E-commerce SEO

Frequently asked questions about SEO in E-commerce

• Does a shop’s engine matter in the positioning process?

  Currently, there are many e-commerce solutions available on the market, both free and paid, and for each of these shops there is a possibility of implementing the positioning process. Regarding the process itself – we can effortlessly find several solutions that will be more SEO-friendly, and their full optimisation will be possible without adding any extra costs stemming from following the optimisation guidelines.
  
  This is why it’s worth discussing what shop engine you’ll choose with an SEO specialist. This is especially true if you want the fastest results without any additional costs related to things like following optimisation guidelines by the shop engine designers. It’s a good idea to choose an open source solution, or at least one that allows for you to edit the engine files on your own.
  
  Below is a list of elements, the verification of which can help you limit the costs of optimisation:
  a. Access to key html markers from the management panel level: meta title, meta description, meta robots, as well as generating these values automatically,
  b. Automatically redirecting URL addresses or option to manually implement them – particularly important in the event of changing the shop engine,
  c. Option to implement category descriptions,
  d. Access to engine files (cloud shops),
  e. Option to manage the robots.txt and sitemap.xml files,
  f. Analytical modules, e.g. Google Analytics,
  g. Managing friendly product URLs,
  h. Basic image optimisation.

• Product category structure – how to properly design it?

  A proper store’s category structure plays a crucial role in the positioning process. The search engine algorithms can effortlessly determine how many products there are in the shop, which is why proper categorisation is particularly important if we care about the more general ones or those from the “long tail”.
  
  Considering the two shop types, the structure may look as follows:
  a. Flat structure – recommended for monothematic shops, e.g. if you’re offering only planters – there are no other additions. This type of assortment doesn’t require the creation of a “planters” main category followed by subcategories. What is an option worth considering is creating a division into distinct categories, e.g. ceramic planters, plastic planters, etc.
  
  Website tree diagram:
  level 0 – main page
  level 1 – ceramic planters, plastic planters, contact, cart, blog
  level 2 – blog entry
  b. Tree structure – similar to a tree, this structure has many branches. This approach is ideal for a shop with a wider assortment of goods, e.g. electronics – on offer, they’ll usually have television sets, home cinemas, DVD and Bluray players, tuners, mp3 and mp4 players, etc. In this case, a given product should be placed in a main category as well as subcategories. These will be more detailed and more useful for simpler phrases from the long tail.
  
  Website tree diagram:
  level 0 – main page
  level 1 – TVs, tuners
  level 2 – 4K TVs, HD TVs, curved TVs
  
  Keep in mind that you shouldn’t duplicated category names by, for example, creating subcategories based on manufacturer names or screen dimensions on the next level of the “4K TV” category – for that, you need product attributes and a filtering mechanism.

• Quite a lot of my carts are being abandoned – what gives?

  The first operation that must be performed is undergoing the whole shopping process at the shop, as well as a verification to determine whether there are any errors hindering purchase. If there have been no errors in the process, it might be a good idea to have someone else click through the shopping process and give you their insight regarding the difficulties in the shopping process. You can also use a tracking app in order to verify which stage of the process it gets terminated.
  
  The number of steps can also be a key factor. The most common ones involve 1, 3 or 5 steps for order completion. This is also an element that should be modified – limiting the number of steps should reduce the numbered of abandoned carts.
  
  Moreover, keep in mind that, besides users, your website is also browsed by search engine robots and some of the carts abandoned may be the result of their operations. In order to prevent that, you can add a “rel” attribute with the “noflow” value on the “add to cart” link as well as lock the ability to index pages related to order realisation.

• Product and store reviews and ratings – do I need this function?

  The ability to write a review and rate it by a user can greatly improve a website’s evaluation by algorithms and other potential clients. This solution is also valuable from the point of view of the positioning process.
  
  What do reviews and ratings give me?
  - a proper marking of expanded fragments will ensure that additional elements will show up in organic results, e.g. starts, product evaluation or information that the product has been reviewed by someone,
  - additional product information should encourage a user to a purchase. They won’t have to leave your website in order to find a product review,
  - you gain additional content.

• Does my shop have to utilise the HTTPS protocol?

  According to the current Google guidelines for webmasters and messages about a lack of safe connection on various browsers, it is recommended that an HTTPS protocol be used, especially in the case of online shops that utilise forms for data transmission.
  
  Keep in mind, however, that the website must be properly optimised to use the HTTPS protocol. If you’re using a protocol globally, redirect all your addresses to one version, e.g. https://www.domain.com/
  
  Of course, there is no need to utilise an HTTPS protocol on all subpages. It’s enough if it’s used on all subpages utilising forms, e.g. ordering page/cart, logging into the shop.

• Faceted search – what is it and how should it function?

  This is navigation based on specific product attributes, e.g. the manufacturer, colour, size. Its main goal is to single out all products with the same attribute.
  
  Faceted searches can work in various ways – by using javascript (the website doesn’t refresh, only the products available get reloaded) or with an additional address parameter (the website reloads and the address shows additional parameters, e.g. ?prod%5B%5D=25&filters=2&products-list). The best solution from a SEO point of view would be implementing a mechanism which would place select attributes in the URL and construct a friendly, readily available (copying and pasting displays products with given attributes) URL address.
  
  Example:
  https://www.domain.com/tv-hd
  
  For the select attribute “manufacturer: Samsung”, the following address will be generated:
  https://www.domain.com/tv-hd/samsung
  
  For the select attributes “manufacturer: Samsung” and “resolution: 42 inches”, the following address will be generate:
  https://www.domain.com/tv-hd/samsung-42-inch
  
  Navigation implemented this way is an effective mechanism for generating websites and long-tail expressions, which should improve organic traffic. Of course, not all address should be indexed, which is why it’s a good idea to consult the operating mechanism with an SEO specialist.

• Optimising images – which images should I use and what should I pay attention to when adding them?

  If you want to increase your website’s value, it’s a good idea to use your own product photos. Additionally, in order to gain traffic from a graphical search engine, it’s a good idea to take care of the following elements when adding a photograph:
  - file name with the key phrase, e.g. sony-tv-32-inches-grey.jpg,
  - an alt market describing the photograph, e.g. Sony TV 32 inches, grey – Front view.
  
  When uploading the images to the website, make sure they have the optimal dimensions – don’t upload a full image as a product thumbnail, as this will increase the load times of the website.

• What should a proper product name look like?

  When adding products to your shop, stick to the following naming tips:
  - do not use capslock unless absolutely necessary, e.g. proper names, abbreviations,
  - put in full product names, including key phrases in multiple variants,
  - don’t construct names that are too long, squeezing in all the key words you have to cover – these can be introduced in other elements, which will be more effective.

• Which pages should be blocked from search engine robots?

  You can successfully block low-value pages from the search engine robots. These pages include the logging in page, the cart page, the registration form, etc. You should also make sure to put the attribute rel=”nofollow” on the page links with noindex – this will help you reduce the amount of time the robot spends on reaching the search engine through the website and ensure that it reaches only the relevant subpages.

• What are structural meta tags (shcema.org) and what do I need them for?

  Thanks to the schema.org project, we’ve received several special markers to be used for marking specific elements of the website, e.g. navigation, article content, contact information, or detailed product information. This type of marking is a clear signal for the indexing robot, telling it what a given site element is and what its value is.
  
  Implementing markers and their growing popularity has resulted in the creation of special elements in search results – rich snippets.
  
  
  
  If you want your website to stand out and provide your user with more information regarding your subpages, take a look at the schema.org website, looking out for solutions that you can implement in your website. Utilising markers will greatly facilitate the evaluation of the website’s content on the part of the algorithms. Make sure to be moderate in your actions and not overuse rich snippets, as according to the latest update of Webmaster Guidelines, your website may be manually sanctioned, which will negatively impact your website’s visibility on the Google search engine.

• Is it better to put detailed product information directly on the website or in the form of a PDF document?

  It’s important to keep in mind that Google is, to a large degree, a text-based search engine and, though it can download and index pdf contents without problems, from the point of view of the positioning process, it’s better to place the information directly in the product tab. Putting in information in a remote file will not influence the evaluation to the same degree as putting in the content directly.

• Why do I need content on the main page, categories, and products?

  Coming back to point 11 – Google is a text-based search engine, which is why content is a key part of the optimisation process. Optimised by implementing additional elements, properly saturated with key phrases, they can point to the website’s topicality and usefulness to the user.
  
  The presence of content is thus very important. When writing content, keep in mind to make them useful to the user first and foremost. Try to predict what they user will ask about and put that information within the content.

• Why should product descriptions be unique?

  If you want traffic from long-tail queries, you should make sure that you have a unique, or at least partially unqiue, product description. The manufacturer’s descriptions of the product are most likely already used, probably by large, well-known companies who will have an easier time reaching the top ten with duplicate content.
  
  Keep in mind that you should avoid duplicating your own descriptions by placing your products in auction systems and price comparison websites. Make sure that the first thing you do is add the description to your own website, wait for it to be indexed, and then publish products on other systems. Of course, you can also create unique descriptions for every place.

• Why can’t we promote some phrase groups? (multi-thematic websites)

  It might happen frequently – your shop has a broad enough topic, that promoting some phrase groups is impossible and could be risky, as if would negatively influence the website’s topicality – planters and doors are not as connected as doors and windows, for example. Take a website that offers various types of doors and planters. In that case, it’s better to concentrate on one product group or move part of the offer to a different address.

• Long-tail positioning – what is it? What operations happen here?

  Long-tail positioning is a process that involves promoting and concentrating on phrases that can contain from several to around a dozen words, e.d. “right brown interior wooden door with glass”. These types of phrases are often subjected to an additional type of optimisation that involves attaching content created specifically for the page, proper optimisation of title markers, image and headline optimisation, as well as internal linking to subpages. This type of phrases are usually what product pages rank for, which is why they often give the shop a better conversion rate.

• Is it better to repeat products of the same colour or to utilise attributes?

  That depends. Utilising attributes is good practice, as they are user-friendly and there is no obligation to invest in additional unique content.
  
  If your product category, as a result of using attributes, was limited to just one product, we definitely recommend reusing products, as long as you keep the following elements:
  - a unique description,
  - a unique image,
  - a stand-out product name, e.g. by adding a product code

• Ecommerce analytics – why is it important? How to launch it?

  Properly configuring and launching analytics should be the first step to making any marketing operations. The lack of a possibility to verify the data on the ongoing procedures is a serious mistake, as this prevents you from being able to evaluate the influence on sales and profit.
  
  Currently, one of the most popular free online analytics tools is Google Analytics. In order to launch commerce tracking, you must perform two steps:
  
  Step 1
  
  In the Google Analytics tool, go to the Settings tab → data view:
  E-commerce settings.
  
  Next, flick the switch to “on”.
  
  
  
  Step 2
  
  In order for Google Analytics to be able to receive transaction information, it’s important to add additional elements to the tracking code. Detailed information and sample codes are available on the Google dev website.
  
  A manual configuration is only necessary in the case of custom shop engines. If you’re using more popular solutions, such as PrestaShop, all you need to do is install the Google Analytics module and place a tracking identifier into its configuration.

• Product number – does it matter?

  When it comes to the number of products in the shop, there is no consensus, as smaller amounts of products often take up a higher position for the searched word. In that case, additional factors and elements definitely play a role. It’s a good idea to present the client with your full offer and add all the possible products to the offer. A greater number of products can’t hurt – on the contrary, it may prove to be a great benefit to the positioning process, as well as reduce the website leaving rate.

• Page loading speed – is it important?

  Definitely. Users are becoming increasingly demanding, which is why a greater loading time may lead to users leaving. All current Google operations are performed with the purpose of increasing the page loading speed.
  
  
  
  AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) technology is becoming increasing popular, as it allows for websites to load very quickly on mobile devices. How does it work? When searching for something using Google on their phone or other mobile device, the user will be notified with a lightning symbol.
  
  
  
  This type of websites are loaded directly from Google servers, which is why their load time is so short.
  
  In order to check the page loading speed, you can use one of the popular tools, e.g. Google PageSpeed Insights, GTMetrix lub Pingdom.

• Blog – do I need one? What does a well-prepared blog page look like?

  Running a blog isn’t a necessity, although it is a valuable addition that gives you the opportunity to showcase yourself as an expert in the field, which is valued both by users and algorithms.
  
  When it comes to internet shops, it’s a good idea to make sure that all your blog posts contain thematically linked products, links to key categories, as well as Call to Action elements that enable you to quickly gain contact information.