If you’re running an ecommerce site, you know how much SEO means to your business. If you need to up your SEO game, click here for your SEO strategy template
Handling hundreds or thousands of pages is a nightmare for ecommerce site owners. The problem arises needing to curate on-page SEO while avoiding duplicate content issues.
It’s likely your ecommerce site uses automated titles and descriptions.
The expansive product catalog’s meta was the result of the platform. Or, failing to update these items as the site populated beyond its original scope.
Is there an SEO strategy template you could apply to save pages from Google obscurity? Can a business handle thousands of pages and its contents?
How to Create a Powerful SEO Strategy Template: 6 Major Steps to a Top-Ranking Ecommerce Site
Ecommerce SEO requires standardization letting owners maximize page optimization while preventing resource overload. A template offers a streamlined process for optimizing pages. The optimization process includes sitewide improvements, too.
Your goal is understanding top-performing pages and the keyword research process before beginning. Only then can we optimize pages effectively (covered in the later parts of this section).
Step 1: Identifying the Top-Ranking Pages
Performing an 80/20 analysis reveals your top-ranking and top-performing pages. These are the “money” pages on your website. Identifying and applying SEO tactics to top-performers creates better returns than site-wide optimization.
Why it matters:
- 80% of profits come from 20% of your products/pages
- 80% of optimization efforts should go to 20% of the ecommerce site
Top-performing pages build authority helping the site rank in search. The higher rankings improve shares on social media, too. The influx of visitors results in a sitewide SEO “bump” helping other pages rank higher.
Identify them:
- Open your analytics tool
- Sort by ‘content’ and ‘all pages’
- Note the top 10 – 20 pages
Verify these are money (product) pages then export the page list used with the SEO template.
Step 2: The Keyword Planning Process
The keyword planning process involves identifying:
- Primary keywords
- Secondary (LSI) keywords
The keywords apply to metadata helping Google understand the page’s topic and authority. Each page needs a unique title, description, and URL. The keywords are included in each of these 3 metadata items.
Do the primary keyword research:
- Open Google AdWords’ Keyword Planner Tool
- Input your [Product] name in the search query
- Examine results for search volume, competition, and ad spend
You now have a general understanding of the primary keyword. The research reveals keyword ideas when crafting the page’s metadata, too.
Repeat the process to find secondary keywords.
The secondary keywords help the page rank for alternative search queries. The alt searches include queries like the product SKU, brand, or size. Include these long-tail keyword searches while expanding the site’s keyword use.
Keywords also apply to content efforts.
Step 3: Creating SEO Templates for Ecommerce Pages
An effective SEO template is plug-and-play using merge tools like Excel.
The plug-and-play formatting makes quick work of keyword use. Merging records streamlines metadata production and creates SEO & page consistency.
Meta Data Template
Our goal is creating a page template like:
[Product Name] : Buy [Secondary Keyword] for $X
… or a variant how you see fit while incorporating keyword use.
The keyword/page standardization optimizes Google listings. Meta optimization benefits apply to keyword use in the description and URL. Repeat this process for every product page creating unique titles and descriptions.
Page Content Template
The page content receives the same keyword treatment.
Plan to expand keyword use to:
- Image alt titles
- Subheadings
- Product descriptions (on-page)
- Related product listings
Usability Template
Site speed and usability improve Google rankings.
Improve speed:
- Get faster web hosting
- Minify site code
- Optimize images
- Fix HTML errors
- Remove unnecessary plugins
Improve usability:
- Place important items at the page’s top
- Increase font size and spacing
- Apply color theory and copywriting
- Rearrange sections based on interaction
Document It
Create a wireframe of the new page template. The wireframe gives a visual representation of how each page looks and feels.
Include keyword notes for each page for records and ideas.
Step 4: Applying SEO for Ecommerce Website
The SEO template is first applied to the top-performing pages:
- Reword metadata including primary & secondary keywords
- Optimize page content, media, and usability
- Interlink relevant pages to these money-making pages
- Include top-performing products on the homepage
Take this opportunity to let the SEO efforts “mature”. Use the downtime to discover more examples of effective sites for inspiration.
The maturity provides analytical data used in making optimization decisions. If the page shows a performance increase then apply the template to other pages.
For example:
- Before: 4TB WD External Hard Drive – Your Site
- After: Western Digital 4TB Portable External Hard Drive (SKU)
The goal is including primary keywords with high search volume. Including secondary keywords picking up long-tail searches is equally beneficial. Long-tail keyword use also applies to ecommerce blog content and primary site pages.
Process the SEO template in batches:
- Week #1 — Top 20 pages
- Week #2 — Top 50 pages
- Week #3 — Top 100 pages
- Week #4 — Top 250+ pages
Combining keyword merging (via Excel), and the template, can churn this work rapidly. Consider passing efforts to VAs or outsourcing if time is limited.
Step 5: Building Support through Blogging and Backlinks
Two items round-out the SEO strategy:
- Blogging about relevant topics creating new pages to rank in Google
- Building backlinks to important pages lifting its Google ranks
SEO-Friendly content reinforces product pages through interlinking. Content and product pages work well in driving social media shares. The combined benefits improve current page rankings while increasing lead generation sources.
What can you blog about?
- News
- Reviews
- Tutorials
- Tips & Tricks
- User stories
Consider each blog content idea for the top-performing pages. The content effort creates resources pointing to the pages improving SEO and discoverability.
Work on outreach to build backlinks following the content creation:
- Identify relevant blogs and websites in your industry
- Contact the site’s owners pitching a guest post
- Write a great article including links to a targeted page
- Help promote the page via social media building its page authority
- Repeat steps 1-4 with other blogs and websites
All-the-while, your site receives natural backlinks from its value. In time, the pages will dominate Google search. Higher rankings lead to increased profits.
SEO and Ecommerce: A Rewarding Challenge
Many large ecommerce site owners let their page and keyword selection run rampant. They believe the idea of “more is better” without placing efforts in optimization.
Their SEO neglect creates an incredible opportunity to overtake your competitors.
An SEO strategy template:
- Identifies and optimizes “big win” pages
- Improves value and authority
- Drives more traffic and sales
- Lessens the maintenance and workload
SEO for Ecommerce is a monumental challenge, but the efforts create incredible rewards. Will you pursue ecommerce optimization?
