eCommerce Portal Optimization
eCommerce sites or portals are usually large, they sell long list of products online. These are intensely designed and are capable of according a three dimension view of the products being sold. The portals maybe dedicated to one company or may be marketing hundreds of products as in case of Amazon or Flipkart to name a few. Secure online payment systems facilitates instant payment which is the mainstay of purchase on the Internet. Online payment is a boon for both B2B or B2C business since instant purchase becomes possibly. For the eCommerce company secure online payment systems or electronic fund transfers attract a large number of customers and the instant purchases help in augmenting the turnover.
Coding
In the back drop or back office a large number of programs facilitate display and transactions like the content management systems (CMS) and inventory management platforms but these are not subject of search engine optimization their function depends upon the technical service providers which keep the systems running.
Taking into account a mid sized eCommerce website the search engine optimization needs intense involvement by webmasters not only because they are large but the complexity of site design needs thorough understanding of the platform.
During website promotion most of the optimizing techniques applied are the same as in case of smaller websites but here the work load quantum becomes four fold. Though the basics remain the same a major impediment can occur during indexing if the robot.txt file is improper hence regular check on the search console is mandatory. Any instruction regarding indexing and caching should be carried out expertly. The search console facilitates in discovering as to how many pages are being indexed and this has to be followed using the corrective path. Most of the time the scripts on boards are the cause of this malady and removal usually helps in indexing.
Use of response codes 301 and 404 should also be kept into consideration as there may be structural changes in the portal time to time especially if the product list is long. One should avoid using absolute link pathways since they make the pages vulnerable to infectious elements. Using a relative path is much safer.
Google Tools
In eCommerce site the website architecture need follow a smooth path or create a funnel which takes the visitors in such a manner that he encounters desired products without too many clicks. You can check this in Google Analytic. This Google tool becomes imperative in case of eCommerce portals not only to realign the architecture but also to understand many dimensions of product pages that influences the buyers. Demographic details in the tool will help in gauging the characteristics of the audience which is very crucial in understanding the demands and thus the trending. Understanding market dynamics using this analytical tool leads to better grasp of audience profile and desires and thus higher sales.
The analytical tool is also of immense help when an Adwords program is on going the analysis of market dynamics makes better uses of implementing the terms being selected and placed for bids. This tool is indispensable for running PPC Ads. If used expertly primary and secondary dimensions along with many variables facilitate accurate picture of demographic factors in play. Using various sections we can also discover indexed pages and their popularity. Poorly developed pages can lead to low ranking on the SERPs hence this tool is vital to gauge the characteristics of a page.
Website Aesthetics & Essentials
The pages have to comply with search engine guidelines in order rank high on SERPs. The page essentials are unique descriptive contents. Please note anomaly may arise whence we use CMS and lot of pages will turn up with similar product descriptions, titles and meta tags. This has to be rectified by the web designers upon instruction from the webmasters. Unfortunately some website owners do not understand basic of search engine optimization and the SE guidelines. Even page contents often carry similar paragraphs which dilutes their authority and can get them penalized by search companies. These are actually on page factors which should be rectified before the off line campaign begins. Contents should be descriptive as well as persuasive in order to make the visitor spend time on the site and eventually make a purchase.
Image optimization in case of eCommerce sites is very important since they have to download fast and without a hitch. Compression works fine but it does take off the sheen from the image hence light weight images should be obtained right from the start of product photography. The quality should excellent and the pictures should be true to real life - no cutouts will work mind you. These factors play an important role in conversions while the visitor is onsite. In an eCommerce site there are no quality concessions be it in design and development or optimization usually designers and webmasters or seo consultants charge higher. There are no cheap solutions online.
Site Search & Ranking Metrics
Implement product search through a box on each and every page. This facilitates quick access to product line. Remember visitors are impatient online and like to skip through whatever arrives belatedly or does not appear to be of standard or quality. Fast escape from web pages will lead to higher bounce rates and spoil your ranking on SERPs.
Web Core Vitals
Take assistance of the known web developer in order to make the site responsive since product search on smart phones is the norm these days. All vitals should be taken care of so as not to mar the user friendliness or UX. Heavy images, hindering scripts all impact website download or stable experience for visitors. Remember bounce rate is one of the important metrics used by search engines for ranking thus higher the bounce lower the rankings.
Site Maps
Use both HTML and XML site maps, the latter is for search engines while the former is for humans. The sitemaps have to be frequently updated visitors also use them for accessing pages or products they like to seek. The maps should be placed on each page.
Add Structured Data
This is one aspect that all search engines like Yahoo, Google and Bing are able to factor well using their algorithms. Sometime content is not able to elaborate properly the details of company or establishment this is where structured data place in the <head> section helps for better.
Off Page Optimization
This can be a laborious exercise. Place your site on GMB and local directories as well as create quality back link for each and every page. Please use quality content to create links since many will have to pass editorial scrutiny before being accepted by search engines.
Although content wrapped links are the best but nothing like the site accumulating natural links. This will depend upon the website contents besides other attributes and finally the site usefulness or utility on SERPs. Links are useful as referrals as well and for this you should set up a campaign.Create Pages on FB and LinkedIn and promote them actively.
Promotional Techniques and Social Media Participation
Do not submit to directories or resort blog comments. If you come across niche directories use them rationally. Forums can create authority as well within the scope of guidelines else you will be banned from the site. Social Media Profile links will not offer off page seo benefits but SM participation will yield riches by increasing popularity of the site and reputation. Regular blog inputs and visual contenting will be of immense help. Remember duplicates and copy cats are no no. If there is a company blog relevant to offerings it should be linked to the eCommerce Portal.
Hosting
Stable hosting with advance security features is a must. Frequent outages is a characteristics of poor hosting. Gauge the portals space requirement and the good enough bandwidth before finalizing a package. The bandwidth for high traffic websites has to be frequently enhanced.
======================================================
Uday provides search engine optimization service for digital marketing. He provides website contents and content for authoritative links.
He also teaches digital marketing in his home town Jabalpur. He can be contacted at:
pateluday90@hotmail.com
09755089323
No comments:
Post a Comment