What is SEO?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a set of techniques that help online stores improve their position in search engine results. With proper SEO, your online store can attract more visitors who are more likely to become paying customers. Together, we will go through how to improve your SEO and what to keep in mind. SEO can be divided into several groups, which we will take a closer look at.

1. On-Page SEO: Basic Optimization for Websites

The first step is to optimize your online store itself.

This includes:

1. High-quality content on pages: Every product should have a detailed description that answers customer questions and includes relevant keywords for that product.
2. Image optimization: Images should have the correct file name and alt text that describes the image. This not only helps with SEO but also improves accessibility.
3. Mobile-friendliness: Ensure that your online store is fully responsive, meaning it displays correctly on all types of devices, especially mobile phones. Studies show that up to 70% of visits to online stores come from mobile devices.
4. URL structure optimization: URLs should be clean, short, and contain keywords. For example, instead of www.yourstore.com/product?id=123, use www.yourstore.com/product-name. We understand that many platforms have limitations in this regard, so skip this step if your platform doesn't offer this option.

2. Off-Page SEO: Building Authority and Backlinks

Acquiring high-quality backlinks is crucial for increasing the authority of your site. Backlinks signal to search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy.

Here are some techniques:

1. Guest blogging: Writing articles on external blogs where you can place a link back to your online store.
2. Collaboration with influencers: Working with personalities who have influence over your target audience can bring in new customers.
3. Getting reviews and ratings: Reviews from satisfied customers not only improve your reputation but can also bring backlinks to your page. An ideal platform for collecting reviews is, for example, Trustpilot or Google.

3. Technical SEO: Ensuring the Proper Functioning of the Online Store

Technical SEO is about making your online store easily accessible and well-structured for search engines.

Key areas of technical SEO include:

1. Page load speed: Search engines prefer fast websites. Optimize image sizes, use caching, and consider using a Content Delivery Network (CDN).
2. XML Sitemap: Make sure you have a correctly configured XML sitemap, which helps search engines index your pages. You can then submit this sitemap directly to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
3. Internal linking structure: Keep your internal links well-organized so that search engines can easily find all the important pages of your online store.

4. Local SEO: Optimizing for Local Search

If you focus on a specific geographic area, you should optimize your online store for local searches.

This includes:

1. Google My Business: Register your online store on Google My Business so that it appears in local search results.
2. Content localization: Adjust the content on your online store to match the specific needs and language preferences of your target audience.

5. Measuring and Analyzing SEO Performance

Without proper measurement, you won't know how well your SEO is performing. Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to get data on traffic, impressions, clicks, and rankings in search results.

Based on this data, you can adjust your SEO strategy.

We highly recommend implementing Google Analytics, which will also give you insight into where your visitors are coming from (countries and links).

Another great analytical tool that immediately tells you how your online store is doing is Google PageSpeed Insights.

Conclusion

SEO is a long-term process. The right techniques can help your online store achieve higher visibility and attract more customers.

Implementing on-page, off-page, and technical SEO is crucial to ensure that your online store ranks well in search engines and provides a great user experience.