Understanding the Difference Between E-Commerce SEO and Normal SEO
Do you know the difference between Ecommerce SEO and Normal SEO?
Normally SEO (Search Engine Optimization) means to optimize a website to improve its visibility and ranking on search engine results and Ecommerce SEO, or Ecommerce Search Engine Optimization is a process of making your online store easier for search engines (like Google, Bing or Yahoo) to find and rank.
Here the fundamentals remain the same, meaning the core principles don't change. However, an e-commerce website is different from other types of websites, like service-based sites or blogs. Its URL structure and website design are unique, which means the strategies and steps we take might be different. Some new elements might be added, and some things might be left out. Despite these differences, the basic principles stay the same. In this article, we’ll cover some points to explain how e-commerce websites differ from regular service-based websites or blogs.
Focus on Home Page and Category Pages
The first point is that from an e-commerce point of view, the pages that we need to focus on are typically the home page or the category page. Let’s make it easier.
For example, if we go to Madkoffee's home page, the goal is to try to rank this particular page. When we talk about "ranking," we mean we try to make this page rank. So, for our brand, our website, and our product categories, we will target related keywords for the home page.
Keyword Targeting for Home and Category Pages
If we only sell kids' wear and our website is about kids' wear, we will target keywords related to kids' wear on our home page. After that, we may have a category page, for instance, "kids' wear for females" or "kids' wear for males." So, "kids' wear for males" could be a category page, and it would have all the male kids' wear products. So, the keyword "kids' wear for males" would target this particular category page.
Do you understand the point now, that we target different types of keywords for the home page and category page? Keyword research for e-commerce websites is completely different.
Category Pages and On-Page SEO
Here, we are giving you the basic difference so that you have clarity from the beginning. Once your base is strong, you will understand the approach in e-commerce. Suppose we have our home page. Similarly go on a "kids" section and then a "boys' clothing" section and then a "shirt" section. If you look, you can see it is a category page. So, this category page is specifically targeted.
Conversion Optimization for Product Pages
Just like for the word 'find kids wear for,' or 'kids wear keywords,' based on these types of words, we target a particular page. Now, you may ask, if we target a category page for this, then when any page is targeted, it is not constant on that particular page. We add keywords etc., in the content, there is an H1, H2, all those things. But here we are not seeing content or products directly so mostly you do not target product pages, as someone will not search for a specific product page like this.
Product Page SEO vs. Conversion Strategy
The point is, try to understand, SEO is one thing, and conversion is another thing. There are search engine options, and conversion options. When we target a product page, we try to convert the product page, which means we want someone who comes to the product page to leave with the product, to convert. So, the changes related to conversion are made on the particular product page, such as what the call to action button will be, how the images will be, what description will be written, what offers will be written, all these things are made to trigger conversion.
So, basically, we focus on the conversion of the product page, because we are not trying to rank the product page. No one will search this particular keyword. But yes, in some cases, we also try to rank product pages, like for example, if we talk about Nike shoes, there is a lineup called 'Nike Revolution,' which has many of their shoes. Nike Revolution 3456, and these types of shoes come up.
Now, this is a popular category and product, Nike Revolution is something people search for, so if people search for it, then in that particular case, you do the SEO for that product page so it can rank. But try to generalize this: anyone searching for a keyword with high search volume will be for a keyword like 'buy sports shoes online,' 'buy red sports shoes online.' So, you create category pages for such keywords, and those category pages show all the products.
Importance of Website Architecture and Navigation
So, you must have understood that our focus is on the homepage and category page, and we do optimization for the product page for conversions. Another thing to pay attention to is the architecture of the website, like site navigation and user navigation. You need to focus on the URL structure as well as on-site navigation.
Keyword Research for E-Commerce Websites
The third point is understanding the process of keyword research. You need to understand the keywords from an e-commerce perspective. When we talk about e-commerce websites, we focus on buying-intent keywords, words that indicate the user is looking to buy or get information, not just keywords for information. If there are informational keywords, we will send them to the blog, and then from the blog, we will drive traffic to our website.
If we start driving traffic for informational keywords, then we will need to optimize product pages and conversion options. So, informational keywords are never targeted for category pages or homepage. If you see informational keywords in categories, it means you need to focus on blogging strategies to write and research those topics and drive traffic to your website.
Role of User-Generated Content (UGC)
The next point is about UGC (User Generated Content), such as reviews, testimonials, images with ratings. This UGC content is important, especially for e-commerce. It matters from a conversion point of view because your normal website may not have this, but in e-commerce, UGC content plays a major role.
Google’s Quality Rating Guidelines for E-Commerce
The next point is specific guidelines for quality rating documents. Google has made these documents, and when you edit or look at a website, you need to consider these quality rating guidelines, which will help you in the auditing process as well. So, when we talk about quality rating documents, Google has provided some specific guidelines for e-commerce websites, which we need to follow.
E-Commerce SEO Optimization for Category and Home Pages
The next point is e-commerce SEO optimization for category and homepage. The main optimization for conversion is done on the product page. The product images' options are also very important. As I mentioned before, the basic SEO guidelines don’t change, but the writing style may change. For example, how titles, descriptions, and other elements should be written for e-commerce. For product pages and category pages as well.
Implementing Schema Markup for E-Commerce
If we talk about the 9th point, you should understand that just like your normal website uses schema data and markup to give Google extra information, similarly, for e-commerce, you will need to identify which schema markup to use. For example, you can use review schema, product schema, breadcrumb schema. You need to understand which schema to apply on which page.
So, these are some strategies and implementations that are different for e-commerce from normal websites, but the fundamentals of SEO remain the same for all websites, e-commerce SEO has some special needs because online stores are different. E-commerce websites focus more on optimizing their homepage, category pages, and product pages in different ways. For example, category pages are optimized with keywords that show people are ready to buy, while product pages are designed to convert visitors into customers by using attractive images, descriptions, and clear calls to action. The structure of the website, like how users navigate the site, is also important for both SEO and user experience. Keyword research in e-commerce focuses more on terms related to purchasing, not just informational ones. User reviews and ratings are also key to building trust and helping with conversions. Following Google's guidelines and using schema markup (special code that helps search engines understand the content) is important to improve how the website shows up in search results. Overall, e-commerce SEO is about balancing search engine optimization with strategies that encourage visitors to make a purchase. I hope you have understood this. Thank you.
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