How to check the indexation status and accessibility of an online store for search engine robots? Using a tool such as the previously discussed Google Search Console. There you can check information such as: the number of indexed pages, reports on detected problems, whether the appropriate meta tags are assigned, whether the store is optimized for the appropriate keywords, whether it is fast enough and does not cause problems for users.
Adapting the website to mobile devices
Nowadays, the majority of users are mobile users. If your website is not mobile-friendly, it can negatively impact your website traffic and product sales.
How to check if a website is mobile-friendly?
Use online tools or manually to check the level of adaptation of the website to smartphones and tablets. Remember to analyze each type of page available in its structure (product pages, category pages, home page, blog entry pages, etc.).
Make sure the mobile version contains all the key elements as the desktop version (same content, headings, internal linking, navigation elements, meta data, 404 error page).
Adapting the website to mobile devices helps in positioning the store
Page loading speed
The speed of loading a page affects the positioning of an online store and its financial results. If your page loads slowly, users may get irritated and leave it. What can be the result? An increased number of abandoned carts and a negative impact on business.
How to make the page load faster?
optimize the size and format of photos,
reduce the size and number of CSS and JavaScript files,
compress files uploaded to the site,
choose a hosting provider that will ensure trouble-free and fast loading of the store's website from the server,
monitor your site's speed, for example using Google's PageSpeed Insights web tool.
Wondering how to further improve your page loading speed? Read the post: How to speed up a website
Excluding some pages from indexing
Only pages that you want to position should be in the search engine index. Which pages should be excluded? All those that are of little importance to the SEO of the online store - archived entries, unavailable products and regulations. Before excluding, it is worth analyzing whether a given page does not generate traffic.
How to exclude pages from indexing?
Your robots.txt file should have a "Disallow:" section that lists all the pages you don't want search engine spiders to crawl.
Add a robots meta tag " noindex " to your page's source code.
In case of duplicate content, indicate the canonical addresses of the pages, i.e. the most representative page of all duplicates.
Site Architecture
The concept of information architecture is a way of connecting all the pages within a store. As you know, online stores have significantly more subpages than, for example, service company pages. With such a number, their accessibility to both users and robots is important.
What does the most common structure of online stores look like?
The structure of the website plays a role in the positioning of the store
Example of the structure of the store page
Use a structured system of categories and subcategories.
Users should be able to reach any place on your website with just a few clicks.
The navigation menu should be easy to use, clear and intuitive.
Create product filters in your online store that will make it easier for your customers to find the items they are interested in.
Use breadcrumb navigation to make it easier for users to navigate your site.
Friendly URLs
URLs on every page (not just in an online store) should be short, simple, and understandable. What do friendly URLs look like?
short,
descriptive,
contain keywords,
do not contain special characters and identification numbers,
Hyphens are used instead of spaces.
Friendly URL example:
Example of a hostile URL:
We discussed the topic of URL addresses in more detail in our post: URL address - What is it and how to use it in SEO activities
Site Map
A site map (sitemap) helps users and search engines navigate the structure of a website. There are two versions:
XML - used by robots to discover subpages on the website and to index the website by search engines,
HTML – more user-friendly, making it easier for users to find specific pages in your store.
You shouldn't add addresses excluded from indexing to your sitemap file (as I mentioned earlier — in robots.txt or using the noindex meta tag). Such addresses can be: login pages created for advertising campaigns, resources available only after logging in, privacy policies and regulations.
How to create a sitemap yourself? It would be best if such a sitemap was created automatically. However, if this does not happen, you can use tools that generate such files (e.g. Screaming Frog). However, you should remember that after adding or removing subpages, the sitemap.xml file should be updated.
You can read more about the sitemap.xml file on our blog.
Sample Site Map
Meta tags
Title in the online store
Title (page title) is one of the main Google ranking factors, which is why it should be one of the most important elements of positioning an online store. It informs users and search engine robots what is on a given page.
What should the title be?
length should not exceed 600 px (approx. 55-60 characters),
should contain the most important keywords,
it should be short but meaningful,
it should be legible, attract attention and encourage you to click.
Poor traffic and sales in your store?
Rely on the specialists from KS!
Contact us!
Description in the online store
Meta description is not a ranking factor, but if constructed properly, it affects the number of clicks and visits to your website.
What should the meta description be?
should fit within 960 px (approx. 150-160 characters),
it should contain keywords, but not be oversaturated with them,
should contain a call to action,
should encourage the user to visit the site (e.g. free shipping offer).
What should an attractive page description look like? Read: Meta description - why is it worth creating attractive descriptions?
Headings and proper hierarchy
Headings affect the readability of content and make it easier for search engines to index pages. They also affect the readability of content.
What do you need to do?
Maintain a heading hierarchy – starting with one main job seekers database heading H1, then H2, H3, H4, and so on.
H1 should contain the name of the product or category .
Headlines should contain keywords , but at the same time they should not be saturated with them.
Product card optimization
Product cards are the most important elements of an online store. They are crucial in attracting the attention of potential customers, and when constructed well, they can have an impact on increasing sales.
How should product pages be optimized in an online store?
Try to use full product names. This will make it easier for users to find them.
Place photos within the page that accurately represent the product you are offering.
Product prices should be clear.
Place unique and SEO-optimized product descriptions that will attract users' attention and help position your online store.
Add the necessary sections that will be attractive to people visiting your store (product reviews, CTA buttons, availability notifications, adding to favorites, technical data and product specifications, FAQ - frequently asked questions and answers to them, similar and complementary products).
Store optimization should include optimization of category and product pages
Category Page Optimization
Category pages in online stores are designed to make it easier for customers to choose a product by answering general questions and needs of searchers. They also improve navigation, not only for users but also for search engine robots. For this reason, they have an impact on the positioning of online stores .
What should product category pages look like in online stores?
The content placed on these pages should be both useful to potential recipients and optimized for search engine algorithms.
Use keywords in your content that you want to rank for.
Create a simple and convenient product filtering system according to various parameters to make it easier for users to find the products they are interested in.
Structured data
Structured data provides search engines with additional information about the content of the page, which is why it is quite important in the process of positioning an online store. Among the available schemas, you will find LocalBusiness, FAQ Page, Breadcrumbs, Product and Organization.
How to set up structured data yourself?
Explore the available structured data formats and schemas and choose the ones that best suit your store.
Complete your online store with the appropriate structured data such as product name, price and availability, photos and reviews about it (some e-commerce platforms do this themselves, for others you will need the help of a programmer)
Update them regularly to keep them consistent with the offer.
An example fragment of structured data of the Product type
An example fragment of structured data of the Product type
Graphics and multimedia optimization
Proper optimization of graphics and other multimedia is responsible for, among other things, the speed of loading the page, its visual appeal to users and their feelings related to visiting the page. Proper optimization of photos supports the process of positioning the online store.
How to optimize graphics and multimedia yourself?
Match the image and multimedia formats to their type—JPEG is ideal for photos, PNG for images that contain transparency, MP4 for videos, MP3 for sounds, and SVG is best for vector graphics.
Using image compression tools available on the Internet, compress the photos and illustrations on your website.
Use the popular technique of "lazy loading", thanks to which multimedia loads only when it is in the user's view. This affects the speed of the page loading.
Don’t forget to include alt descriptions for your photos, which will help search engines understand their content and improve the user experience for people using screen readers. Without alt descriptions, they wouldn’t know what your shared media is about.
Poor traffic and sales in your store?
Rely on the specialists from KS!
Contact us!
Company blog
Content marketing is a significant factor in increasing the position of keywords. By running a company blog within your online store, you can build your position as an expert in the industry. Creating valuable content that addresses the problems and needs of potential recipients will attract users from organic search results.
How to do it correctly?
Prepare a content plan for the blog you would like to publish. Ideally, it should cover the next few months. Remember that some topics are seasonal!
The topics of the posts should be related to the offer of your online store and answer the problems and questions of users. For this purpose, use available online tools, such as Google Keyword Planner or Answer The Public.
Avoid duplicating content.
Include relevant keywords in your texts.
Publish content regularly, at least several times a month.
Link from your posts to your offer (products or product categories) to increase sales.
Wondering why content is so important? Read our post: Content is king - Why is content so important?
Content marketing is an integral part of store positioning
Backlinks
Backlinks (return links) are links from other domains leading to your store's website. Obtaining valuable links is an important issue in the positioning of any website, because Google considers them an indicator of the value and credibility of your service. If a high-authority page links to a positioned domain, the search engine receives a signal that this is valuable and noteworthy content.
How to take care of backlinks?
Valuable content on your site can attract the attention of other sites, which will then link to you.
Collaborate with popular online influencers who, in exchange for receiving your products, will promote your online store by placing links to it on their social media.
Be active on social media, this will also attract the attention of other sites that may refer to you in their future posts.
Create profiles in NAP directories.
Establish cooperation with websites offering similar topics, so that you can insert links to each other's pages.
Post external articles on other sites that link to your store.
Pay attention to the quality of the backlinks you acquire, not their quantity. They should be naturally woven into the content, valuable and diverse. If they are, the Google search engine algorithm will certainly appreciate them and improve your position in the search results.
Monitoring the effects
Monitoring the effects of positioning is an important part of the entire process of optimizing your online store. Systematically monitor the effects of your store positioning, and you will be able to assess the effectiveness of your actions and adjust your strategy to changing conditions. Good control should be based on tracking key performance indicators (KPIs). These can include:
Bounce Rate - The lower the Bounce Rate, the better. It measures the percentage of users who entered the page and immediately left without taking any action.
Conversions — sales goals achieved.
Keyword positions - monitoring the position in search results that an online store occupies for specific words will help assess the effectiveness of the activities carried out.
Return on Investment (ROI) - this indicator helps to assess whether the actions taken are profitable and adequate to the profits achieved.
Website analytics and store positioning
UX and SXO
User Experience and Search Experience Optimization are becoming increasingly important in terms of positioning a store on the Internet. They focus on the experience of users visiting a given website.
How to take care of UX?
make it easier for users to use your online store - introduce an internal search engine and product filtering system,
make the purchasing process easy and intuitive,
focus on the usability of both the main page and all subpages,
include calls to action on your pages,
the menu should be visible at all times, even when scrolling the page.
Poor traffic and sales in your store?
Rely on the specialists from KS!
Contact us!
Store positioning in accordance with EEAT
EEAT is a guideline for assessing the quality of content that can affect a site's position in search results. During the process of optimizing online stores, it is necessary to check whether the published content meets these guidelines. They consist of:
Expertise — the level of knowledge on a given topic, this parameter can be increased by weaving specific facts, statistics and data into the content.
Experience — published content should be based on the author's experience. Facts, quotes, and descriptions of personal experiences are important here. Examples include case studies, descriptions of industry successes, and product use scenarios.
Authoritativeness — the authority of the author on the website is an important determinant of its credibility. You can build authority and a position of a leader in your industry, for example, by actively participating in training, obtaining references from other experts and companies.
Trust (credibility) - a very important parameter in the case of online stores. It means an accurate, honest, reliable and safe approach to published content and site users. Take care of the transparency of sources and the possibility of verifying the information you provide.
Online store positioning - how much does it cost
The cost of positioning a store depends on several factors. The final price you will pay for optimizing your store depends on:
Methods and workload - cheap SEO offers often focus on activities that may do more harm than good in the future and are short-lived. Most often, these are low-value links generated by machines, which, compared to linking from valuable sites, although cheaper, are less durable, less effective and less profitable.
Competitiveness - competitiveness in internet marketing is constantly growing, which means that effective positioning of an online store requires more time, which in turn means higher costs.
The quality and condition of the website and its content - an important factor here is the length of the website's existence, the frequency of updates, and the state of optimization.
