Business sustainability depends on sales, and in this digital age, scaling up sales demands having a significant online presence. Studies show that 2017 alone recorded a whopping $2.3 trillion in global sales. That figure is expected to reach $4.8 trillion by 2021. If you want your business to get a share of this lucrative pie, then it’s imperative to develop a reliable search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.
Take note. The world of E-commerce is very competitive and could leave you quickly behind if you cannot cope up with your ways. That is why learning and implementing time-tested SEO practices can help you boost your online visibility, boost conversions, and subsequently increase sales.
SEO, however, is evolving from time to time, and today’s best practices could be obsolete in the following years. But don’t worry. There may be changes, but the fundamental practices remain inherently essential, and in this article, you’ll learn some of them. By the way, you can also leverage on agencies such as the SerpSpace Domains to scale your strategy.
Without further ado, here are some of the best SEO practices out there.
Table of Contents
1. Choose Keywords Properly
Keywords remain crucial when crafting your posts or articles. Without keywords, potential customers may not be able to find you online. That is why these should form the cornerstone of your SEO strategy. Not only do they secure your online spot, but they will also lead your prospects to other relevant offers you have.
Let’s say, for example, that your business sells woven bags out of banana fiber or abaca. A distinct keyword phrase that you’re going to rank for is woven bags. Or to more specific, you can choose abaca woven bags or banana woven bags. Your keyword should always reflect what your target customers are searching for. Of course, to attract Google’s attention, you also need to integrate related terms and phrases which people may use to search for your offer. That enhances your possibility to rank higher on search results.
Take note. Don’t just place the keyword on the body of your article. Include it on the URL, the meta description, heading, image descriptions, tags, page titles, and emails.
Good thing, there are also free online tools you can use to help you choose and craft the best keyword. One is the Google Keyword Extension, which lets you see how many people are searching using a keyword. You can also use Google AdWords. By the way, don’t underestimate the power of long-tail keywords since these have higher conversion rates and are typed more on search queries. Another entity to help you with that is SerpSpace Domains.
2. Create Content of Superb Quality and Value
While keywords are relevant, content is what makes all the difference. It dictates whether your article will rank or not. It could either make or break your entire online strategy.
Now, here is how content can increase your conversions and sales. When people search online for information about a product or service similar to what you sell, they’ll get bombarded with countless social media posts, web pages, and blogs. So how will you stand out? That is if you have the best, most relevant, most engaging, and most credible content online. Your content will rank high among others, and that then leads to more engagement. The more engagements you have, the higher your chance to convert leads into raving customers.
Remember. Content is the heart of inbound marketing, so make sure to design an inbound system with great content. After that, expect prospects to come knocking on your online store.
3. Tap on the Power of Social Media
Digital marketing is now inextricably linked with social media. Even if you have the best and top-ranking content on search engines, you’ll still get left behind by competitors who have a substantial social media reach.
That is because more and more customers are turning to social media to engage with brands. For instance, around 80% open their Facebook accounts to find relevant content. Now, that’s a huge opportunity which you could partake of especially if you are a start-up. Mind you, however, that even some of the world’s most popular brands such as Coca-Cola and McDonald have their social media campaigns.
Social media does not only lead you to billions of prospects but is an opportunity to showcase a more humanized side of your business. Thanks to resources like Facebook Ads, you can develop personalized campaigns catering to the needs, emotions, and problems of your target customers.
4. Localize and Go Mobile
Today, SEO emphasizes the importance of mobile and local content and that both should be complementary. With more and more people using their mobile devices to look for businesses, local SEO is becoming increasingly important. Studies show that 30% of all mobile searches nowadays reveal local intentions. Also, more than 70% of prospects visit a neighboring business after doing a local search.
That is why it’s imperative to highlight local content such as landing pages and local keywords so you can drive prospects to your physical or online store. Make sure that your digital platform is mobile-friendly. Otherwise, opportunities will just come slipping through your brand.
5. Boost On-Page SEO
On-page SEO is imperative to your online visibility. It helps you rank higher on search results, guides search engines in indexing your pages makes your site mobile-friendly, and helps you concentrate on enhancing crucial elements like visuals. That is why you should always pay attention to on-page best practices if you want to increase conversions and sales.
Now, if you’re not adept about on-page SEO, here are some of the most critical steps involved:
- Create unique and enticing title tags
- Optimize your page load speed to minimize bounce rates
- Write a descriptive alternative text for the images on your site and include the keyword
- Integrate the keywords and relevant descriptions on the headings
- Link your content through internal links to bolster navigation and indexing
- Create an appealing and keyword-optimized meta description to boost online visibility and relevance
- Make sure to have a sensible and easy-to-read URLs
6. Don’t Forget Reputation Management
People don’t usually talk about reputation management when tackling SEO. But it is an essential element that you should always consider. Reputation management makes sure that people see your business the way you want it. After all, you cannot avoid harmful and damaging reviews about your site or company. And how you respond to that can affect your brand’s reputation.
Here are tips you can apply to make sure you manage your reputation carefully:
- Engaging with customers online require a high level of professionalism whether the customer is harsh on you or not
- Review and assess online reviews, and that includes both positive and negative remarks
- Encourage customers to post positive reviews and testimonials
- Respond to negative comments with calmness, quickness, and professionalism