Are you looking to dominate in 2018? You might want to start by changing your SEO strategy.
It’s critical for modern businesses to connect with users on search engines. That’s especially true when you consider that 93 percent of online experiences begin with a search engine.
SEO is a tool that allows you improve your search engine rank and get in front of people looking for your business. You can appear at the exact moment someone is searching for a retail shop online.
Do you want to drive traffic to your retail website and increase sales? Read these 7 retail SEO tips you need to know in 2018 to help you succeed.
1. Content is King For Retail SEO
There’s no substitute for good content.
Content is still king when it comes to SEO. No retail SEO campaign is complete without quality content.
You should make an effort to drive consumers to your site through quality, keyword-driven content. Your content should include a mix of evergreen material and topical material to attract people to your site.
Blog posts, landing pages, and product pages should all include relevant and useful content. This is the best way to get people to visit your site and improve your search engine rank.
2. Keyword Research
Keyword research is fundamental to anyone looking to enhance their search engine presence.
Consistent keyword research will not only help you improve your search engine rank. It will also help you better understand consumers. It will help you hone in on specific search terms that people are using when looking for businesses similar to yours.
You should focus your efforts on pursuing popular keywords that are also not overly competitive.
Aim to include keywords that can drive traffic but are also niche.
Having trouble coming up with relevant keywords? You can use Google AdWords Keyword Tool.
This tool helps businesses gather information and evaluate the best search terms to include on their site.
Retail searchers are usually pretty specific. You should incorporate things like sizes and colors to attract users to your site.
3. On-Site Optimization
Your retail SEO campaign should optimize more than your content. It should focus on all facets of your website.
Many businesses fail to optimize all of their on-page content. This small error could end up costing you big traffic and conversions.
Retail sites should pay special attention to their on-site photos. You can optimize pictures of your products by including adjusting their size and adding keywords in their captions.
You should also include keywords in file names. This helps search engines recognize what is being shared.
Pictures are only one part of the puzzle. You can optimize the rest of your on-site content such as URLs, meta descriptions, videos, and page title tags.
4. Mobile Optimization
It’s no secret that mobile search is on the rise. But you might be surprised to learn how valuable mobile search can be.
55 percent of purchase-related conversions occur within 1 hour of initial mobile search. More shoppers are searching on mobile devices than ever before, and they’re ready to convert.
How can you target these users in your retail SEO? You can optimize your website for mobile.
You should make your site mobile-friendly when setting it up. That means including large easy-to-read font and using simple layouts that easily transfer to mobile devices.
As more sites become mobile-friendly, it’s even more important to get your site to stand out. You can take advantage of mobile visits by adding a call to action to your pages. This will encourage mobile shoppers to make an online purchase or visit your store.
5. Social Media
By now, your business likely has taken advantage of social media. It’s common to find many retail stores listed on Facebook, Instagram and even Pinterest.
Your social media pages may not have an impact on your search engine rankings. However, you can still take advantage of social media to dominate the SEO landscape.
The content on your website should include elements to make it shareable. This can include widgets, share buttons, and SEO friendly headlines. You can also add tools that allow users to tag their friends on Facebook and Twitter in the comment section.
You can also take advantage of metadata to make your site more shareable. Quality metadata will give you a better preview on social media. A good preview will include an image, title, short description, and website name.
6. Link Building
Google gives search engine preference to sites with authority. How can you build your site’s authority? Through link building.
Link building is the process of getting external pages to link to a page on your website. These links signal to Google that you are a trusted and reliable website worth showcasing in their search results.
There are a number of link building methods to build retail SEO traffic. You can get product reviews, share blog posts, or participate in guest posts.
Link building takes time to come to fruition. You don’t get a flow of links to your website overnight. However, it can be one of the most rewarding SEO strategies for retail sites.
7. Voice Search
Alexa: find me a clothing store. Siri: where can I buy a t-shirt?
These are just a few examples of voice search. Voice search has seen a meteoric rise with the advent of iPhones, Amazon Echo, and similar devices.
Voice search will continue to rise in 2018. How can you take advantage of voice search? You can make your keywords more conversational.
People speak differently than they type. Voice searchers speak in normal and conversational sentences. Target these keywords to stay ahead of the game and generate traffic via voice search in 2018.
Your Retail SEO
SEO is an ever-changing science. Your 2017 strategy might be extinct by the end of 2018. Follow these tips to dominate search engine results and increase your traffic.
Are you interested in getting SEO advice? We can help. Contact us today to get a free consultation and website audit.
