Sites on the first page of Google search results get 91.5% of the traffic. Is your ecommerce site ranking on the first page for searches potential customers use?
SEO matters for ecommerce because it’s a quick way to get free, organic traffic. And you already know that more traffic equals more sales.
If you’re not ranking on the first page of search results for your ecommerce niche, you’re missing out on potential sales.
An ecommerce blog is an easy way to add value to your site and make it SEO friendly. It gives you opportunities to incorporate keywords and backlinking. Those SEO strategies boost your site higher in search results.
Keep reading to get an intro into creating an SEO friendly blog for your ecommerce business.
Do Keyword Research
Having clear keywords in mind shapes the content you create for your ecommerce blog. Your primary keyword should describe the point of the article. What is the heart of your message in the post?
Think of it another way: What types of things would people search if your blog post answered their question exactly? Say you’re writing an article on fun ways to help kids get active so they get enough exercise. What would a parent looking for that information enter into a Google search?
Once you have your primary keyword, pick two to four secondary keywords that relate to the primary keyword. They help capture additional traffic. They also help search engines fully understand what the post is about.
Keyword search tools can help you find words and phrases that work for your topic. You can use them to decide if your keywords are good options. The tools can also help you pick better keywords.
Those tools also show you how competitive various keywords are. You want a keyword with plenty of search volume so you get enough visitors. But you want to avoid keywords with high competition because it’s tough to beat out the other content to reach a higher position in search results.
Focus on Quality
Quality content that people can easily read and enjoy reading helps your SEO. Simply shoving in as many keywords as possible hurts your ranking in search results. It also turns people away from reading your content.
Create posts that answer the reader’s needs and paint points or desires. Keep your target audience in mind when writing. Use words, images, and other style points that fit what your audience likes.
Original content also helps you rank better. Copying content from other sites is not only plagiarism, but it also creates duplicate content. That hurts you on search engines.
Proofreading is also important. Poor grammar and other technical mistakes can hurt your search ranking. If you’re not comfortable with proofreading yourself, consider hiring someone to review your posts.
Have a Purpose
What’s the point of your blog post? Think of this question from both your perspective and your readers’ perspective. Then use that information to shape your content.
What are you trying to accomplish with each post? Are you trying to rank for a keyword, increase traffic, promote a product, or increase your subscriber count? Keep that goal in mind as you craft your content to make it happen.
What’s in it for your readers? Know what you want readers to learn or take away from the content. Fully address that need in a clear, easy-to-read format.
Structure Your Posts Well
Breaking your content up into paragraphs and subsections makes it easier to read. Visitors can scan the content and find what they want easily.
Most people read a max of 28% of a page. Structuring the content well helps you focus attention on the most important parts of your posts.
Paragraphs and subheads also give you more ways to work in keywords. Include your primary and secondary keywords in your headings.
To help create your structure, start with an outline. Include the different points you want to cover to fully address the topic. Use the natural breaks in the content to create your paragraphs and headers.
Use Linking
You’ll want to use both inbound and outbound links in your content. Inbound links take readers to other pages or blog posts on your site. Outbound links take readers to other sites.
Internal linking shows that you’re an authority on the topic. It also gives visitors more to read and keeps them on your page long.
Linking helps you rank better in the search results. Search engines like to see those links to other sites.
Optimize Other Elements
Working keywords into other areas of your post helps make it more SEO friendly. Put your primary keyword in your title as close to the beginning as possible.
Other places you want to include the primary keyword include:
- URL for the blog post
- SEO title
- Meta description
- Image alt tags
All of these sections of your blog give Google a chance to figure out what the post is about. That helps the search engine rank your posts properly.
You can also help your overall blog SEO by creating categories and tags for your posts. Choose appropriate categories for every post.
Add Content Regularly
Starting a blog for your ecommerce business is a commitment. You need new content regularly to let Google know it’s an active website.
But you don’t have to post every day to get a good search ranking. It’s better to have quality content that ranks well than to pump your blog full of sloppily written articles.
How often should you post on your blog? There isn’t a hard and fast rule on the number of blog posts per week you need.
Posting quality content a few times a week may be enough to keep Google and your readers interested. Forcing new posts every day can decrease the quality of your blog, which hurts you overall.
Make Your Ecommerce Site SEO Friendly
Are you ready to get more traffic to your ecommerce site with a blog that’s SEO friendly? Contact us to see how we can help you with SEO on your ecommerce blog.