As an ecommerce business owner, you need to be aware of the myriad of factors that impact the success of your business. One of the most important is search engine optimization (SEO). SEO refers to the process of optimizing your website to appear in the top search engine results pages (SERPs).
Many ecommerce business owners make critical mistakes in their SEO strategies that can prevent their websites from ranking well and making sales. To prevent these mistakes from occurring, this guide will go through some of the most common ecommerce SEO mistakes and how to avoid them.
Table of Contents
Not Conducting Keyword Research
Keyword research is the process of finding the keywords that your customers are typing into search engines to find your products. Without conducting proper keyword research, you won’t know what your customers are searching for, and therefore will not be able to optimize your website for those keywords.
How to avoid this mistake:
Conduct thorough keyword research to find the keywords that your customers are using. Use keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner or other third-party keyword research tools to help you identify high-volume, low-competition keywords that you can target.
Overloading Pages with Keywords
Another common mistake ecommerce business owners make is overloading their website pages with keywords in an attempt to rank higher. While it is important to use target keywords on your website, overusing them can lead search engines to flag your website for spamming.
How to avoid this mistake:
Keep your keyword density to 1-2% and use variations of your target keywords instead of repeating the same keyword over and over. Ensure that your content is still readable and provides value to your customers.
Neglecting Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
Title tags and meta descriptions are essential parts of your website’s SEO. Title tags appear in the SERPs as the clickable headlines, while meta descriptions provide a brief summary of the page’s content. Neglecting these elements can hurt your site’s ranking ability.
How to avoid this mistake:
Include target keywords in your title tags and meta descriptions, but also make sure they are concise and accurately describe the page’s content. Aim to create compelling tags and descriptions that entice users to click through to your website.
Not Paying Attention To Page Load Speeds
Page loading speed is an important part of user experience and can also affect your website’s ranking ability. Slow loading pages can increase bounce rates and decrease the amount of time spent on your website, which can lead to a lower ranking.
How to avoid this mistake:
Optimize your website’s images and use caching to speed up your page loading speeds. Use websites such as Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool to assess your website’s performance and identify ways to improve its speed.
Missing Out on Backlink Opportunities
Backlinks are links on other websites that point back to your website. Backlinks are among the most important ranking factors for search engines. However, many ecommerce business owners miss out on backlink opportunities by failing to generate quality content and proactively outreach to other website owners.
How to avoid this mistake:
Produce high-quality content that other websites will want to link back to. Conduct outreach strategies such as guest posting, requesting backlinks from partners, or building relationships with influencers to increase the likelihood of generating backlinks.
Ignoring Mobile Optimization
Mobile optimization is no longer optional, as the majority of users access websites from mobile devices. Neglecting mobile optimization can lead to decreased user engagement and lower website rankings.
How to avoid this mistake:
Ensure that your website is optimized for mobile devices by using a responsive design, optimizing images, and ensuring that text is legible on smaller screens.
In conclusion, SEO is critical for the success of any ecommerce business. Avoiding the common mistakes outlined in this guide will help ensure your website ranks high in the SERPs and attracts more customers. By properly optimizing your website for SEO, you can increase your online presence, drive more traffic, and improve sales.