E-commerce is competitive because of the volume of websites turning up in search engine pages. How would you push your website forward in the pool of various websites that may also be offering the same services as you are? The most effective strategy is Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
SEO is a strategy that creates content to generate search engine traffic. It is through using strong keywords generated from organic search engine users, analytic reports, and link building. SEO might be a common term for e-commerce marketing specialists but it’s challenging to effectively create it. SEO is only effective if the content drives search traffic and at the same time appeals to the readers.
The following need to be considered to achieve SEO success:
- Effective SEO development
- Advantages of SEO
- Strategies of SEO
- Types of SEO-Generated Content
Effective SEO development
SEO is an effective marketing tool that should be used in the spirit of the intent – to offer significant value to the people who are viewing your platform.
The value lies in the content you produce. If the content answers the needs and interests of search engine users, then you are on the right track. To avoid potentially being penalized by Google, make sure thorough, engaging, high-value content is developed.
- Appeal to viewers
Viewers have different needs and interests in visiting websites. The significance of SEO generation is the identification of certain keywords being typed by people in search engines. These keywords could be used for your content development but do not focus on these keywords alone.
Effective SEO strategies focus on the readers first. Tailor your SEO strategies around the majority of their needs. For example, is your website going to be informative? Entertaining? Persuasive?
- Diversified SEO-Generated Content
SEO is not just about using it in text-type content, it also can be used and diversified for types of content being published on various platforms. Attracting potential customers through SEO entails an effective SEO specialist(s) who can develop the keywords, tags, etc. that can be used for content development. Content development relies on SEO-generated keywords to be used to effectively generate traffic. With SEO-generated keywords, you can build as much content as possible with creativity, multimedia tools, and purpose.
Advantages of SEO for E-Commerce
According to a report by Statista in 2020, 33% of e-commerce transactions were generated by search engine traffic. Another report stated that 65% of online purchases are due to well-developed and implemented SEO campaigns.
With the statistics mentioned, SEO has proven to be one of the effective marketing strategies to get ahead in the game of e-commerce. Most businesses that invested in SEO certainly have more website visits and transactions. Need to know more about the advantages of SEO? Let’s get to know its advantages before you invest in SEO campaigns.
- High Rank in Google Search Engines
Due to the overwhelming volume of websites on the internet, search engine users tend to click the websites that appear at the top of their search pages. Effective SEO pushes your website/business further up the ladder.
According to SEMScoop, the top five organic search results garnered 67% of the clicks.
SEO is not only applied in text content but it can also be applied with other types of multimedia content such as videos and audio. It’s important to diversify your content, so you can garner the attention, interest, and clicks from search engine users who are looking for different kinds of content.
- Building brand trust and credibility
Brand awareness is crucial in building brand identity, especially in the competitive e-commerce industry where there are many products and services for users to choose from. You may not be the only one offering your products and services, but you can be one of the top choices for most of the customers. SEO aids you in achieving this goal.
To make the most out of the benefits of SEO, your content should be produced in a way that successfully combines business and appeals to your consumers. By doing this, you are providing significant value for search engine users, so your customers are going to keep on coming back. Through SEO, they will visit your business if it is tailored to answer to what they are looking for through link building and keywords embedded in your content. The said strategies will drive organic search clicks.
- Long-term Marketing Strategy
If you continue to invest in SEO, your marketing strategy will see returns in terms of increasing website views, interactions, and activities. SEO is also one of the most affordable marketing strategies compared to spending so much money on traditional advertising. But of course, you can combine traditional advertising tools and SEO to maximize your return on investment over both the short and long term.
- Quantifiable Analytics and Data
If you are serious about building a successful business in e-commerce then you must also evaluate your progress. SEO provides you with the quantifiable analytics and data that you can analyze. This data should assist you with developing strategies that focus on the content/areas that generated more organic clicks.
Through this report, you can study and improve on your strategies so you can maintain or increase your ranking on the web. The report also provides a clear explanation of the traffic, organic keywords, and even the location of your customers. This report does not only provide a complete report, but it is also much more cost-effective than traditional marketing research. SEO data is a valuable factor in developing your marketing research, so you can assess your long-term goals and growth.
Strategies of SEO
We’ve discussed the advantages of SEO in marketing your business so now let’s discuss the strategies of SEO that you can use. These are just a few examples of strategies and there are many more that you can develop to match the needs/goals identified for your business.
- Content and keyword research
Before you start planning your content and strategies in maximizing SEO, it is good to do some research first. Without research, you might not use the best tools in your toolbox. An SEO Specialist could help you with SEO-Generated Analytics and reports.
Ask the following questions while you are conducting your research:
-What are the top keywords that my target audience is using in search engines?
-What are the types of content that use these top keywords and generate most of the organic search results?
-How could I appropriately use these top keywords in my content or marketing strategies?
- Optimizing keywords
You should combine quantity and quality when it comes to maximizing keywords in SEO-generated content. Quantity refers to the volume of the keywords used in every type of content while quality refers to how these keywords are used in your marketing content. Make sure that you find the balance between quantity and quality. Ask the following questions after researching content and keywords to be used for your SEO:
-What are the keywords that rank the highest and the lowest in organic search?
-What are the keywords I would use for my text-based marketing content (web pages, blogs, social media posts, etc.)?
-What are the keywords that I could use for my marketing content in other multimedia tools (images, videos, podcasts, etc.)
- Organizing content
Organized and logical content is appealing to your customers because it shows that you take pride and care when presenting yourself to others. You can link different content types which could result in your customers staying longer on your website/social media pages.
Ask the following questions when you are organizing your marketing content:
-What are the types of marketing content that could effectively inform, educate, or appeal to my target market?
-What are the types of marketing content that I could combine to leverage exposure?
-What are the types of content that could appeal to every target market in each marketing platform?
- Promoting content
The classic business wisdom is to gain exposure to earn and retain public appeal. Without exposure, the awareness of your business is likely to be limited. This is why advertising is significant in business success. The good thing about modern technology is that it is easier to reach more people than ever at a low cost.
Ask the following questions after you’ve developed your SEO-generated content:
-What are the social media pages to use that could fit the types of SEO-generated content that have been created?
-How could SEO-generated content increase the visibility of my business on my platforms?
Types of SEO Content
The types of SEO-Generated content that you produce can break or make your business. Depending on the purposes and goals of your content and what suits your target market, you can use one or more of the following types of SEO content. But remember, these are just the usual types of content that usually get published and there are more types of creative content that you can produce beyond the ones listed below.
1. Articles
These contents are informative, or they could be entertaining. These are the usual content that people click especially if they are conducting research or exploring services and products online. Creating this type of content would entail in-depth research, interviews with primary sources, and stages of editing and proofreading.
The usual content: news, features, reviews, advertorials, etc.
- Blogs
This type of content is similar to the functions of articles, but is shorter, more engaging, and could be created with limited research. Blogs are convenient to read especially for those who are looking for some information or entertainment at a shorter time.
Blogs are creative and could be diversified into different kinds. They could also be combined with other multimedia content such as social media content and videos. It is also much easier to produce and embed links in its text. It could be published regularly because of its considerable length.
The usual content: product/service reviews, journal entries, informative pieces with infographics, etc.
- Product Pages
Product pages are popular for direct retail in e-commerce. These are much-needed content for the people who want to explore products of their chosen brands. With product pages, it presents information and other graphics about various products. Products pages can be effective SEO-generated content because it directly uses the top keywords in considerable quantity.
The usual content: photo galleries, infographics, Instagram feeds, Pinterest boards, etc.
- List
The listing content is appealing to those who are looking for guides for certain ideas, products, services, and experiences. The most popular sites for list contents are WikiHow and Top10-type of websites. Depending on the content, the amount of time to perform research can vary and can be referenced to other websites and social media pages/platforms.
The usual content: Top 10 lists, photo galleries, HowTos, guides, etc.
- Videos
Videos are attractive, informative, and appealing to the current interactive culture. Because of the popularity of streaming platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, you can conveniently attract an audience especially since videos appear at the topmost of the search pages. You can be as creative as you would like from producing videos to creating animations to vlogs and tutorials.
There is little video content being published especially on unconventional subjects and ideas. With the right marketing appeals such as camera lights, video editing, animation, music, a lively host/voice-over, etc. then you are certainly going to rank high in search engines.
The usual content: infomercial, animations, documentaries, vlogs, short skits, tutorials, etc.
- Infographics
Infographics or large-format images appeal to people because they are creative, concise but informative, and direct. They are informative because they contain a summarized version of significant information that is represented in bullet forms, tables/graphs, and other creative elements. They generate a lot of views and shares because they combine purpose and interest at the same time. Because the text is embedded in the infographic, search engines may not easily read it. Instead, you can use SEO for its description or if it’s part of the article/blog then you can add it to enhance your text content.
The usual content: bulleted information infographics, detailed process infographics, infographics with tables/graphs/etc., listing type of infographics, etc.
SEO is your superpower
SEO is your secret weapon and your superpower. There are endless possibilities on the strategies you can use SEO to your advantage if you just know how to tailor it according to your purpose, target market, platform, and imagination. We develop SEO–generated content based on reliable quantifiable analytics and data for effective visibility online. If you want to learn more about our SEO services, please reach out to Frank at fstephens@onlineCTS.com or call (847) 894-6304.