Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a tool that can provide a significant boost to the online visibility, traffic, and revenue of a website. With the increasing demand for online shopping and sales, businesses today have the option to choose between two major types of SEO – Ecommerce SEO and Traditional SEO.
In this article, we’ll look at the key differences between Ecommerce SEO and Traditional SEO and which one you should choose for your business.
Table of Contents
What is Traditional SEO?
Traditional SEO is the process of optimizing a website’s content and structure to improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). The primary goal of traditional SEO is to increase the organic traffic and visibility of a website.
Traditionally optimized sites are those that focus on content creation, website structure, and keyword research. The optimization process involves on-page optimization, off-page optimization, link building, and content creation.
What is Ecommerce SEO?
Ecommerce SEO is a subset of traditional SEO, specifically tailored to online stores and their unique features, growth, and sales. The primary goal of Ecommerce SEO is to attract and convert online shoppers by optimizing product pages, improving website structure, and enhancing the overall user experience.
Ecommerce SEO incorporates everything traditional SEO does with a focus on product optimization, category optimization, research, and website structure. It also involves technical optimizations such as improving page load speeds, implementing HTTPS security, and optimizing mobile responsiveness.
Key Differences between Ecommerce SEO and Traditional SEO
While the basic principles of traditional SEO and Ecommerce SEO remain the same, the approach, scope, and objectives are quite different. Here are some of the key differences between the two:
Keyword Research and Optimization
Traditional SEO mainly focuses on long-tail and broad keywords, whereas Ecommerce SEO is all about keyword optimization for products and categories.
In Ecommerce SEO, you will want to optimize your product titles and descriptions with high-converting, relevant keywords to attract traffic. You need to select and optimize category-level keywords to structure your website effectively.
Site Structure
The website structure for a traditional SEO can be fairly simple. There will be a home page, products or services, a contact page, and a blog. This structure works well for most businesses, but it does not apply to Ecommerce SEO as shopping sites have a complex structure.
An Ecommerce site typically has a homepage, category pages, product pages, reviews, customer accounts, and a shopping cart. This structure can be complicated, and SEO experts have to focus on user experience, minimal clicks to increase conversions, and crawlability to ensure search engines can access and index all product pages.
Product Pages Optimization
Product pages optimization is an essential element of Ecommerce SEO. Each product page must be optimized with high-quality images, unique and detailed product descriptions, pricing, and relevant keywords to help search engines rank it higher in SERP.
The objective is to create comprehensive, informative, and user-friendly product pages that can help customers get a complete idea of the product. It will boost your brand’s authority and establish trust with potential customers.
Consumer Reviews
Consumer reviews play a crucial role in Ecommerce SEO, especially for online purchases. They provide valuable insights into your products, what needs to be improved, how buyers perceive your brand, and what should be done to alleviate doubts and misunderstandings.
Positive reviews can increase the click-through rates, dwell time on the page, and online reputation. They can significantly increase the conversions and user satisfaction, which is essential for long-term business growth.
Technical SEO
Technical SEO is an integral part of both traditional and Ecommerce SEO. However, on Ecommerce sites, it is more focused on automation tools, crawlability, and security since Ecommerce sites are more complex.
Technical optimization includes a wide range of elements such as site speed optimization, HTTPS implementation to ensure secure connections, proper indexing of product pages to help the site rank higher in SERPs, and user-interface features such as 404 pages and robots.txt files.
Which One Should You Choose?
Choosing an SEO strategy depends on the nature of your business, products, and goals. Both traditional SEO and Ecommerce SEO are effective for different reasons.
Traditional SEO is suitable for businesses that offer services or sell a small number of products. While Ecommerce SEO, on the other hand, is beneficial for businesses that sell a vast number of products online.
Ecommerce SEO is suitable for online stores that want to enhance their online visibility, increase organic traffic, and boost sales. It focuses specifically on online shopping, product pages, and customer reviews.
Moreover, Ecommerce SEO can help businesses leverage newer SEO techniques such as video and voice search, based on the customer’s preferences and online behaviors.
Conclusion
SEO strategy is an essential element for any online business, and its efficacy depends on the approach taken. The primary difference between Ecommerce SEO and Traditional SEO is the focus and optimization methods. Regardless of the approach you choose, successful SEO requires an ongoing effort to stay relevant and effective. Consider the unique needs and objectives of your brand to choose the SEO strategy that best aligns with its goals.