Ecommerce SEO For Beginners: The Ultimate Guide

Before creating an SEO strategy, first, it's essential to learn the SEO basics.

So, what are these "basics" you need to know?

You need to learn the SEO terms, how it works, and the factors to help you rank on search engines.

Let's start with...

Before executing your Search Engine Optimization plan, you need to conduct keyword research.

Here's why it's crucial.

Since SEO revolves around search engines, keywords are the "search queries" users will use.

It means search engines give their users results based on their keywords or search query.

So, how can you make sure you have the chance to appear on the first page of SERPs or the Search Engine Results Page?

By conducting keyword research.

And to help you with that, let's first discuss...

It's called Search Engine Optimization for a reason... because you need to optimize your website for better results!

In doing so, you will increase the chances of your website appearing higher on the SERP.

So, here are the different kinds of optimization for your SEO strategy.

1. On-Page SEO

On-page SEO refers to the optimization of your website for SEO. That's why it's called "on-page."

Some aspects of on-page SEO are URLs, title tags, and content.

Exerting effort in optimizing these will help you rank on search engines.

And to help you with that...

A. Use Your Keywords

Surprise!

The keyword research in the previous step is not going to waste.

Because you're going to use the keywords on your ecommerce site to rank on search engines.

This will help search engines determine the relevance of your website to your target keywords.

So, if your target customers search for "affordable makeups" or "makeup techniques for beginners," your ecommerce site can pop up on the SERPs.

But remember, don't just use keywords for the sake of it!

You need to...

B. Be Mindful Of Your Keyword Placements

Keyword stuffing is a no-no!

What does it mean? It's the act of manipulating organic rankings by "stuffing" your targeted keywords everywhere.

And let me tell you... it's a negative factor!

So, if you want to rank higher on the Search Engine Results Page, you need to use your target keywords mindfully.

Now, you're probably asking... where?

You can use them on your titles, meta descriptions, headings, content, ALT text, and URLs.

Let's talk about them.

Your titles are critical because that's one of the very first things your target customers see.

And that's what they're searching for. So to increase your clicks, you can also include your keywords on your titles.

The next one is meta descriptions.

I already talked about what meta description is above. But in case you missed it, the meta description indicates what your web page is about.

Here's an example:

As you can see, the keywords are there for "best makeup 2022." And it also talks about what you're about to see if you choose to read the page.

Again, you can also include your keywords in meta descriptions. They're helpful!

Another way is to add your keywords to your headings and content.

When I searched for "how to apply makeup for sensitive skin," the first result is from Dermstore.

And we can see that they used the keywords on their headings and the content itself.

These are some of the factors that helped them rank on SERPs: the mindful use of keywords on their web page, as well as...

Yep, the URL!

The URL accurately describes the content of the web page. Optimize them when publishing your pages.

After using your keywords in the right places, you also have to make sure to...

C. Audit Your Website

Auditing your website is essential to your Search Engine Optimization strategy.

This ensures that you are doing all the things I've mentioned above.

Check if you're optimizing the title tags, meta descriptions, URLs, headings, etc.

You also need to see if you're properly placing and using the keywords.

And there's more...

You also need to see if you're providing visitors with a good user experience on your website!

This will help them navigate your website smoothly and enjoy your content without hassle.

Take note... SEO and UX design work hand in hand!

Picture this...

You optimized every critical part of your website, ranking higher on SERPs.

But the thing is... they're bouncing off your page, and they're not even purchasing anything from your eCommerce store.

It's because you focused on optimizing your website for search engines, not your target customers!

So, if you want to rank higher while making sure the users stay on your eCommerce store and take action... you need to audit your website and check the UX design!

Once you're done with on-page SEO, let's go to...

2. Off-Page SEO

Off-page SEO refers to efforts outside your website that affect your search engine ranking.

Search engines and users are influenced by off-page ranking factors, like trustworthiness and authority of a website.

What are these?

Off-page SEO can include (but is not limited to) link building, content marketing on other platforms or avenues, social media, and reviews.

Let's deep dive and see what you can do.

A. Take Advantage Of Link-Building

When other websites, especially high-ranking ones, link to yours... you can also position your website as an authority.

And as I told you before, this is called "backlinks."

So, you need to have other websites link to yours to increase your authority.

And here's why...

Linking helps search engines discover more websites that are worthy of sharing or citing. Again, this indicates that your website is reliable.

And fret not...

Because later, we'll talk about establishing authority and creating high-quality content for your ecommerce site.

But for now, let's hop on to...

B. Use Online Reviews

Did you know that you can increase your brand's conversion rate by 270% if you use online reviews?

You read that right!

That's why another off-page SEO strategy you can take advantage of is... reviews.

And according to Trustpilot, these reviews can help Google understand your ecommerce site.

So, to even further increase your chances of ranking higher on the SERPs... you need to collect reviews for your eCommerce store.

Speaking of which... stay tuned because something to help you is on its way.

You can collect and manage your reviews efficiently! 😉

But in the meantime, another off-page SEO technique is...

C. Utilize Online Forums

Online forums are probably not new to you. It's a platform that serves as a community for people who share the same concerns.

But who would've thought it's helpful for SEO, too? Let me explain how.

If you remember what I've mentioned above, off-page SEO refers to the relevance and trustworthiness of your eCommerce website.

And online forums can help you build links, especially if the users think your website is relevant.

The community members can also mention your target keywords in their posts.

And the good news is... with the right online forum strategy, you can totally smash this tactic!

To make it even more effective, you also need to optimize your...

3. Technical SEO

Technical SEO is optimizing the technical factors that will affect your website ranking.

If you're wondering what these factors are... some examples are page speed, website security, and the overall responsiveness of your eCommerce website.

Yep, they affect your Ecommerce SEO game!

So, what can you do to make sure you're smashing the technical side of your SEO plan?

A. Increase Your Page Speed

Did you know that website visitors expect your website to load within 3 seconds?

That's fast... right?

But that's because potential customers are usually impatient. And search engines know that.

They know users want the information they need as soon as possible. That's why page speed is also a ranking factor for Google.

In fact, there's even a page speed checker by Google to help you... and that's PageSpeed Insights. This will help you determine the performance of your website.

And to give you more ideas, here are three quick and simple ways to optimize your site speed:

1. Compress your high-quality images.
2. Remove unnecessary elements.
3. Choose a fast-loading eCommerce theme for your store.

These will help you start your site optimization for better results.

Another one is...

B. Secure Your Website

By securing your website, I mean using SSL or Secure Sockets Layer.

What is it?

It's securing an internet connection to protect the data passed around two systems against potential hackers.

This is an essential factor to rank on the Search Engine Results Page. Remember, the search engine wants to show trustworthy websites.

And having an SSL indicates your website is safe. That's why you need an SSL certificate for website security.

To protect your eCommerce store, you can also install Debutify's Shop Protectors Add-Ons!

The next one is...

C. Make Sure Your Website Is Responsive

Imagine this...

You're finally starting to rank higher on the SERPs. More and more people visit your website, BUT they're not taking any action!

Why? Because your ecommerce site is not responsive, and they're just bouncing off your page.

Google has already implied that having a responsive web design helps their algorithm to "assign indexing properties to the page" and "make it easier for users to share and link to your content with a single URL."

This also includes the mobile responsiveness of your website.

And the more responsive your design is, the more people visit and stay on your website.

The best part? Turn them into sales!

Another thing you can do is to check if your ecommerce site is mobile-friendly using Google's Mobile-friendly Test tool!

You see, a responsive design has many benefits aside from SEO.

Make sure to check the responsiveness of your eCommerce website from time to time!

So, after optimizing the ins and outs of your website... it's time to create content that will help you...

Authority is vital to rank higher on the Search Engine Results Pages.

It helps measure the quality of your website, which is essential in your ranking factor.

So, how to achieve being an authority?

By thinking of strategic content that more people will share. You need to understand the search intent of your users.

Why are they even searching for this topic in the first place? If you figure that out, you can strengthen your authority.

And this leads us to our first tip...

1. Determine The Search Intent Of Users

There are four types of search intent. Each of these indicates the purpose of the users as to why they're searching for specific queries.

Once you understand this, it will be easier to understand the intent of your audience.

The first one is...

A. Informational Intent

Why are people searching on the internet? To get the information they need.

Here are some examples:

• "How to apply makeup"
• "Web3"
• "Crypto"
• "How to start with NFT"
• "Mushroom sauce"

These are keywords with different lengths, but they share the same intention.

Which is to find more information about the topic.

B. Navigational Intent

Navigational intent means the searcher aims to navigate to the specific website or page they're searching for.

Here are some examples:

• "Debutify"
• "Debutify guides"
• "Debutify blog"
• "Shopify login"
• "SEO guide Debutify"

You have to make sure you're using the keywords efficiently to give users the most accurate results.

C. Transactional Intent

Transactional intent means users have the intention to make a transaction with your eCommerce store.

It also includes researching ways to buy a particular product or service.

Here are some examples:

• "Debutify pricing"
• "Order Chanel foundation"
• "Buy concert tickets"

They're already sure they want to buy the product or service most of the time. They just need to get to the place where they can make transactions.

D. Commercial Investigation

This means your prospects are still on the fence. They're not yet sure if they're going to buy from you.

So, they intend to "investigate" whether or not they'll purchase your products or services.

Here's are some examples:

• "Best makeup for sensitive skin"
• "Rare Beauty vs. Charlotte Tilbury"
• "Top restaurants in New York City"
• "Fenty Beauty foundation review"

If you noticed, these examples are either searching for the best options or looking for reviews.

The purchasing decision becomes easier because they can see what others say about these brands.

Now you know the types of search intent, you can better understand your target customers.

It's also easier to strategize your keywords based on the buying stages of your customers with these modifiers to match their intention.

Steal this cheat sheet to make your planning smoother!

So, what's the next thing you need to know to establish authority?

2. Learn The 3 C's Of Search Intent

After learning the search intent of your target customers, it's time to strategize your content.

Ahrefs has come up with "3 C's Of Search Intent" to ensure your content aligns with these 3 C's.

So, what are these?

A. Content Type

The content type is pretty straightforward. These are the types of content you'll produce for your website, such as:

• Blog posts
• Videos
• Landing pages
• Product pages
• Category pages

But it depends on the types of content ranking on the Search Engine Results Page.

Let's see an example:

When I searched for "affordable makeup," the content type on the first result was a video.

You're going to use this information to create strategic content.

The next C is...

B. Content Format

Content format is a bit similar to content type, but it's more specific because we're looking at the content itself and how it's made.

Here are some examples of content format:

• Step-by-step guide
• List articles
• "How-to" blogs
• Reviews
• Comparisons

Let's take a look at this example:

As you can see, the first result is a list article. You can use the same format for your blog post because it works.

You can also check the other ranking websites and see their similarities and differences.

Can you see the similarities? Most of the headlines have numbers.

You can use this information to craft the perfect content for your website.

And the last C is...

C. Content Angle

There can only be so much content in the digital space. It's hard to be 100% unique because sometimes, your ideas have been executed by others.

But hey... You can still stand out!

That's why content angle exists.

They might be writing about makeup, but you can add your own twist!

The content angle you can go for is what your target customers might be looking for.

If you notice, these results are related to the keywords "makeup for beginners."

But they're writing about different angles.

There's how to apply makeup for beginners, step-by-step tutorials, makeup kit for beginners, and a basic makeup tutorial.

And these are the type of content potential customers are searching for.

So, write an attention-grabbing headline and meta description to win those clicks!

Since you already know how to craft a strategy for your content through understanding the search intent... your web content deserves to be shared to build authority.

Let's talk about...

3. Link-Building

Link-building is a vital part of establishing the authority of your website.

Let's go back to the three C's of search intent and refer to your website as Website A.

After analyzing the ranking content, you create your own. Suppose it's a makeup tutorial for beginners with sensitive skin.

The content is very informational. You have a unique content angle and findings on your eCommerce blog.

So, you go to Website B or Website C, which are beauty or lifestyle blogs posting makeup tips, to link back to Website A.

If the two other websites have many visitors, you can also increase the number of potential traffic to yours.

According to James Evered, you need to have a real creative reason for people to link back to you.

For this reason, you need to create web content that users can't help but share. And there's a bonus waiting for you about that. 😉

But if you want to learn more about link building, you can watch Debutify's video with James Evered:

So, what are you going to do next?

Congratulations!

You already understood your target customers' search intent and analyzed the top-ranking websites on the SERPs.

You've also learned to optimize your website for better results and create different content types and formats.

The next thing you need to do is measure the results.

Why? Because you need to tweak your SEO strategy! You can use Ahrefs, SEMrush, Ubbersuggest, or any SEO tool to monitor your progress. Or, you can even use a Free tool from Google, named Google Search Console. Yes, Google Search Console is totally FREE!

We are in the digital age.

Search Engine Optimization is not a one-shot thing.

It's an ongoing process because your target customers have different buying stages and intentions.

Aside from that, search engine algorithms are also becoming more and more sophisticated.

Let's get down to business.

High-quality website content plays a big role in your Ecommerce SEO strategy.

Want to rank higher on the SERPs? You have to master this.

You need to produce high-quality content.

Okay, that probably sounds easy-peasy... but no. Because you need to look over the nitty-gritty details of your content to make it work.

Want to drive more potential customers from search engines to your ecommerce site?

Let's start with our first tip.

1. Have A Striking Meta Title

Let's go back to basics.

The meta title is the headline that appears on the SERPs.

So, let me ask you which one you'll click:

A. 10 Best Makeups For 2023

B. Best Makeups For Sensitive Skin In 2023

C. Affordable And Skin-Friendly Makeups For Summer

Well, all of them have different purposes. But if your target customers and unique value proposition center around sensitive skin, the letter C is the best option.

Another reason why it's the best is the relevance and timeliness.

If you include the season or weather, you can position your products as the best options for that specific time. And, of course... you get more clicks.

Here are three things to keep in mind when thinking of your meta title and headline.

1. Keep your target customers in mind. What's their problem? What are they searching for? What problem are you trying to solve for them?
2. Use attention-grabbing words. These are words like "affordable," "friendly," "best," or even numbers.
3. Include your keywords. This lets your target customers know what your web page is about while increasing your chances of appearing higher on the SERPs.

The next tip is...

2. Keep Your Content Unique

Sounds cliché, right?

But uniqueness can be hard to achieve, primarily when everyone has already written a wide variety of things in a specific niche.

So, does it mean you can't be unique?

NO!

Because let's revisit the content angle we talked about earlier.

Finding the best content angle can help you write uniquely because it's about your eCommerce store's perspective.

Or, you can also use your expertise as a business owner! That will help you position yourself as an expert and boost the trustworthiness of your eCommerce brand.

Another way is...

3. Diversify Your Content

Do you remember the content format and content type? This is the time they come into play.

Before identifying which content works, you need to try a wide array of types and formats first.

From there, you can determine which is working well and not.

Its benefits don't end there, though.

Because by diversifying your content, you can showcase your products in different ways!

For example, you can write about the benefits of your products in blog posts. While you can show how your products are used through videos.

Don't be afraid to try a lot of things.

It takes a few tries before you can find the perfect one!

So... are you ready to take your SEO game to the next level?