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According to a recent study, only 30% of businesses have a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. This means that only 30% of businesses are making a conscious effort to improve their search result rankings. And, only a small number are benefitting from the wide-ranging advantages that an SEO strategy provides.

So what exactly are these advantages for an eCommerce site? And how does an SEO strategy lead to an increase in sales?

Carry on reading for our guide to why SEO is an indispensable marketing tool for eCommerce businesses.

Greater Visibility in Search Results

The most obvious connection between SEO and increased sales is search engine visibility. All SEO strategies aim to improve the ranking of a website in search engine results. By appearing towards the top of the first page, businesses stand a great chance of being clicked on.

The more visible an eCommerce website is for a wide range of relevant keywords, the more website traffic will be generated. And an increased number of website visitors will allow for more conversions, and ultimately sales.

Of course, a great website design and valuable products are also needed to ensure sales. But without this source of traffic, eCommerce businesses are unlikely to find in-market browsers.

Other digital marketing strategies such as PPC advertising can also boost a business’s traffic. However, SEO has the advantage of being an enduring and low-costing method.

On-Page SEO Drives Traffic

Now, let’s look a little closer at how SEO and sales are intimately connected. A sub-set of search engine optimization is referred to as on-page SEO.

This comprises the following techniques:

• Optimizing title tags and meta descriptions
• Enhancing image size and alt-text
• Adding schema mark-up
• Incorporating internal linking into your website

Each of these elements (and more) combine to boost eCommerce websites in search engines’ results pages. An SEO agency can use its knowledge of search engine algorithms to optimize your website’s on-page data. This allows Google (and other search engines) to trawl the content of your website and match your page to search requests.

Thus, on-page SEO techniques are a significant means of driving traffic to your website and increasing sales.

Keyword Research Targets Potential Customers

A large part of SEO consists of keyword research. This entails carefully considering your products and the corresponding search terms of your potential customers.

Keyword research will drive many other elements of your SEO strategies. For example content marketing, website metadata, and optimizing URLs. When done correctly, it ensures that your website is put in front of potential customers who are actively looking to make a purchase.

Focus on finding transactional rather than informational keywords. This is because your eCommerce site is looking to make a sale as quickly as possible. Transactional keywords suggest the searcher is ready to buy.

Long-tail keywords are also an important part of increasing your website sales. These are low-volume yet highly-targeted phrases that typically have a high conversion rate. An example of a long-tail keyword would be “purchase size 8 red sneakers”.

Technical SEO Increases Website Usability

Another aspect of SEO services is called technical SEO. This refers to the technical aspects of your website which allow for search engines to crawl and index your pages. There are many different technical SEO techniques. These include installing SSL certificates, creating an XML sitemap, and improving website speed.

So what does technical SEO have to do with increasing website sales?

The answer is two-fold. First, by fulfilling the technical requirements, websites are able to climb results rankings. Thus, more people will find and make purchases from your website.

Yet, there are other benefits to implementing technical SEO strategies. By making your website mobile-friendly and improving page load speeds, you are also improving the user experience of your site. Websites that are easily navigatable are far more likely to gain conversions.

Content Marketing Improves Brand Consideration

Another aspect of SEO services is content marketing. Most often, this means a blog section of your website which consists of articles and video posts.

Content marketing increases sales in several different ways. First, brand awareness and brand consideration are improved. If someone is looking for answers to their questions that your website provides in blog-form, your brand might be considered for their purchase. This user might not have come across your website had it not been for your informative blog.

Second, content marketing results in helpful and entertaining content. This makes your brand comes across as well-meaning and genuinely helpful. This is likely to convince potential customers to buy a product.

Content marketing, alongside other SEO services, is best entrusted to a digital marketing agency. An agency for ecommerce can identify the key gaps in your SEO strategy and help fulfill them, thanks to their search engine expertise.

Local SEO Means in-Market Browsers

The final way that SEO helps to increase sales on eCommerce sites is via local SEO. Almost half of all search requests have a local component: this might be “shoe delivery near me” or “coffee stores open now”.

Regardless of whether a business has a brick-and-mortar store or not, it is important to invest in local SEO. Search engines place a lot of emphasis on the physical location of browsers and businesses. So, by not acknowledging the importance of local SEO, businesses are potentially missing out on many sales.

The most attractive part of local search requests is that these browsers are most often looking to make an immediate purchase. That’s why local SEO techniques help to put your website in front of in-market customers, and increases sales.

That’s Why eCommerce Sites Need SEO to Increase Sales

We’ve now covered how SEO can increase sales for eCommerce sites in a number of ways. From boosting your position in the search engine results, to making on-site navigation more simple. Neglecting an SEO strategy gives your competitors a huge advantage.

If you have any other questions about digital marketing or SEO, be sure to check out the rest of our marketing-related posts.