How to master SEO for your E-commerce Website.

Before anything...

Launching an e-commerce website can be effortless thanks to website builders like Shopify, Magento, etc. Starting is not the problem. Succeeding in the long term is. Of course you can start your own business and sell 1000 items per month: take care of the shipping, invest 50$ in an Instagram ad here and there, and it will work out fine until you start dreaming about turning your business into a multi-million-dollar company. Then, the fun begins.

Don't get us wrong, you don't need to invest all of your savings into your website. Actually, that's the worst thing to do.  If you dream big, then your actions should match. Set up robust foundations from the beginning that can withstand time. And by foundations we mean an optimal website build with the ability to handle a billion visitors per month. if your foundations are built strong from the start, your risk of failure is much higher. But everyone already knows this, right?

First, draw your sitemap. SEO is a matter of organization.

Let's clarify something: the ultimate goal of an e-commerce website is to generate sales in two clicks. "So, how do I do it?". Here's an example: Have you ever paid attention to Amazon's navigation? How every product is somehow related to another? How are the categories built and organized? How many products appear on the product page, and furthermore, the suggested section under your desired product? It never ends. There's always something to click on next. This weird feeling of having an infinite amount of products when each one is almost the exact same as the last? That is called a sitemap.

Your navigation and categorization have to be well thought out from the beginning. Forget about the layout of the pages, the look, and the design of your website for two seconds.  Building e-commerce is mainly creating the most intuitive navigation system throughout the site, in the simplest way possible.

Here is an example of an e-commerce selling clothes.

You want to make sure that every page is linked to another. Horizontally and vertically. First, it gives your visitors full access to all of your products without intentionally looking for them. Second, Google's bots will understand what you're selling and will push some intermediary pages.

It's pretty easy to understand, actually. When you see a store selling shoes and jeans for women, you tell yourself that they must sell clothes, right? Google thinks the same and will rank you on "clothing for women". But Google cannot necessarily detect or analyze images. So, you have to be diligent with your SEO. Every word mentioned in, on, or around your site matters.

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At BRACT, when creating an e-commerce site, we organize your products with strategy in mind. We categorize them in a manner that will make them as easily accessible as possible. Sometimes a brand has a proper language that only they can understand. We help you rethink and reorganize your website with your target in mind. Using words in the content of your website that would be directly relevant to a person searching for your product will heighten your chances of them visiting your website. We don't only do it for Google; we do it for your beloved audience.

Clean your code (like you would clean your hands during covid-19).

SEO starts when you build your website: HTML, CSS, and JS. You want the code of your website to be 100% clean and well organized.  By "clean" we mean removing  lines of code that would appear repetitive or useless. Google will always prioritize and reward websites that make it easier for them to read and scroll. For that, we use a tool called Webflow. It allows us to build websites quickly and effortlessly. Don't worry, Webflow is also a website builder. Even if their CMS is perfect for e-commerce, if you're more familiar with Shopify, we can always adapt it!

About product pages.

A product page, in your case, is the most important one. That's when the visitors will decide if they really need your product; if the dress description is pertinent to what they're looking for, if the photos reflect the item well, etc. Or they'll just close the tab. For that, here are some hacks.

• The pictures must look good, but not weight 3mo!

We need to really see your product! Face, back, from the right, left, bottom, and top! Bonus points if you add a video. Video always converts more and helps the consumer to see how it would fit. Optimize the weight of your pictures with tools like photoshop, and never forget to name them after your brand and product. Extra bonus points if you add an "alt text" to describe your picture.

• Select realistic models to stand out on Google Image.

We advised important fashion companies to include all sizes in the past . To be more realistic of the human body, of course, but mainly because most women don't fit in an extra-small and not all men have abs. But, you do whatever you want. We know it's also a smart way to stand out in your ecosystem, so why not do it?

• Describe your product with kindness and strategic keywords

When it comes to writing the content of your product page, our knowledge in SEO tells us where to place the correct elements. We wisely put the title tags (H1, H2,..) so Google's bots can easily understand what you're selling. (Your consumers too.) Writing a product page requires some studying. Why do you think Net à Porter always advises on how to pair their items? 

If you want to start scaling your business, your product must resonate with your audience (deeply). If you appear more authentic and inclusive, you'll create a link with your buyers behind the screen. Try using friendly wording, describe your product with care and realness. After all, you worked hard for it!

Content, content, and quality content.

Writing for the web is a job by itself. It involves far more than just choosing the proper keywords. Rather, it consists of taking extra care and making sure you're writing correctly and efficiently. Today, search engines prioritize human written content: realness. At BRACT, for example, we barely look at keyword planners because we know our field and the vocabulary of our world by heart. Instead, we use the right words when it feels needed. We don't overdo it because, you, here, you'll feel it, and reading our fantastic blog post wouldn't be as enjoyable as it is. Artificial Intelligence today is so advanced that we would be banned in two seconds if we didn't appear human.

To be honest, we appreciate the fact that Google rewards humanity instead of robotic features. This is essentially the ideology we follow as well: being more human. And this is what we try to reproduce in house.

Keeping active.

A great website can die quickly if it doesn't stay active. So we make sure that you continuously publish content, primarily for recognition from Google's robots, but mainly for your audience. They want to hear from you!

Ask yourself what they need, what do they want? Book recommendations? Entrepreneurial support? Care and empathy, or business advice? Each one of them is different, but you can easily touch them by diversifying your content.

Mobile-first. Obviously. 

Most of your traffic, especially in the fashion and cosmetic industry, might come from social media. Therefore, it is imperative to consider the responsiveness of your website. Quickly accessible products, categorizations of your collections, efficiently usable payment platform, etc. We've done it and would be happy to recreate it for you. But here, again, how do you adapt your website to a smartphone? Your visitors may log into your website while watching TV, in the Subway coming back from work, or late at night when they can't sleep. So, how do you (we) facilitate the path to the sale? You have to keep in mind that the more pages you add between your home page to the checkout page, the more chances you have to lose your consumer.

We know there are many aspects to consider: the look, the navigability, usability, organization, advertising aspects, etc. So, we took some time to round up our best practices for website making and condensed them into one simple article.

Adwords can sometimes push your SEO.

When launching your website, it can be frustrating to not get the reward immediately. Adwords can be a beneficial tool when you need to highlight a specific product at a particular time of the year. Black boots for hiking, sunglasses to be the prettiest on the beach... It can quickly become costly and a waste of money. But, we know what kind of keywords to select to increase your traffic and sales instantly. 

Keep yourself updated when Google changes its algorithm.

Our main goal is to help you perform! We keep our agency updated weekly on Google's new features. It would be ignorant to design a great website without receiving any visitors, right? We keep learning new practices to reach the number one position, and of course, we share all of our knowledge with you!

You just need to contact us to start selling. 😃