Ecommerce Companies Can’t Overlook SEO

Ecommerce Companies Can’t Overlook SEO

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the practice of formatting your website to attain higher rankings for your website in search engine results. Most searchers tend to review the first page of results and then make a selection; few users look through the next few pages to find what they’re seeking. This is why it’s so important to appear towards the top of the search results if you want to attract more customers to your website. Search Is Among The Top Traffic Sources For Ecommerce Overlooking SEO could cost you a lot of business. For many ecommerce sites, organic search is a top source of traffic. This doesn’t necessarily mean that all traffic coming to your website from search engines is high quality traffic that will lead to conversions. A large proportion of online transactions now begin with search – either searching for the product that best meets their needs or for the best available price for the product. One study found that 34% of US consumers start their product searching on a search engine. The problem with many ecommerce sites is that product descriptions are often pulled from existing databases, leading to identical descriptions product pages at several retailers. Search engines tend not to like superficial or duplicate content. If you have shorter product descriptions (i.e. less than 300 words), and they aren’t unique, your website may not be competitive in search. Since search tends to dominate ecommerce traffic, it’s unwise to ignore SEO. SEO Is Cost-Effective Advertising brings immediate traffic to your site, and is a fairly passive way of generating leads and customers for your business. However, the instant-gratification benefits of paid ads disappear just as quickly as they arose. As soon as you stop paying for the campaign, it stops working. A majority of people who clicked on your ad and visited your site won’t be coming back, and don’t have a lasting impression of your brand. Meanwhile, SEO can generate valuable long-term results for your business. There is still an investment to be made, whether it’s mobile optimization or content creation, but over the long haul, the targeted traffic you generate from search will outperform advertising. This isn’t to suggest that advertising cannot be used at the same time. A mix of the two strategies can really amplify results. Traffic that comes from search is free, and any content you create can also be leveraged on social media and in email campaigns. This makes SEO more cost-effective, even if the initial investment is substantial. SEO Boosts Your Credibility Unless your customers are looking for a very specific product or promotion, you’re probably not going to do a lot of deep digging online to find what they’re looking for. The first page of Google search results will usually provide them with at least one suitable option. If your website is not one of these, you’re missing out on potential business. Businesses that rank on the first page of Google are generally seen as being more credible and trustworthy than those that don’t. If a user lands on your website, and it looks like it was designed in the late 90s, how long do you think they’re going to stick around? Having a website that is streamlined and modern, with content that grabs the visitors attention, will make them feel as though you are authority in your field. In the age we’re in, encouraging customer loyalty is a real challenge, and you need to gain an upper hand wherever and whenever possible. If you consistently appear towards the top of search results, and you back up your rankings with great service, you’ll increase the lifetime value to your customers. Concluding Thoughts SEO is a long-term strategy – a marathon and not a sprint. Results will not be instantaneous, but gradual over time. Consider implementing a six-to-12-month pilot program to get things underway, and assess the results to determine your next course of action. Social Spice Media offers a fast and FREE Website Audit to determine how your site is setup from an SEO perspective. Click here to find out more about our SEO services today.