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Ecommerce Posts

2013 Trends for Ecommerce SEO

Tuesday, January 8th, 2013

It’s a new year, and you know what that means: plenty of 2013 predictions for the digital world. In 2012, the ecommerce industry was successful, and the same predictions are being made for 2013, except with even greater promise. Even in a struggling economy where people are watching their bottom line more closely, ecommerce sites have picked up sales thanks to better optimized sites, personalized shopping experiences and mobile capabilities.

Not only are sales expected to rise in the coming year, but also the experience that consumers have on ecommerce sites is expected to improve as well. It used to be that the biggest challenge for ecommerce SEO was that all sites were the same. They included products gathered into lists, a shopping cart and a checkout page. Many products featured a picture with little to no valuable information on the product, which not only made the shopping experience less optimized, but also it didn’t help in the organic search rankings. Today’s ecommerce sites are improving these factors while weeding out duplicate content and repetitive headlines.As ecommerce SEO becomes a more significant part of ecommerce sites, website owners will be spending 2013 creating fresh, unique product descriptions for their products. That’s right; no more copy and pasting directly from the manufacturer’s site. With stricter guidelines from Google, it’s original content that will get you better ecommerce SEO, so we should expect to see more unique and informative content. Best of all, users have the opportunity to browse, read reviews, make ‘favorites’ lists and watch for deals all from one platform.

Another trend that we can expect to see is more product reviews to help ecommerce SEO. Product reviews are the backbone of any online sale, and in many instances, shoppers will skip right over a product that has poor reviews or no reviews. Since you can’t touch or operate the product, it’s only natural that reviews from other customers would fill that gap. It’s not just any old reviews that consumers are looking for, but high-quality, relevant reviews that can be viewed according to newest, oldest, highest or lowest.

At the end of the day, good ecommerce SEO comes from having a user-friendly, optimized shopping site that consumers want to shop on. What is good for buyers is good for Google and vice versa. With higher standards and more focus on high-quality content, ecommerce sites have no choice but to offer better shopping experiences that bring customers back on a regular basis. An easy-to-follow site with relevant pictures, product reviews and informative descriptions is the new standard for ecommerce SEO and their respective sites.

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Optimize E-Commerce Sites For Maximum Traffic and Sales

Thursday, November 8th, 2012

E-commerce sites rely on SEO to deliver customers to their website. This is especially true during peak shopping days like Cyber Monday, the biggest online shopping day of the year.

When consumers want a product, these days their first instinct is to type it into the Google search box. Initially, they research different product options to see which one meets their needs. Once they have determined which product is the best choice, they again search for the best price and delivery on that specific item. Optimizing product pages for e-commerce SEO helps the consumer find the information they need.

Optimize Every Page

E-commerce SEO sites can take several steps to ensure that their product pages appear high in the search engine page rankings. One of the easiest methods is to make sure that each product page has comprehensive product details. Many e-commerce sites simply cut and paste the product information provided by the manufacturer.

Not only does this limit the uniqueness of the page itself, the page does little to move the sale forward due to the lack of enticing, action-oriented copy. It is one thing to make an e-commerce SEO website optimized for search engines. It is quite another to develop web copy that appeals to people.

Another way e-commerce sites can maximize their revenue is to make sure their on-site search engine is top-notch. Some e-commerce search engines are downright terrible. E-commerce SEO site owners should work closely with programmers to utilize the latest technology in on-site search. When customers cannot find what they are looking for, they leave frustrated and it damages the brand of the e-commerce site.

Social Media Links

Facebook recently passed 1 billion members worldwide. Social media is more popular than ever and continues to grow. E-commerce SEO sites that do not promote social sharing of their content will be left behind. Each product page should have icons and links that let users easily share page content. This will increase inbound links from authority sites. The e-commerce site will benefit from other high-profile sites recommending and sharing their content.

By properly optimizing their website with excellent page descriptions, highly efficient on-site search and comprehensive social media connections, e-commerce SEO sites will be well-prepared for massive traffic and sales. Cyber Monday will seem like just another day on the calendar.

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Google Ecommerce Product Feeds To Go Paid

Tuesday, July 24th, 2012

Google has recently announced that it will make a profound switch when it comes to ecommerce marketing. Starting this fall, it will shift from Google Product Search to Google Shopping. While this will involve numerous changes, let’s discuss some of the most profound and how it will change things for both businesses and consumers.

The primary change is that businesses will be required to use product listing ads to bid on the positioning of their products. Rather than getting free clicks from organic search engine traffic, the business with the top bid will usually get the top position when selling products. Along with this, positioning for ecommerce product listings will depend upon relevance as well. As a result, this concept is somewhat similar to Google’s Adwords platform where individuals bid on ad placement.

While it’s apparent that Google is most likely doing this increase revenue, representatives have stated that this change will be beneficial for most consumers. Some of these benefits include an improved shopping experience where consumers will have access to products that are consistently updated. Basically, this new platform should encourage companies to keep product information fresh so they can remain competitive. It should also keep consumers abreast of the latest deals or promotions that a company is offering. Besides this, it should minimize the frustration that sometimes stems from ordering a product only to find out that it’s out of stock or unavailable.

In terms of the benefits for business owners, they are as follows. This new model for ecommerce product feeds should result in better traffic that is more highly targeted than it has been in the past. Since the search results that appear to consumers will be more up to date and accurate, businesses can expect to receive traffic that is more likely to make a purchase. Consequently, this should maximize the conversion rates for many businesses. Google has also stated that it will offer some perks to businesses that make the transition to this ecommerce marketing platform early.

For example, Google will offer a 10% discount to businesses that create Product Listing Ads by August 15 of this year. Also, businesses that currently use Google Product Search will be given $100 for their Adwords campaign if they sign up by this date. Even those these aren’t major advantages, they can prove helpful for many ecommerce companies. In addition, Google will offer businesses the option of signing up for the Google Trusted Stores program. This involves giving a special badge to quality stores where customers can look at ratings.

This brings us to the final question of what will this mean for large and small businesses. In all likelihood, this shift should be advantageous to larger business with more money to spend on an ecommerce marketing campaign. Since the company that can make the highest bid will usually get the best positioning, it could hurt smaller businesses with limited budgets. However, the full effect of this change in ecommerce datafeeds is still yet to be seen.

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Testing E-Commerce Software Is Not Your Job

Wednesday, March 28th, 2012

E-commerce is becoming mainstream and scores of entrepreneurs and small businesses are diving in to expand their profits. Ensuring that your e-commerce system is running smoothly is critical as small mistakes can add up to giant losses. Mark Gibbs of Forbes.com recently published an article on the subject. Mark suggests that testing your e-commerce system will help ensure that transactions are processed correctly. This is true, but proper research and vetting can be even more important.

In Mark’s real-world example, the e-commerce software was generating inventory problems because of a programming error. This sounds like either a case of a poor shopping cart platform or sloppy programming after the fact. If it’s the former, there’s no reason for this to happen. Because e-commerce has become so popular, there are dozens of reputable e-commerce shopping cart platforms ready to use within minutes. This competition only promotes quality solutions so there’s no need to settle for sub-par e-commerce software OR build it from scratch. If the inventory problem was a result of poor programming after the fact, there’s no reason for this to happen either. Once again, there’s an abundance skilled programmers ready, willing, and able to work. Any good programmer will do the testing for you. That is, in fact, what you’re paying them for!

Essentially it comes down to sound business and management principles. Take the time to properly research and vet all vendors, contractors, and employees to make sure you can rely on them. This will only save you time and money in the long run.

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WooCommerce: Free E-Commerce Plugin For WordPress

Saturday, October 8th, 2011

An exciting free e-commerce WordPress plugin adds e-commerce functions to the popular blogging and CMS platform. Produced by developers at WooThemes, the new e-commerce platform promises to revolutionize the WordPress world. In the past, e-commerce plug-ins for WordPress were difficult to use and often came with a large price tag. Now anyone can set up an online store. To go into business, all WordPress owners only need time and the WooCommerce plugin.

Excitement about this new e-commerce WordPress plugin comes for two reasons. First, the WordPress community recognizes WooThemes as a skilled developer of quality WordPress products. Bloggers and website owners everywhere expect innovation and high quality from anything made by Woo. Community excitement also comes from the fact that WordPress users can get the WooCommerce e-commerce WordPress plugin free.

WooCommerce features an administrator dashboard that works naturally with WordPress controls. This means most WordPress users will quickly and intuitively understand how the plugin works without a long learning curve. This e-commerce WordPress plugin also comes with impressive reporting capabilities that provide statistics, graphs and easy integration with Google Analytics. Communication in any e-commerce environment determines its success. WooCommerce comes with HTML templates that website owners can use to send professional HTML-formatted email messages. WooCommerce comes with a simple product entry system that works inside the WordPress dashboard.

The front end of the WooCommerce e-commerce WordPress plugin allows shoppers to choose how to sort goods and services and has built in cross-selling and up-selling features. Sellers can use the built-in coupon system to promote their products. This system supports expiration dates and limits for how many times shoppers can use a coupon.

WooThemes hired a well-known WordPress developer to audit the WooCommerce plugin for security, helping Woo to harden the e-commerce WordPress plugin to keep users safe online. This extra step helps demonstrate the commitment developers of WooCommerce have to providing a safe and efficient e-commerce experience.

WooCommerce themes Of course, WooThemes has much in store for WordPress users beyond its powerful WooCommerce plugin. The company has a number of premium WordPress themes featuring WooCommerce integration. This helps users create professional WordPress-based stores with only a small capital investment. Webmasters who want to experience the power of an integrated WooCommerce theme can download Wootique from the WooThemes website. This is a free theme that allows all WordPress users to experience the power of the new e-commerce WordPress plugin.

After experiencing Wootique, users will probably want to upgrade to one of WooThemes six premium themes. For example, a child theme for Canvass and theme called Statua make selling photographs easy, from the WooCommerce platform. Nine commercial extensions add powerful abilities to this e-commerce WordPress plugin such as the PayPal payment gateway, a shipping table and an EU VAT exemption feature. Other commercial extensions work to improve the WooCommerce with other exciting features and payment gateways.

Tags: Ecommerce, plugins, Word, wordpress
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Best SEO Practices For Ecommerce Websites

Thursday, July 28th, 2011

In its simplest form, ecommerce is the buying and selling of products through websites. This is an excellent way to improve sales, boost traffic to the site and make a name for your company. Search Engine Optimization or SEO is needed to capture and grow organic traffic that is related to the success of your ecommerce business. There are many ecommerce SEO techniques that will benefit the natural search traffic and interest of your target audience.

First, you will need to optimize the distribution of your ecommerce homepage Rank. Since your Home page most likely has the highest ranking; the rest of the pages should link directly from the home page. You should also keep the pages within 1-2 clicks of the homepage. The pages that most consistently link from your home page will also rank higher in organic search results.

To benefit your ecommerce SEO home page, be sure to use a pure CSS based design instead of nested tables. This will allow pages to load faster and is better for ecommerce SEO. Place H1 and H2 around headings and subheadings, and use the keywords in the page titles. When evaluating the most popular site searches, place these terms around the search box.

Next, you will want to focus on the proper linking and redirects for your ecommerce SEO. Ensure that your homepage is linked to your site root folder “/”. (Sometimes, it can be linked to a default or index page instead.) You’ll also want your page to be easy to find, so if your site is www.roguemediaonline.com, you’ll want to make a 301 redirect from roguemediaonline.com to www.roguemediaonline.com. Avoid using sessionIDs in URLs and keep your URLs written in descriptive formats that keep consistent with relevant keywords.

Once you have established the linking and redirecting, you can rest assured that online users will be able to find your ecommerce site rather easily, plus be directed to the right pages. Now you will need to work with your Product Page, which should be built around targeted keywords that will help you in ranking better.

To assist with this, ensure that proper meta-keywords and descriptions are included for each product. Also add an H1 header in the product title, use the main product keywords in the page title and URL, place keywords in italics and bold and add keywords in the last paragraph of the page.

Finally, make your ecommerce SEO authentic, never duplicating the content from the manufacturer. If you do this, your website may be devalued for duplicating content. By taking the time to ensure everything is linked properly, the proper keywords are targeted and organic search results are directed to the right pages, your ecommerce site will be well on its way to success!

Tags: Ecommerce, SEO
Posted in Ecommerce, SEO | 1 Comment »

New Google Product Datafeed Guidelines

Monday, July 18th, 2011

Change is in the air for Google merchants and shoppers alike! On September 22, 2011, Google will implement a new set of standards for the Google product datafeeds designed to improve Google Product Search. Who will the changes affect? Merchants in the U.S., France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan will be required to adhere to the new Google product datafeeds standards. As for Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands; Google will email any account affected by the changes with further information. Not to worry, though, because these changes will not only improve your shopping experience but also drum up business for Google merchants.

The Google product datafeeds that will fall under the new specifications are availability, data freshness, Google product category, apparel, and image feeds. Fortunately the changes are relatively easy to implement. For example, the availability feed will require the status (out of stock, no longer carried, etc.) of products. This is to ensure shoppers can find the products they are searching for even if the item is out of stock. The image feed changes require stores provide an image link of each product, ensuring consumers have a better idea of what they are purchasing. As one can see, the new specifications will not only make shopping on Google a more pleasant experience, but likely improve sales for Google stores.

Merchants can rest assured Google will indeed enforce the changes to the Google product datafeeds. Any merchants in the U.S., France, Germany, the United Kingdome, and Japan that do not put into practice the new specification may well find their accounts suspended. There will also be penalties for those who continuously fail to implement the changes. However, improved sales are all merchants who adhere to the new specifications can look forward to!

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Best SEO Practices For Ecommerce Websites

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

Ecommerce SEO is a science. Those who are who are well educated in it, know not only how to build traffic, but what the ground rules are before they begin. There are a variety of ecommerce SEO tactics a business can use to grow their online audience, it’s worth it to research which are truly effective and which are just the stop-gap measures that won’t work in the long run.

Sticky Content One old-fashioned traffic building strategy that’s often overlooked, but can’t be under-estimated is offering content that people want to read and will recommend to their friends. Thousands of links are shared across the Internet every day just because they lead to reading material that’s interesting. Spam-like content, however, does not generate visits, as obvious as a fact as that may be. Setting out to provide content that’s ‘sticky’ is putting the cart before the horse. Being entertaining and informative isn’t a trick. It’s simply a matter of having talented writers onboard who can generate great content.

Ecommerce SEO also involves site design. A site should not be bland or ugly. Using colors and images that visitors find attractive should be the number one ecommerce SEO priority of every business. Just as pedestrians on the street, stop to look in the window of stores that have engaging window displays, a website’s ecommerce SEO has to operate the same way. Navigability is just as important. If a site is difficult to move around or has too many pop-ups obstructing a visitor from experiencing it the way they desire, they will leave.

Getting search engines to notice sites to the extent that businesses need them to, is the essence of what ecommerce SEO is all about. It’s also about remembering that behind all the strategies and techniques being employed, are human beings hanging out on their computers. Once companies lose sight of this basic premise, ecommerce SEO can become abstract and disruptive to the natural flow of content online.

Ecommerce Reviews One process that is absolutely essential to the conversion of eyeballs to actual buyers, is building community. A site should not feel like the unknown. A site visitor contemplating making a purchase is inevitably more confident about doing so if they can read what other buyers of the same product or service have to say about it. While allowing a disgruntled customer to post a bad review can also drive away a sale, when that negative feedback is stacked against other positive reviews, the fact that opinions are being openly shared on a site brings credibility. Ecommerce SEO is about credibility. Credibility drives sales.

What businesses unfortunately rely on, too much, as they try to drive traffic to their sites, are non-organic considerations. The Internet is not a mall. Like the real world, it’s a space in which billions of people collect to do a multitude of things, some entertainment others business related. Abusing backlinks won’t get a website high ranking for long. Search engines are increasingly punishing companies trying to dominate the Internet using methods that devalue its overall experience.

Tags: Ecommerce, SEO
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Rogue Media Achieves ‘Best E-Commerce SEO’ Ranking

Monday, January 10th, 2011

Earlier this month, TopSEOs.com published their updated list of “Best Ecommerce SEO Companies“. The 2011 January update includes increasing Rogue Media’s position from #9 (August 2010) to our new standing at #4.

TopSEOs.com ranks online marketing companies on five separate areas of achievement incorporating needs analysis, on- and off-page optimization, keyword analysis and reporting methods employed by the companies to be ranked. TopSEOs.com has offered independent rankings of SEO firms since its inception in 2002 to provide business owners with objective reviews, allowing them to make informed decisions when selecting a company to handle their SEO and online marketing needs.

We strive to deliver the best SEO services for all our e-commerce clients and are more than thrilled with the continued recognition from TopSEOs.com!

Tags: awards, Ecommerce, SEO
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Database Optimization For Ecommerce

Tuesday, December 28th, 2010

In the world of Internet marketing, the phrase “ecommerce optimization” can mean a number of different things. Perhaps you’re an SEO and you immediately think of meta-tags, link structure, and backlinks? Or maybe you’re a usability expert and “calls to action” and conversion funnels come to mind? The kind of optimization we’ll be focusing on here is database optimization, something ecommerce website owners tend to neglect. After all, they’re usually too busy trying to generate quality content, more backlinks, and researching how to increase conversions.

Just recently we had a client learn first hand how important it is to keep their databases running smoothly. Imagine this scenario…

You stroll into the office on a Monday morning and log into Google Analytics to review the orders from the weekend. Except there are no orders…worse yet, there’s barely any traffic! You attempt to log into your ecommerce dashboard, but nothing happens. The progress bar stalls, the screen stays white and ultimately delivers an error message:

SQL Error

After some troubleshooting, it turns out that your database needs to be optimized and possibly the code as well. While you have the IT guys clean up the database tables and review code, you turn back to Analytics to review the damage.

Traffic is less than half of usual and the bounce rate has doubled. It’s clear that during this period, your bloated database has brought your ecommerce traffic and sales to a grinding halt.

Fortunately, after some adjustments to the database and corresponding code, and by the end of the day the site is up and running smoothly and orders are coming in. But what have we learned from this? Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance! Making sure everything loads correctly and smoothly shouldn’t be put on the back burner and forgotten about. If you do, it’ll come back to bite you. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Effective ecommerce optimization isn’t all about search engine rankings and conversion funnels. There are a lot of elements that all need to work together in order for your store to operate smoothly and generate sales. Make a point to perform regular checkups on your website just as a doctor would examine a patient. If you can catch problems before they surface, you’ll avoid the “heart attack” that brings down your website.

Tags: Ecommerce, SQL
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