If you’re running an online business, your livelihood depends on how well you can bring visitors to your website. We’ve got some great advice on integrating search engine optimization (SEO) into the way you use your Shopify e-commerce platform.
Getting your website up and running, managing sales and delivering an exceptional customer experience can be a daunting challenge, which is why we love tools like Shopify. But just as traditional brick-and-mortar businesses have known for years, you have to get customers through your virtual doors in order to start selling to them.
In the e-commerce world that means kicking your SEO into high gear.
Quite simply, the easier you can make it for people to find your store and your products in the search engines, the more profits you’re going to generate.
The good news is that Shopify offers standard features designed to make SEO as painless for you as possible, including:
Of course, you need to know how to use these features to get the maximum advantage. SEO involves a bit of both art and science – there’s definitely a nuance to it. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.
Follow these tips to help your business move up in the search rankings, attract more website visitors and (best of all) grow your sales.
Write detailed title tags to appeal to shoppers looking for specific items. You can set tags for each product, collection or page on your Shopify site. However, keep in mind these important rules of thumb:
Headers present a great opportunity to use keywords strategically. Because they’re usually a bigger font or different color, headers signify to the search engines that the text contained in the header is very important. As a result, using a great keyword in the header can help your page rank better for that term.
One thing we can’t overstate is the importance of creating quality content. Customer engagement metrics – such as number of page views per session and time spent on site – are increasing in importance for search engines. The more effort you put into rich product descriptions, creative collection texts and value-added blog posts, the better the chances of those pages ranking well.
Great images showcase your products or services in just the right way. The problem is that search engines can’t “see” those images. By adding alt tags with a keyword to an image, you allow the search engines to find it on your site just as easily as regular text. Make sure every image includes a file name and alt text that help describe its contents.
When other websites link to your online store, search engines interpret it as a sign of popularity and trustworthiness. To attract more links to your site, reach out to industry experts, bloggers and fellow small business owners. Pay particular attention to the text in those links to make sure it contains your business name or a specific keyword.
Looking for a little more help to put your online business over the top? Make sure you’re being smart about your growth strategies. Clearsale offers guidance and insight into what you need to know. Start with our latest e-book, “The Ultimate Guide to Growing E-Commerce Sales Safely”!