We’re proud to be helping thousands of ecommerce business owners by giving the most digestible, battle-tested advice to be found online about succeeding with Google Ads.
Initially, it may seem laborious, but after a while, you'll find it gets more manageable, and you'll naturally implement the suggestions. Here are six tips for improved ecommerce SERP rankings.
If you don't know what SERP is, click here to read more about it.
1. Optimize product pages
Think of your product pages as mini landing pages for potential customers. Use visually appealing presentations with clear images and concise descriptions. Make sure your audience can find the information they need quickly and that there's a clear call to action (CTA).
Tips:
- Show reviews or testimonials on the page – this builds trust.
- Include long-tail keywords in your title and descriptions
- Practice ecommerce SEO copywriting to improve product information.
- Allow for delayed loading and infinite scrolling on your page.
- Try some color psychology on your pages. This tactic involves looking at who your target audience is and which color speaks to them. For CTAs, it's best to stick with primary colors. If your target audience is women, use softer tones and shades. If you're selling to men, incorporate strong, bold colors in your design.
2. Streamline site structure
Your website structure needs to be easy to navigate. Nothing is more frustrating for potential customers than if they can't find what they want.
You can try some software resources to monitor your customers and see if they are having any issues navigating your site. A popular one is Hotjar, which offers session recording and heatmaps. Google considers a website's ease of use when it does its rankings for its SERP.
Tips:
- Have evergreen content
- Add product tags
- Organize categories
- Incorporate inward linking structures
- Review permalinks.
Below is a layout of a simple ecommerce website structure.
3. Relevant ecommerce SERP keywords
Impactful keywords are imperative for high quality scores on Google and good rankings. The search engines won't know what your business is about unless you use the relevant keywords to describe your products and services.
However, it's more than just gathering a bunch of words together. Be strategic with the keywords you use since some of them can be pretty pricey if there is a lot of competition.
You can also use keywords to optimize for featured snippets. Use the terms already on your website to answer searches or queries your potential customers may have.
Pick keywords that:
- Have a large number of monthly searches
- Are profitable
- Have very little competition
- You already naturally have on your website copy and product pages
- Relevant to your business
4. Boost your site’s speed
The loading speed of your site is vital, and Google does take that into account when ranking your site. A slow website affects the bounce rate and, in turn, conversion rates.
There are several tools available on the web that will help you test the speed of your website.
You can use Google's site speed tool, which gives you insight into how the search engine ranks your mobile site’s loading times. Another popular and reliable one is GTmetrix. It tests the overall speed and also provides suggestions on what you can do to improve your site's loading speed.
Tips:
- Optimize and compress your images
- Use fewer pictures on each page
- Reduce the size of videos
- Design an effective navigation structure
5. Mobile optimization
In today's society, more people have mobile phones than ever before. This trend means they are likely to shop from their phones regularly and not only through desktop computers. So make sure your website works efficiently on mobile phones and PCs.
Tips:
- Text size should be readable at all times
- Use neutral background colors, such as black or white
- Add high contrasting colors to enhance the readability
- Make sure that your checkout process is mobile-friendly
- Optimize the site's URL for smartphone users
6. Improve images
Images are your sales force for online stores. One way to ensure you get a head-up on your competition is to have dynamic thumbnails on the SERP.
When someone searches for black boots, the search results should appear with the product showing the ‘black' color option, not in various other colors. This is because you don't want your users to have to imagine what the boots will look like in black.
Other tips:
- Use high-quality images which clearly show the product.
- Size the images according to Google's suggestions.
- Only include additional items in the pictures if they help a user understand the product better.
SERP is essential for brand building
The SERP is an important marketing tool for any business wanting to grow its brand. Consistent improvement of your website will help to improve your rankings.
Make sure you use relevant keywords and optimize your site for desktop and mobile devices. Improving your copy will also help with ecommerce SEO. Finally, don't give up, it will most likely take some time to get to the top of the page, but your efforts will be worth it.
