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How can an SEO specialist improve your eCommerce?

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Sophie Vallerand

October 6, 2024

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Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a key part of modern marketing, playing an important role in the success of online businesses. A meticulously developed SEO strategy includes thorough keyword research, technical optimization, quality content creation, and link-building efforts. This not only enhances domain authority and online visibility but also attracts a well-targeted audience. For eCommerce enterprises operating in a highly competitive landscape, sustained SEO support is frequently the differentiating factor for achieving market success.

This article endeavors to delineate critical steps required to enhance the SEO performance of eCommerce platforms. Whether a business is in its initial launch phase or undergoing a redesign, the following comprehensive guide provides strategic directions for optimizing search engine visibility and overall performance.

Analyzing and Defining SEO Objectives

SEO is not a discipline to be pursued in an ad hoc manner; it demands a deliberate and systematic approach. Through a series of preliminary steps, a robust and data-driven SEO strategy is constructed that dictates eventual success.

SWOT Analysis of the Existing Site A SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) offers a holistic assessment of the current state of the site and brand. For example, a SWOT analysis for an eCommerce site might reveal strong existing backlinks (Strengths), slow page load times (Weaknesses), opportunities to target emerging keywords (Opportunities), and increasing competition in the market (Threats). This diagnostic tool helps to promptly identify the following dimensions:

  • Strengths: Existing SEO assets and competitive advantages of the site;
  • Weaknesses: Areas necessitating improvement to enhance SEO performance;
  • Opportunities: Emerging SEO trends and untapped potential in the market;
  • Threats: Challenges and external pressures that could hinder SEO success.

Establishing SEO Objectives in Alignment with Business Goals Subsequent to gaining a comprehensive understanding of the site and brand, it is imperative to align SEO objectives with overarching business goals. These objectives could encompass increasing organic traffic, enhancing conversion rates, augmenting click-through rates, or reducing bounce rates.

Keyword Research and Identification of Core Themes

Content serves as the cornerstone of SEO, making keyword research an indispensable component in defining SEO objectives. Leveraging various analytical tools such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz, the primary goal is to identify thematic priorities and differentiate core business queries from auxiliary keywords. This entails evaluating several metrics:

  • Search Intent: The user’s position within the purchasing journey;
  • Search Volume: The frequency of searches for the given query;
  • Relevance: The exact and contextual significance of the query;
  • Competitive Landscape: The quality and quantity of competing entities targeting the same keyword.

Comprehensive 360-Degree SEO Audit of the Existing Site

Whether developing, redesigning, or optimizing an online store, conducting an exhaustive SEO audit is an essential procedure. Effective tools and methods for conducting an SEO audit include Google Search Console, Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, SEMrush, and site speed tests using Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix. The audit provides a snapshot of the site’s current state, incorporating technical, on-site, and off-site dimensions. It also serves as a blueprint for outlining actionable steps and coordinating stakeholder efforts to drive SEO improvements.

Developing a Detailed Project Plan

Armed with a thorough 360-degree SEO audit, an in-depth keyword analysis, and a deep understanding of the brand’s strategic objectives, the next step involves creating a detailed project plan. This project plan is conceptualized as a comprehensive roadmap, specifying stages, priorities, resource allocation, and timelines for the implementation of SEO measures. It is a pivotal tool for personalized and effective SEO guidance.

SEO Integration During the Development Phase

Engaging an SEO expert during the development phase can provide immense strategic value. Specific tasks include optimizing page load speed, ensuring mobile-friendliness, implementing structured data, configuring XML sitemaps, and collaborating with developers to set up SEO-friendly URL structures. Such an expert is instrumental in every aspect of an eCommerce project—from the conceptual design of mockups to the development of the website and the configuration of specialized tools.

If you are undertaking a redesign or aiming to optimize your eCommerce platform, obtaining expert SEO consultation can guide critical decision-making processes.

SEO Optimization During Mockup Design The UX/UI design of mockups must be congruent with SEO best practices, including effective category nomenclature, menu structuring, and overall navigational architecture. Effective category names help search engines understand the content, well-structured menus improve user experience and engagement, and logical navigation enhances crawlability, all of which directly impact SEO performance. This strategic phase requires the input of an SEO specialist whose contributions at the outset can yield significant efficiency gains throughout subsequent development stages.

Technical SEO Recommendations During Development During the development phase, consistent SEO oversight is vital. In collaboration with front-end and back-end developers, the SEO specialist ensures adherence to best practices, focusing on critical components such as:

  • URL architecture: Establishing a clean and logical URL structure helps search engines understand page hierarchy and improves user navigation.
  • Structured data markup: Adding structured data helps search engines better interpret content, which can enhance visibility through rich snippets.
  • Optimization of ALT tags for images: ALT tags provide descriptive text for images, aiding accessibility and helping search engines understand image content.
  • Proper implementation of HTML tags (title, meta descriptions, Hn): Correct use of HTML tags helps search engines understand the content structure and improves click-through rates.
  • Canonical tags setup: Canonical tags prevent duplicate content issues by indicating the preferred version of a webpage.
  • Other technical optimizations: Addressing aspects like page speed, mobile responsiveness, and internal linking to ensure the site is optimized for both users and search engines.

Planning URL Migration Whether it pertains to obsolete URLs or the redesign of an eCommerce platform, maintaining established SEO assets is paramount. Where URL structures are modified, a redirection strategy must be meticulously crafted to link legacy URLs with their updated counterparts. This is a complex and strategic endeavor critical to safeguarding search rankings and traffic.

Crawling the URL Structure

Once the project has advanced significantly, an initial verification of URL structure is necessary. This verification uses crawling tools to simulate search engine bots, aiming to verify the consistency and hierarchy of information as envisioned in the project plan.

Pre-launch SEO Validation

Involving an SEO expert in the final stages before launching an eCommerce site is a judicious allocation of resources. This critical juncture offers numerous opportunities to finalize and validate SEO improvements.

Reviewing Content for Keyword Optimization As the launch date approaches, it is essential to thoroughly review both newly created and imported content. The objective extends beyond ensuring high-quality content; it includes validating the natural integration of keywords and adherence to SEO best practices. Search engines prioritize high-quality, relevant content, making an SEO expert’s assessment crucial to realizing the intended outcomes.

Testing Redirects While formulating a redirection plan is fundamental, ensuring its proper execution is equally critical. Changes in URL architecture are frequently associated with 404 errors at the time of launch. A well-designed and pre-tested redirection plan, however, should mitigate these issues effectively.

Conducting a Technical Audit of the Staging Version A final audit of the staging version should be conducted in the days leading up to the launch. This audit, which emphasizes technical aspects, serves as a contingency to optimize outstanding issues before going live. Areas of focus include:

  • Page loading speed;
  • Internal link structure;
  • Implementation of canonical tags;
  • Redirect protocols;
  • Identification of orphan pages;
  • And other potential technical deficits.

Technical SEO Oversight During Launch

Upon site launch, the SEO expert provides indispensable support to development teams by closely monitoring the site in real time. This phase involves testing critical components under operational conditions:

  • Validation of redirects;
  • External link monitoring;
  • Identification of server issues;
  • Indexing error detection;
  • Performance tracking.

Post-launch SEO Follow-up

The launch of the site should not be viewed as a terminal milestone. Although it represents a pivotal moment in an eCommerce marketing strategy, SEO demands sustained and iterative effort. The objective is to preserve and enhance the site’s SEO efficacy by continually adapting to evolving search engine requirements.

Post-launch Audit Regular audits—such as technical audits, content audits, and backlink audits—remain integral to maintaining optimal SEO performance. Technical audits help identify infrastructure issues, content audits ensure the relevance and quality of the site’s information, and backlink audits assess the quality of external links, all of which are crucial for sustaining search engine rankings. Monitoring the health of the site is critical, and scheduled audits should be conducted at intervals of one month, three months, six months, and annually post-launch. Elements of focus include:

  • The technical infrastructure of the site;
  • Keyword positioning;
  • Backlink quality;
  • Continuous SEO updates;
  • And other relevant factors.

SEO Performance Monitoring SEO encompasses both technical implementation and performance evaluation. Key performance metrics to monitor include organic traffic, keyword rankings, conversion rates, bounce rates, and page load speed, as these provide insight into the effectiveness of the SEO strategy. Continuous tracking of performance metrics is vital for achieving success across eCommerce sites. Key activities to facilitate effective performance monitoring include:

  • Generating a performance report after one month to assess outcomes relative to SEO objectives;
  • Comparative analysis of metrics after six months to evaluate changes in traffic, conversions, and keyword positions;
  • Identification of corrective measures and planning subsequent actions for continuous optimization;
  • Establishing an ongoing SEO support framework, which includes both on-site and off-site content strategies;
  • Developing dashboards for ongoing performance tracking;
  • Scheduling regular crawls to uphold technical site health;
  • Staying abreast of emerging SEO trends and algorithmic updates.

Through comprehensive expertise, the SEO specialist plays an integral role not only in optimization mandates but also in the creation and redesign of eCommerce sites. Leveraging data analytics and keyword research, they formulate an SEO strategy that aligns with the business objectives of the eCommerce platform.

Furthermore, collaborating with an SEO specialist throughout the project lifecycle ensures the implementation of best practices and the ongoing monitoring of the technical health of your eCommerce platform. Their role is particularly pivotal during redesign phases. Investing in such expertise at key stages enables a smoother and more confident approach to the site launch.

Avatar de Sophie Vallerand

Sophie Vallerand

Chargée de projets & développement des affaires

Sophie Vallerand, une Montréalaise de souche, excelle dans le bilinguisme, une compétence clé qui enrichit son expertise en accompagnant les entreprises et les agences numériques. Elle se dédie à dynamiser leurs projets, à déployer des solutions RH innovantes et à piloter diverses initiatives digitales avec brio.
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