BigCommerce comes with a number of built-in SEO tools. These things are:
Optimized URLs: Product, category, and other pages on BigCommerce automatically get URLs that are good for SEO. We also let you change the settings for your URL.
- Unique URLs: We make sure that each unique page only has one URL, so you don’t get punished for having duplicate content.
- Microdata: We’ve added “rich snippets,” or “microdata,” to your product pages so that information like ratings, prices, brands, and stock levels will show up in search results.
- 301 redirects and URL rewrites: If you change the name of a product, the URL will be changed automatically, and the old URL will be sent to the new URL. Automatic redirects and rewrites help search engines know when you’ve changed or moved pages on your site.
- CDN: There are many things you can do to speed up your site, but our special content delivery network is always working in the background to make sure your site loads quickly for both shoppers and search engines (since site speed affects search rankings).
- SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is the process of using both on-site and off-site strategies and techniques to move up in search engine results. Most of the time, a site gets more visitors if it ranks higher in search results.
To get more people to visit your online business, you need to understand search engine algorithms and optimize for them. Most people who buy something online start by using a search engine. If your site is well-optimized, it will show up higher in search results, which will make it more likely that a potential customer will find you and buy from you. It’s a great tool to have, especially if you have a lot of online competition for your business.
You need to know how search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo! work before you can learn SEO strategies.
Bots called crawlers or spiders are used by search engines to “crawl” the web and index the pages they find. This content that has been indexed is looked at so that search engines can “understand” what is on each page. This information is used to figure out which content is most relevant to each user’s search query. The search engine then ranks the results and shows them to the user.
The algorithms that a search engine uses to figure out which content is most relevant are different for each one. This is why, for the same query, each search engine usually gives different results. They’re also always being changed, so make sure that any strategies or guides you use are up-to-date. Still, there are some criteria that don’t change, such as keyword relevance, time spent on the page, click-through rate, and site speed. These are the things you’ll work on to improve your SEO methods.
Content is an important part of SEO. It is how search engines figure out how useful a page is. Search engines use bots to crawl the web and find content. This content is then indexed and used when someone types in a search query.
When your page’s content fits with what someone is looking for, it will be shown along with other related pages. Users can find out what a page is about before they click on it because these results show a summary of the page’s content. This summary is made up of the titles and descriptions of each page.
TAGS AND META DESCRIPTIONS FOR PAGES
No matter what your page is for (products, blog posts, etc.), it should have a Page Title and a Meta Description. Your page title, which is shown in search results and when a page is shared on social media, is made up of something called a “title tag.” Every page should have its own title, which should be less than 60 characters and focus on both short-tail and long-tail keywords. Note: Your page titles are automatically put inside a title tag in BigCommerce.
Make sure your page title is written for people, not search engines. Your page title is your chance to get people interested in your brand right away. It should make the searcher want to visit your page and give them an idea of what it’s about.
This is an example of a search engine result
Meta descriptions are short, usually one or two-sentence descriptions that appear under the title tag in search engine results. Even though keyword-rich descriptions aren’t as powerful as they used to be, they still have a big effect on click-through rates. Each description should be different, have between 160 and 165 characters, and draw people to your page.
Keep in mind that Google may change your meta description and title tag to better match search queries.
Use meta descriptions to explain what makes your site different from others. If you’re trying to sell something, talk about its benefits and features, as well as any special deals you might be offering, such as free shipping, a warranty, or a money-back guarantee. Keep in mind that Google may make a dynamic description based on the page’s content to better match search queries.
You can find these SEO fields in the following places in BigCommerce:
- Store Setup, Store Settings, and Search Engine Optimization are all on the homepage.
- Blog Posts: Go to “Storefront,” “Blog,” “Edit,” and then “SEO.” The title of your post will be your title tag.
- Category Pages: Products, Product Categories, Edit, and Search Engine Optimization
- Pages about products: Products > Edit > Other Details Tab > Optimization for Search Engines
- You can also export your products to a CSV file and use a spreadsheet to fill in these fields.
Strategies for Content
After you’ve taken care of the basics, the next step is to make a plan for your content. As we’ve already said, the key to optimizing your store is to use the right keywords in the right places. You should start with the pages that are the most important. Most of the time, your most popular pages are your category pages, product pages, and home page. If you blog regularly, you should add them to your start list. Once you’ve optimized these pages, you can move on to the rest of your store and do the same thing. We’ll talk about specifics soon.
You shouldn’t overuse keywords or copy and paste content when making keyword-rich content. Keyword stuffing is when you fill a page with so many keywords in an attempt to change where it shows up in search results that the content is hard to read or seems unnatural. If you do this, search engines like Google will punish you, which can sometimes mean that your listings will be taken off of search results altogether. So, you should not use this strategy.
Most of the time, duplicate content means blocks of text that are mostly or completely the same as other text on the internet or on the same site. Duplicate content won’t hurt your ranking as much as keyword stuffing, but you should still try to avoid it if you can. One common way to do this is to copy and paste the description from the manufacturer onto product pages. If you copy content from somewhere else, that content will probably rank higher than yours because it has been around longer.
It might seem hard to come up with unique content for each page, but if you practice, do the right research, and stay aware, it won’t be a problem.
FIRST PAGE
One of the most important pages to work on for SEO is the homepage. Along with the product, category, and blog pages, it is usually the most-viewed page. You’ll also want to optimize the images, text, and promotions, as well as the title and meta description fields mentioned above.
Big, beautiful images are a great way to show off your business and products to visitors, but they aren’t so great for search engines because they can’t “see” the image. So, all of the images on your homepage (like Carousels and Banners) should have “alt text” that describes what they are and what they are used for so that search engines can “see” and analyze them. Don’t make them too hard; just say what’s in the picture and use keywords as needed. Also, if you want to include text in your images, try to style it with code instead of putting it in the image so it can be crawled.
Last but not least, use product panels and banners to show off your best products and content (like blog posts and customer reviews). This will help you build internal links, which will improve your SEO and help your visitors find other content that they might find useful.
Getting people to look around your store can make them stay on your site longer, which is a factor in how well it ranks. But try not to put too much information on your home page. Both users and search engines will be confused if you do this. The best way to show off your products and your business is to be clear and to the point.
In this section, we focused on SEO elements, but the homepage can also be used to build your brand and get customers more involved.
PAGE OF CATEGORIES
Most of the time, your category pages, not your home page, will show up in search results. Like the homepage, category pages are landing pages that help people move deeper into your store. Your keywords should be in the titles of your categories. For example, if you sell motorcycle gear, you might have a category called “Helmets” and another one called “Full Face Motorcycle Helmets.”
Parent and subcategory pages can help you target a wider range of keywords and save your specific keywords for individual product pages. Use the Description box to add images and text when you are making your product categories. Don’t forget that your text should sound and read naturally, even though it should include your keywords. When writing your copy, put yourself in the shoes of your customer and try to answer any questions they might have.
Add high-quality, relevant images to your site to make it more interesting to potential customers. If this is the main category, you should put links to any subcategories right on the page, not in a menu.
PAGE OF PRODUCTS
It should go without saying that your eCommerce business can’t survive without product pages. Still, many store owners just copy and paste the descriptions from the manufacturer or write a few lines of their own. Every product description should be different, and if you’ve done your market and keyword research, you should have a pretty good idea of what your target audience is looking for.
It might seem hard to come up with unique descriptions for each of your products, but you don’t have to do them all at once. Start with the products that sell the most or convert the best, and then work from there. Make sure to include your main keyword and a few medium- and long-tail keywords, but don’t go overboard. All of your writing should come across as natural.
Your research should have also given you an idea of the questions that people who are looking for your product or service are asking. In your descriptions, give them the answers and information they are looking for, but make sure they are clear and to the point. It’s fine to have a long description, but make sure to break up the wall of text with bullet points or pictures that show the benefits of the product where it makes sense.
In short, your product descriptions should paint a clear picture of what makes your product special and why they need it, along with a strong call to action.
Other things to think about are:
- Images: These can be pictures of products or charts and graphs. They should be of good quality and show what the product can do. The file name and meta descriptions should include the product name and main keyword.
- Video: If you can, add a video to your product pages to make them more interesting. They are a great way to show off your product, but you should only keep them for as long as you need to.
- Social Proof: Reviews and testimonials from customers are also a great way to improve SEO. They offer many benefits, such as extra content, answers to frequently asked questions or concerns, and more.
- Product Suggestions: Upselling and cross-selling can help you increase your average order value and link your customers to products they might not have known about.
- FAQs: A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section gives you a place to answer questions or concerns that you couldn’t fit into your product description. They give you another way to use your keywords and can also help increase the number of people who buy from you. This can be done with apps or by making changes to the theme.
WEB LOGS
Blogs are a great way to get started and start making new, unique content for your online store on a regular basis. Your content should always be about your business and cover topics that your audience would find interesting and useful. This is where market research comes in handy. Blog content can be used to teach or get people to interact on social media. It also lets you rank for keywords that you wouldn’t be able to if you only used your category or product pages.
Quality is more important than quantity. Try to make content that has a single goal or that goes into detail about a single topic while still pointing back to your product or service. We’ve said it many times, but we can’t say it enough: your writing should flow and make sense. Try taking a step back if you’re having trouble making your content flow naturally while using keywords. Change your focus to writing the content first without thinking about keywords, and then add the keywords after you’re done.
A blog post should usually have at least 700 words, and some SEO groups suggest around 2000 words. Don’t be afraid to use pictures and videos in your blog posts, just like you would on product and category pages. If your topics involve statistics, you might want to make infographics to make the data easier for people to understand. Your blog can have guides, how-tos, top 10 lists, news about your industry, or even interviews. You can make a lot of things, but if you’re still not sure where to start, check out what your competitors have made.
If making all this content seems like too much work, you could hire someone else to do it. There are freelancers and companies that can help with:
- Textbroker
- Work on
- iWriter
- Fly Content
- Compose.ly
When you put out great content, you can use outreach techniques and link-building strategies, but you have to do your homework first. In other words, don’t be lazy when researching the market and keywords, and most importantly, make your own original content.