Isaac Junior Salvant of Haiti works as a consultant in the IT and Managed Services industry, specializing in SEO marketing and marketing techniques. In the following article, Isaac Junior Salvant discusses why learning essential strategies can mitigate SEO obstacles and boost online shops to the yearned-for heights of success.

Despite SEO (search engine optimization) having one of the largest ROIs of any eCommerce campaign, too many online stores are created without considering search engines. Relying on social media or paid adverts, eCommerce owners are missing out on the benefits of SEO.

eCommerce SEO Presents Unique Challenges

The first step for eCommerce owners looking to up their optimized search game is understanding the bespoke difficulties associated with it.

Expired Products Wreak Havoc

Isaac Junior Salvant of Haiti explains that products often expire due to many different reasons, and their pages are subsequently taken down. However, such sections may generate the most backlinks. And redirecting consumers to a different product can be awkward for scaling, maintaining, and configuring.

Upon removing the pages, 404 errors or redirection to home pages occur, resulting in a poor user experience and potentially encouraging shoppers to look elsewhere for a product.

Multiple URL Routes and Parameters Slaughter Stores’ Successes

Pages detailing products are often reachable from a variety of URL formats, and while that does increase potential reach, experts emphasize that without correct canonicalization, duplication may occur and cause cannibalization with the other pages in search results.

Isaac Salvant of Haiti says that letting search engines access multiple versions of the same content massively impacts a site’s crawl efficiency and dilutes signals. Ultimately, this will limit the performance of the entire seat and incite confusion in users and search engines.

Ineffective Link Architecture Runs Rampant

Many product pages are four or five clicks from the homepage, tucked away under a myriad of website layers. The problem? Google may never find them; thus, never index them.

Isaac Junior Salvant of Haiti explains that without indexing, product pages won’t appear in search results, decreasing reach and the likelihood of attracting paying customers.

Indexing Internal Search Pages Causes Problems

Some eCommerce site builders use internal search pages to deliberately cover niches not present in the main taxonomy or filters. Unfortunately, this creates a myriad of additional URLs competing with other pages when done haphazardly.

Site bloat isn’t something to strive for — it affects the website’s crawl budget according to Isaac.

Strategizing: The eCommerce SEO Practices Skyrocketing Stores to Success

Isaac Junior Salvant of Haiti says that while the challenges can seem insurmountable for those just learning about SEO and its place in eCommerce, experts encourage owners to push through. There are plenty of strategies available that can put sites back on the road to glory.

On-Page SEO Strategies Ensure Stores Get the Basics Right

On-page SEO for eCommerce platforms involves placing keywords in opportune places, helping Google understand the site’s purpose.

However, as those well-versed in SEO are quick to point out, the right keywords must be added. Isaac Junior Salvant of Haiti explains that it isn’t a guessing game though – store owners should conduct adequate keyword research before fleshing out their sites.

Industry experts report that there are four commonly used, helpful tools for such research:

• Ahrefs
• Competitor research
• Amazon
• Google Keyword Planner

Utilizing SEO on Product Pages for Boosted Reach

Once keyword knowledge has been achieved, hopeful eCommerce owners should place them strategically on their product pages. Isaac Salvant of Haiti says that there isn’t necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach, but industry moguls recommend the following best practices:

• URL — Simple yet effective, putting the primary keyword in the URL is guaranteed to improve rankings.
• H1 or title tag — The title or H1 tag should include the keyword at the beginning.
• Body text — Aim for a 300-word intro with the keyword included at least three times.
• Image alt text — Google’s crawlers can’t analyze images, so they rely on its alt text.

Include the keyword once to boost rankings.

Getting Technical SEO Down to a Tee

Isaac Junior Salvant of Haiti says that despite popular belief, it isn’t all about keywords. SEO deals with the technical side (i.e., the site’s finer details) too.

Site architecture is perhaps the most common issue here. The site structure should promote the most relevant content to potential customers first, limiting the number of clicks required to find what they’re looking for.

Experts note that, as of late, website speed is increasingly playing a role in its ability to rank. A Radware study showed that 51% of US shoppers won’t complete their purchases if the site is slow.

Finally, redirects pose significant effects as well. Google reviews pages and any redirects to establish the relevance between the original page’s keyword and the new page.