If you are looking for a specific product and want to know more before buying it, what do you do? Most people turn to Google for answers, either looking at product reviews from other customers or the product descriptions themselves to see if it has everything they need. As a retailer, wouldn’t you rather be the first link to a product that people see once they do a search?
81 percent of shoppers will do online research before they buy a product, according to a Shopify article. They are actively searching for solutions, and you want to land in their search results. This method of increasing website traffic and business goals is called search engine optimization (SEO). Through this process of configuring and promoting websites so they have increased visibility in Google and other search engine result pages, independent retailers will have not only more online sales but more in-store foot traffic as well.
“If you look at what’s going on in larger trends, more dollars are being spent online every year,” Chris Rodgers, CEO and founder of Colorado SEO Pros, said. “It has a huge impact on the retail industry.” Colorado SEO Pros is a boutique SEO agency providing a suite of inbound marketing services for small and mid-sized organizations. More and more customers, especially millennials, are comfortable purchasing online rather than in store, and it’s a new trend that many retailers have caught on to and are constantly working to better their online shopping experience.
71 percent of consumers will click on a link from the first page of results, according to Shopify. This means that ranking well in search engine results can make the difference between getting traffic to your site and missing out on potential buyers. The goal of SEO is to send signals to search engines that show the value and relevance of a particular website, according to Shopify.
Now that we have the specifics out of the way, Rodgers has some tips to help retailers increase their revenue. “Have more information and user experience that’s relevant to the product,” Rodgers said. “Give out more accurate information so people have a full understanding of the product from the advertisement and the product from your page.”
You need to give customers a reason to buy your product over one from another store. What they want to see when they click on your link is the product they are looking for, and not have to go through a million other things on your website to get to the product. A picture and a description, along with any other information, can go a long way. Don’t let your customers get sidetracked with something else if they can’t find what they are looking for right away.
“Make sure you have done complete research around that product so that you understand all the ways people are searching for it,” Rodgers said. “Include certain things about the brand and then create a strategy to use the keywords on the page in a way that creates a good user experience.”
Google is using an AI voice search algorithm where people can say exactly they are looking for and Google will do the search. This means you’re language needs to be natural, and let certain keywords be your guide. Simple and easy to navigate are two key principles to remember to keep the customer engaged on your site.
However you choose to move forward with implementing SEO basics, the results will likely be worth the effort. One of the biggest mistakes businesses can make, according to Rodgers, is waiting until after you have your website built and launched to consider SEO. But have no fear! There is still hope. It is better to implement SEO than not have it, and a company like Colorado SEO Pros can help. So if you’re an indie retailer looking to get your website up and running, definitely consider SEO as a way to promote your store.