It’s 2019 and e-commerce cannot be ignored especially if you are a business selling products. Why would you want to miss out on a possible worldwide audience? For you to attract that international audience you will need to ensure your e-commerce website is Search Engine Friendly. Don’t get confused it’s not about being friends and going for coffee with Google it is much more than that.
Search Engine Optimisation is the process of making your website appear on page one of Google for your targeted search terms and key phrases. The aim is to optimise your e-commerce shop for selected keywords and key phrases so that when your potential customers search for these terms your website will appear higher on Google than your competitors making them visit you and eventually make a purchase. Getting visitors to your site is one thing converting is a whole other discussion to be had.
Below are our top e-commerce tips that can make your e-commerce business more search engine friendly.
Tip Number One: Translate your website
Yes, the English language is spoken and read around the globe but when people visit from an international country and they see that extra measures have been taken to cater for their country visitors will trust their native language more than a pure English version website. They will have the confidence to buy from you and if your FAQ page is detailed enough any questions they have will be answered and hopefully, any doubts they may have will be removed from their mind, In turn, encouraging a purchase.
There are quick methods of adding translation options to your site such as the Google Translate widget that will give the user the option to select their language and the page they are on is automatically translated but never perfect. In my opinion, it is better to get professionals to translate your website text into the native language. The cost implication is higher but you will be displaying the text in the correct dialect of the country and minimise any translation problems that customers will end up reporting to you.
Tip Number Two: Position Keywords and Key Phrases in the correct places
Long gone are the days where you could stuff pages with keywords thinking the page will rank higher. Now Google’s algorithm is so intelligent it reads people’s behaviour and records users reactions to headings and titles and records the time they spend on a site making that site rank higher. So in my opinion, it is important to have catchy headings to entice your target audience into visiting your link and reading more about your products. You should include your targeted keywords in headings so that Google picks them up giving your website a higher chance of appearing higher in search engine results.
Positioning these keywords and phrases in the correct places as well as in the URL is part of the process but the work does not stop there. Before you choose your keywords to ensure you have researched them, see my other blog here “Choosing the right keywords for SEO” about choosing the right keywords for SEO. You can use Google’s Keyword Planner, which recently replaced its Keyword Tool or other tools such as Bing’s Keyword Tool to research them.
If you do decide to produce a multi-lingual website ensure you research the search terms in the other languages as these no doubt will be different.
Tip Number Three: Don’t forget the power of Social Media!
You really need to embrace social media and see it as the most cost-effective tool for gaining sales. Social media should not be put at the bottom of the “to do list”, move it right under SEO! With the number of users increasing daily on social networks it’s a no brainer that you need to be there advertising your business. But one thing to remember, don’t bombard your fans with direct links for people to buy! Use it as a means of conversing with your customers and also inviting them to tell you what they think about your service or even as a customer service platform.
Tip Number Four: Request reviews from your customers
After transactions are received make sure after a certain time you request for your customer to review the shopping experience and also the products. The product reviews will add valuable content to your site pages helping towards your SEO. Site reviews do also get picked up by Google and soon your site will have the eye-catching stars next to your listing.
Do you need tailored advice on setting up your e-commerce business? Get in touch with us via email on info@gbdesignstudio.co.uk or call 07801 214657 we are ready to talk to you.
