get a company like Webstix to help you.
At Webstix, we have designers, developers/programmers, SEO specialists and a Website Maintenance Department and we can be your e-commerce SEO partner and help you get your website ranking better. Sometimes, just a few, small tweaks can bring you up in rankings quite a bit but you need a guide to help get you there.
When you use Webstix, you're better able to do what you do best - manage your business. Leave the technical stuff in our hands. We'll do what we do best to leave you free to do what you do best.
We have a number of clients that use us for design, hosting and maintenance. That way, they have just one place to call to take care of everything - versus having them be the middleman between us and their host or something like that. It's a smart business decision to have one, main provider for all the website services you need.
If you're interested in help with your e-commerce website, need help with the technical stuff or want us to build or re-build your website for you, then contact us today. We'd love to talk about what you need done and how we can help you reach your goals and have success online.
