The global eCommerce market is expected to reach $6.3 trillion in 2024. Every eCommerce business owner wants to stand fiercely in this competitive market. The best way to get your site noticed by potential buyers is to give them a good Google ranking.
When you make your site SEO-friendly, it helps in gaining organic traffic to your website. There are many different ways to do this. We have the best few tactics with step-by-step explanations that cover everything you need to rank your website better.
Table of Contents
1. Crawling and Indexing
Crawling and indexing are important in your page getting ranked on Google. The index is google’s directory of searches. When you key in your key/search words, it pulls up what it thinks are the relevant pages closely in line with the search. Therefore, you need an indexable and crawlable website to rank better.
Crawling
Google assigns a crawl budget for each site, and if it gets difficult to crawl a site, it will leave without giving you a second chance. These are the major stumbling blocks that prevent Google from crawling your website:
Indexing
The first step is to check if your site is already indexed using Google search or Google Search Console. If your pages are already indexed, you could go ahead with the rest of the checklist. If not, you need to get your site indexed through Google Search Console for better ranking.
Things that prevent Google from indexing your website:
2. Keywords and Topical Clusters
Keywords are still crucial in SEO in 2024, even as Google keeps updating its algorithms. They show how relevant your content is to what people are looking for. But the way we use keywords has changed. This is because Google's algorithms have gotten better over time.
Let's talk about user intent and context. Google now gets what people mean when they search for something. So, just stuffing keywords in your content won't work anymore. You need to provide what the user wants and make sure your content answers their questions.
Now, onto semantic search. Google is focusing more on this. It means the search engine looks at how words in a search relate. So, it's good to use keywords that are related or similar that explains the contexts.
Long-tail keywords are pretty important, too. These are longer phrases that people use when they're about to buy something or when they're using voice search. With more people using voice search, these long-tail keywords are becoming a big deal in SEO.
Where you put your keywords matters, too. It's not just about how many times you use them. Make sure to include them in your titles, meta descriptions, headers, and the start of your content.
Mobile and voice search are changing things as well. More people are searching using their phones and voice assistants. This means the kind of keywords that work best are changing. Phrases that sound like natural speech are becoming more common.
If you're focusing on local customers, local keywords are your friend. Mention your city or town and what you offer. This helps local users find you more easily.
Understanding the searcher's journey helps too. Know what keywords people use when they're just looking around and when they're ready to buy. This can help you create content that meets their needs at each stage.
Lastly, there's the E-A-T principle: Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google looks at these to judge content quality. They're not directly about keywords, but they matter. Your content should be well-researched and trustworthy. This makes Google see your content as valuable, which affects how you use keywords.
Keyword Research
This is the easiest part of your checklist and could be accomplished with these tools for listing your keywords as per volume:
Other tools help you compile and list all your keywords in order without duplicates. The best example for one such online tool is Text Mechanic.
Topical Clusters
Topical clusters in SEO mean you organize your content around one main idea. You start with a main page, often called a "pillar" page. This page covers a topic in a general way. Then, you create more pages, called "cluster" pages. These pages go into detail on parts of the main topic. Each cluster page links to the pillar page, and the pillar page links to the cluster pages.
Why are these clusters so important in 2024? Let's break it down:
Google has been implementing smarter algorithms on a regular basis. It like to see that you know a lot about the topic. When your content is linked like this, Google gets a better picture of your knowledge. This can help your site show up more in search results.
These clusters help people find more information about what they're interested in on your site. Google takes that as a good sign if they stick around longer to read.
Covering a topic in depth shows you're knowledgeable. This builds trust with your audience and search engines.
The detailed cluster pages are perfect for targeting very specific keywords. These are the long-tail keywords that might not fit well on broader pages.
Things change, and your content will need updates. With topical clusters, you can update parts of your content without redoing everything. This keeps your site current and relevant.
3. User Intent and Site Structure
Figuring out what users want when they visit your site can be challenging. Keywords tell you what people are typing into Google, but not always what they're really looking for. Google uses your keywords to figure out where your page should appear in search results.
User Intent
Google looks at the main phrases in your content and compares them with the top search results. It checks several things:
Site Structure
Websites can be structured in many ways. The structure should reflect your business goals and be optimized for search engines. Here are three key points to consider when designing your site:
4. On Page Optimization
On-page SEO is all about optimizing web pages to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic in search engines. It's about fine-tuning the content and the HTML source code of a page to make it as appealing as possible to both search engines and users.
From using the right keywords to ensuring your website is mobile-friendly, on-page SEO involves a range of strategies that help your site stand out.
Here's how you can nail it in 2024 -
First things first, your content needs to be top-notch. It should be informative, easy to read, and engaging. Make sure it's updated with the latest information and answers the questions your audience is asking.
Use keywords smartly. They should fit naturally into your content. Remember, it's not just about the main keyword. Include related terms and phrases that give context and depth to your content.
Your title tags and meta descriptions are crucial. They should be catchy and include your main keywords. Think of them as mini-ads for your page.
Use headings (H1, H2, H3) to structure your content. They help readers and search engines understand what your page is about. Include keywords in your headings, but keep them natural.
Your site must look good on mobile devices. More people are browsing on their phones than ever before. A mobile-friendly site is a must for good on-page SEO.
Speed matters. If your page loads slowly, visitors might leave before they even see your content. Make sure your images are optimized and your code is clean to keep your site speedy.
Link to other pages on your site. This helps search engines crawl your site and understand what your content is about. Plus, it keeps visitors on your site longer.
Make your site easy to navigate. A clear layout, easy-to-read fonts, and engaging visuals can make a big difference. Happy visitors are more likely to stick around and come back.
Update your content regularly. Search engines love fresh, relevant content. It shows that your site is active and up-to-date.
Use images, videos, and infographics to make your content more engaging. But remember to optimize them so they don't slow down your page.
Schema Markup
In June 2011, Schema.org was founded by major search engines like Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Yandex as a collaborative, community activity to create, maintain, and promote Schema for structured data on the Internet, on web pages, in email messages, and beyond. Ever since its advent, Schema.org’s shared collection of Schema have helped webmasters and developers in creating optimized websites with structured data containing rich snippets.
You need to make sure your CMS has the correct Schema.org markup within the page which can either be an Offer or Product markup. Popular platforms like WooCommerce and Magento have free Schema plugins that make their clients’ lives much easier by automatically performing the markups. (Refer to Schema.org or https://developers.google.com/search/docs/guides/intro-structured-data for more info on this)
5. Usability and Conversions
When we talk about eCommerce SEO, it's not just about getting people to your site; it's also about what happens once they're there. Usability and conversions are crucial to turning visitors into customers or followers. Here's how they play a vital role in SEO:
A website that's easy to navigate will likely keep visitors engaged. If users can find what they're looking for without hassle, they're more likely to stick around, reducing bounce rates and signaling to search engines that your site is valuable.
Every page should guide users on what to do next, whether it's making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or contacting your business. Clear, compelling CTAs can significantly boost your conversion rates.
A fast-loading page is essential for good usability. Users are impatient; if your site takes too long to load, they'll likely leave before engaging with your content or completing a conversion.
With the increasing use of smartphones for internet browsing, your site must perform well on mobile devices. A mobile-friendly site enhances user experience and supports SEO efforts by aligning with Google's mobile-first indexing.
Your content should be easy to read and directly relevant to your audience's needs and queries. Well-structured, clear content not only helps with SEO but also improves the likelihood of conversions by addressing users' questions and encouraging them to take action.
Incorporate elements that build trust, such as testimonials, reviews, secure payment options, and clear contact information. Trust is a significant factor in a user's decision to engage with your site and convert.
Use analytics tools to understand how users interact with your site. Insights into where users spend time, where they drop off, and which pages lead to conversions can inform your SEO and usability optimization strategies.
Usability Testing
You can use Google Analytics to monitor your user matrix and optimize it. Identify the problem pages across devices by using the custom report option in Google Analytics and fix the issues as and when they crop up.
You need to ensure that the user matrix you follow has the following:
Conversion Tracking and Optimization
The next on your checklist would be to monitor key conversion optimization checks. You need this to ensure that you are not losing out on any conversions. The areas you need to concentrate on are:
6. Link Analysis & Acquisition
Link analysis and acquisition are pivotal in SEO, acting as the backbone of a successful strategy. They're about understanding the web of connections between your site and others and strategically enhancing those connections.
Regularly review your site's link profile to understand where your links are coming from. Tools like Ahrefs, Moz, or Google Search Console can provide insights into which links are boosting your SEO and which might harm it.
Gone are the days when buying links could boost your SEO. Now, earning links through high-quality content, engaging social media strategies, and genuine partnerships is the way to go. Earned links are more valuable and sustainable in the long run.
Keep an eye on where your competitors are getting their links. This can provide valuable insights into potential link-building opportunities and help you understand industry standards and trends.
Building relationships with other site owners, bloggers, and influencers can lead to natural link acquisition. When done respectfully and offering mutual value, outreach efforts can be a powerful tool in your link-building strategy.
You need to avoid using tactics that try to manipulate search rankings through deceptive link practices. These can lead to penalties from search engines and damage your site's long-term performance.
Conduct regular link audits to identify and remove any bad links and to strategize new link-building opportunities. Keeping your link profile clean and actively managed is key to SEO success.
Conclusion
As the eCommerce market grows, standing out in a crowded digital landscape is more important than ever. SEO helps you to get noticed by potential leads but SEO isn't just about getting people to visit your site. It's about turning those visitors into loyal customers. Ensure your site is easy to use, works well on phones, and has great content. This makes users happy, which helps turn them into customers.
It's also essential to keep up with SEO changes. This keeps your online store competitive. Use strategies like topical clusters to show off what you know. Or get good backlinks to make your site more trustworthy.
Think of this checklist as your guide to doing well in SEO in 2024. Use these tips, watch how you're doing, and always look for ways to get better. This way, your store will not just get more visitors. It will also make those visitors want to buy from you.
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