SEO for e-commerce should always be on top of every website owners’ manuals as it paves the way to faster ROI and long-term gains. Not only e-commerce websites are using this strategy—other business websites have used it before. You might think of it as an old school technique, but it’s not.
This approach has benefited so many companies and the results are far greater than their usual gains. Imagine getting back a huge percentage out of the money used to grow the business from. It is also noteworthy to talk about how some strategies were able to turn around impending losses into profits using a shorter time frame.
And why is this so? You can count on innovative SEO knowledge as a huge factor.
Let’s delve into some facts to get the whole idea.
History of SEO
More than two decades ago, people started looking at search engine optimisation as a way to gain more out of websites. The process itself started in the mid-1990’s when content providers and webmasters started optimising websites.
This was the time when the very first search engines initiated cataloguing what was on the web. During this time, website owners have begun to realise the importance of visibility and high ranking in search results.
Concurrently, those who have designed search engines become wary of webmasters who were taking time and effort to manipulate rankings keyword stuffing. What other search engines like Infoseek and Altamira did was adjust their settings in such a way that rankings cannot be manipulated by black hat strategists.
Nowadays, there are many strategies that are regarded as taboo and every website owners’ search engine experts have to abide by the rules laid by search platforms like Google. Algorithmic penalties such as Penguin, Hummingbird, or Panda await every rule breaker.
Hence, if business owners want to get more slices of the pie, then, that will not be fair for others who have also invested money just to get their brand on the top tier. What is crucial to have is enough knowledge on the importance of using SEO techniques to gain more visibility on the web.
Significance of Visibility in E-Commerce
Specialised strategies used to optimise search engine presence is a far cry from what the former world wide web looked like. Utilising them wisely brings forth positive results. Many opportunities are waiting to be tapped by technical SEO, especially on the e-commerce side of business.
For a business website to flourish, the owner must look at the analysis at the end of every site audit. Problems that beset the site will appear anytime and resolving them is of utmost importance. But it is quite understandable that not all owners of e-commerce websites are well-informed on how to do away with the blunders.
Most common blunders on e-commerce sites include:
- Neglected mobile optimisation
- Duplicate content
- Ignored local SEO
- No focus on user experience
That is why there is a need to understand the benefits of using SEO for e-commerce before you can identify the person who can deliver the best solution.
Benefits
- Brand awareness – This describes the degree of how target consumers recognise a service or product. You will be able to gauge if consumers are familiar with the logo, colour, or name of whatever you are selling. If consumers trust your brand, they are more likely to purchase the product or pay for the service again and again. This bond creates loyalty, and loyalty usually stems from consistent customer satisfaction.
- Faster ROI – Who doesn’t want to get back the money that was used to start a business? If there is a high level of engagement on the website, it is but natural to receive early return on investment.
- Visibility – This best describes how visible your online business is. What e-commerce websites depend on in order to survive the harsh world of rankings are new and organic web traffic. Heavy traffic means more users, buyers, or readers are getting interested in your business.
Once there is a surge of unique visitors, it will trigger successful e-commerce sites. When this happens, it can only mean that the site has a high visibility rate and that is good news. Nonetheless, if you think that your website is safe after launching it, you are wrong.
There is still more that needs to be done even though your website has already gone live. In addition, it also has to rank well especially on search queries. Therefore, make sure that most of your content provides answers to questions most likely asked by searchers. This can also up your chances of getting seen quite a lot.
New Techniques
Today’s experts in the field of SEO do not only work for regular websites. E-commerce websites have mushroomed and the numbers are growing from day to day. Products are now sold online to augment the income of actual shops, retail stores, and manufacturers. Other small businesses also sell their wares on the Internet to save money to pay for rental spaces.
That’s the reason why they invest heavily by getting the services of experts who can help raise awareness for their online stores. Cost-effective measures are very popular from small to large scale businesses. Beyond a doubt, cutting on expenses alleviates the financial side of business.
If some brands come and go, others still stay in the race because they’ve got help. If their e-commerce strategy works, they will make it work better by means of hiring the right people. There are wizards who have mastered the trade and found their way into a vast field just like the e-commerce arena.
Nevertheless, there are different types of e-commerce and we will discuss them below.
Types of E-Commerce
- Business-to-business (B2B): Selling of goods or services from one business to another. Business is conducted from a manufacturer to a retailer. In a supply chain, a company buys raw materials from a business and the buying company uses it to manufacture products.
- Business-to-consumer (B2C): Transactions done on the Internet wherein consumers buy from online retail shops or stores without any middleman involved. Perfect examples are online retail or paid content.
- Business-to-government (B2G): In this category, businesses deal with any form of government, government entities, or agencies. Also referred to as Business to Administration (2A) transactions, this is a bit complex.
The process works in this order:
- Preparing pre-negotiated contracts
- Tender invitations
- Bidding and Compliance
- Submission and Review
- Awarding of contract
- Business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C): Businesses jointly process purchases made by consumers in this category. In such cases, a grocery store pairs up with a delivery service provider in offering online shopping and delivery.
- Consumer-to-business (C2B): This model shows the beneficial relationship of sellers and buyers. Perfect examples are social media, blogs, reviews, freelance websites, and surveys among others.
- Consumer-to-consumer (C2C): Consumers are the key players in this type of e-commerce. Transactions usually happen in online marketplaces wherein the sellers and buyers are the consumers themselves.
- Consumer-to-government (C2G): Payments going to government websites to pay for utilities, taxes, or government insurance premiums are involved here. This allows the people to communicate directly to government sectors by using payment centers, credit cards, or banks.
Points to Ponder
Expert SEO for e-commerce websites can come in handy by means of referrals or searching the web but not all of them are fit to handle your site issues. Choose a cheaper and inexperienced strategist and your business would stay on the last page of Bing. And since you don’t want your coffers to run dry before you see your brand patronised or seen by many, you have to act fast.
The best finds should be those who have wider experience in specific fields. Take note that the solutions to your problems will not be instant; at times, it takes months to get them cured. SEO expertise for your ecommerce site can unlock greater visibility, attract target traffic, build trust, and make you stay ahead of your competitors.
Try to look for the real deal to get your business not only surviving, but—winning. If you’re new in this trade and want to earn more profits, this is the way to go. Don’t just get the services of a generic search engine specialist; get the one who has the ability to take your brand to the highest level of visibility.