Since there are several technical and knotty terms around SEO, it can confuse its purpose and how it works. It’s also difficult to anticipate where you’ll get the most benefit from going deeper into search engine optimization (SEO) with your eCommerce site.
If you want to find out more about how SEO can help you with eCommerce marketing, then keep reading for some key facts about why this type of advertising deserves your attention.
What is SEO?
Search engine optimization, simply put, is the process of crafting a website to have a greater chance of being found as an answer to a desired consumer’s search inquiry. Some people may confuse SEO with search engine marketing (SEM), but the two are very different, and you’ll want to keep them separate in your marketing plan.
Search engine optimization is an ongoing process that you need to continually improve your website’s traffic, overall quality, and relevance.
Why SEO is Crucial for eCommerce Marketing
The use of search engines and other online marketing platforms has been on the rise for many years. In fact, 44% of all online shoppers start their online shopping by heading towards Google. That is the fact that makes SEO crucial for any e-commerce marketing plan. Without it, you’ll find that you can’t reach your target market and have to rely on word-of-mouth.
SEO is also a more economical way to market than other types of advertising. With the rising costs of traditional advertising, such as print and broadcast media, and the increasing popularity of digital marketing platforms, SEO is an opportunity for any business with a website that wants to get in front of its audience without spending a fortune.
There are several reasons eCommerce sites should be concerned with SEO. It includes:
Traffic generation to your website –The more visitors you have, the more potential sales you can make.
Website content optimization – The more optimized your site is, the easier it is for search engines to find and categorize your content.
Showing up in search results – As a new visitor, you would likely want to look for a website that ranks on top of the search results. If your site appears on Google’s first page, you have a better chance of getting noticed.
Your competitors are doing it – More and more eCommerce businesses are taking advantage of SEO strategies to gain an edge over their competitors.
Benefits of SEO for the eCommerce
Here are a few of the benefits of SEO for eCommerce:
1- Attract more leads
SEO is one of the best tactics to drive leads to your website. The people searching for your product online will find you and make a purchase. That’s why Google, Bing, and other search engines want their users to get the best results. With SEO, you can know your competitor’s keywords and get ahead of them in search engine rankings.
2- Multiply sales
If you are the first to appear in search results, you have already made a sale. It is that simple. With SEO, you can get more leads which means more sales and profit.
3- Increase your online presence
Every business needs traffic, and they use different techniques to acquire it. SEO is one of the best ways to expand your online company’s exposure. It will help with your brand name’s branding and exposure and increase your business’s number of customers.
4- Increase the reach of your website
If you have a high-ranked page in SERPs, the website will become more popular, and visitors will increase. This is because more and more people will search for your business. The number of visitors will end up in increasing sales.
5- Create authority with top-ranking pages
A high-ranking website can be considered as an authority” which attracts more traffic and gives a good impression to consumers.
6- Reduce Marketing costs
SEO is a cost-effective method to market your business online. You don’t need to hire Ads manager or PPC experts to do it. Besides that, SEO doesn’t require hefty investments like on Ads. So, SEO is one of the best ways to save marketing costs.
7- SEO is easier than other marketing strategies
If you are a small business owner, you will find SEO to be much easier than other marketing strategies. The reason is that with SEO, you need not invest in huge marketing budgets or get professional help to handle your business site. You can do all these tasks yourself, like writing quality content and creating a website that can rank high in SERPs (search engine results page).
The importance of buyer and keyword intent for eCommerce
When you look at how consumers shop online, you will notice that they search for products by searching through keywords. This is one of the best indicators of consumers’ wanting to buy what you have to offer.
As an eCommerce business owner, it’s your job to know about buyer intent and use it to your advantage. The following is a list of what buyer intent consists of:
1- What and How to Buy
When you think about the steps consumers go through when searching, they are trying to determine what they are looking for. It is sometimes difficult, but it helps you understand the buying process better. This research step is one that the search engine will not be able to do automatically for your customers. You need to learn this first to create an effective shopping cart.
2- Evaluation of options
As the buyer starts to work towards a purchase, they begin evaluating different options. This can be the most difficult part of the process as it involves deciding what will be most beneficial to them in terms of price point, quality, and other factors. Consumers also look at pricing and shipping information during this time. This means that you need to make sure that customers can easily find your eCommerce website while evaluating their options.
3- Purchase decision
When the consumer has found an item they like and the appropriate payment method, they move on to the next step of making a purchase. It is at this point that the actual transaction takes place. After all, this is where your eCommerce website comes into play. You need to make sure that you make it as easy as possible for people to purchase your products and services. The more convenient it is for them, the more likely they will buy from you.
How to Get Customers?
Here are the 4 steps to get more customers:
Step 1- Identify your goals
This will help you determine what type of customers you need. It is not just about getting more customers and what type of categories your customers fall into. You need to decide on the best way for them to reach out to you or if any marketing strategy will be better for your business. You need to know what your main competitors are doing and where they rank. As an eCommerce business owner, you need to know the customers you are trying to attract.
Step 2- Create a content strategy
Content is the answer to your business growth. The more content you have, the more engaged people will be with you, and your site’s overall value will increase. This is a need and one that you can cater to. It will not be very difficult to create content if you know what you want to talk about, who your audience is, and how they will react. The first step to content creation is knowing who your user is.
Step 3- Optimize your social media profile(s)
Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter can help drive more traffic, but only if they are optimized properly. You need to make sure that they engage with your business and not just promote it. You need to set up a strategy that works well for you as an eCommerce business owner. Once you have figured out how people can find you, the next step is developing strategies that work best for your business.
Step 4- Work on your brand.
Your brand is what people remember you by, and that’s how you stand out from all the other companies in your industry. It’s the reason why many people choose to buy from a certain eCommerce website, product, or service over the other. So, making sure that your brand is consistent and well-defined will be very important for your business. This will help make it easier for customers to find you online and establish trust with them.
Final thoughts
The role of SEO has expanded significantly with time. In particular, SEO helps consumers find their desired product or service online very easily. This makes eCommerce businesses thrive, generate more revenue, and sustain their growth.
Having a good SEO strategy will help you get more customers, sell your products, generate revenue, and receive positive feedback on your website. If you can effectively reach out to the right customer base for your eCommerce business, then you can experience exponential growth within a short period.
Furthermore, you can find a couple of agencies that provide SEO services for an eCommerce store. Get in touch with us to discover the best SEO services in Dubai.
